Introduction

Telly Heroes gives you the chance to run a sixth terrestrial television channel, buying programmes on the open market or commissioning series of your own.

You could commission endless series of 'Micro Live', hosted by a charismatic game show host or femme fatale, and show back-to-back episodes in the evening, or how about filling the morning schedules with dreadful quiz shows you bought on the cheap? Surely, nobody's thought of that before...

Main Menu

The main menu features:

1. List programmes
   Lists the programmes you own, and the number of episodes you have remaining
2. Buy new programmes
   Allows you to buy programmers on the open market, in batches of six
3. Commission a series
   Create and name your own TV series, determine the budget and cast a celebrity host. Once commissioned, you can make more series at any time.
4. Arrange schedules
   The vital step of assigning slots to the programmes you own, prior to broadcast. Once a programme has been allocated a slot, it remains there until you remove it, or you run out of episodes to show
5. Channel identity
   Allows you to rebrand your channel to pull in extra viewers (at a cost!), set up a website, or teletext service, in order to promote your channel. This costs extra money, but increases viewing figures and leads to a small increase in advertising revenue - teletext holidays, anyone?
6. Merchandising
   Sell DVDs of programmes you commission (but not those you buy on the open market). This increases income, but carries certain risks too.
7. See last week's ratings
   Just how did your programmes fare?
8. Broadcast
   When your schedule is sorted, it's time to go to air

Programme Types

Different types of programme pull in their highest audiences at certain times of the day, and careful scheduling will allow you to maximise your audience for each one. However, be careful not to broadcast inappropriate material before the watershed.

Most programme types are okay, but occasionally a housemate in a reality TV show might go streaking around the garden, or let rip with a volley of expletives.

Dramas might also contain adult scenes. Showing either of these types before 9:00pm runs the risk of offending Mary Frighthouse, who will complain to the slightly more broadminded regulator - if he agrees with Mary, you will be hit with a fine for every transgression. Either way, Mary will not pass up on the opportunity to get in touch and let you know exactly how she feels.

Airing Adult Programmes Before 9:00pm

This will always result in a fine - and Mary will be so offended that she won't even bother to contact you on the matter.

Merchandising

Advertising revenue from higher ratings is not the only source of income. Merchandising offers opportunities to increase revenue, and DVD sales can be lucrative, although you can only sell DVDs of the programmmes you have commissioned yourself. Then there are other things to think about - such as channel branding, or the sort of teletext service you want. Will your programmes win anything at the annual award ceremonies?

Other Events

Surprises pop up from time to time as well, and there is regular news of celebrity activities such as changes in career direction, or new series. Celebrities who are making shows for other channels won't be available for your own programmes.

Every decision you take will have repercussions. Ratings are there to be grabbed, and your channel will live or die by them. They say there's no such thing as bad publicity. And now's your chance to put that theory to the test...

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Credits

Game Code & Idea: Jonathan Cauldwell
Graphics: Jonathan Cauldwell & Graham Richards (Graz)
Constant Hampering: Mary Frighthouse
Published by Cronosoft