how can I stop shows from being cancelled?

Question

I saw an article today that mentioned Mercy and Trauma as two shows that might be cancelled. How can I stop these shows from being cancelled? I hate reality TV and that seems to be the only thing that gets renewed (i.e. American Idol, do they really have to show that every night?) How can we tell the networks that's not what we want? (without being a Neilson family.)

Update:

Please don't answer with "you can't do anything". that's not a helpful answer.

Nick H · Accepted Answer

Convince millions of people to watch the show. That's pretty much all you can do.

Fraggle · Answer

Sorry, but in all seriousness, you really can't do anything.

Television is a business.  The industry exists to make money.  Television programming is nothing more than an advertisement delivery system.  People who watch TV programs watch the commercials, and advertisers are the ones who pay the bills.  Ad revenue is based solely upon ratings and demographic information (also from Nielsen families).  Advertisers pay more money for spots on shows with high ratings and good demographics.  They pay less money for space on shows with low ratings.  If the ratings are bad enough, sometimes the network has to refund the advertising money, which means they lose millions on low-rated shows.  Demographics come into play because advertisers desperately want male viewers, especially young ones.  They'll pay more for a spot on a show that has 10 million 18-year old men watching it than for a show with 20+ million female viewers, or viewers over 50 years old.  It all comes down to Nielsen families, their demographics and what they watch.  Advertisers don't care about anything else, and the TV industry is all about the advertisers.  They honestly don't care about the viewers, producing a quality product, or anything but those young male eyeballs.

The only way to change things is to completely change the system, and since this is a multi-billion dollar industry, that won't happen for a long time, if ever.

eeeeek!!! · Answer

Wish I knew. 
Tried to save Moonlight by posting at any and all relevant CBS sites, but some idiot didn't think that vampire romance would sell. (Oh yeah, and then Twilight came out). Some shows have been saved at least temporarily by fan support (Victoria Mars, Jericho).
I don't know if "Lost" was actually going to be canceled at one time or if it was just a ploy to make viewers more vocal.
One thing you could also try would be to write to the sponsors. It works to get shows OFF the air, it might to keep one on.

LadyMerton · Answer

very little I am afraid- it's all about Making Money- low ratings=No profit and TV is a For Profit Busine$$
dramas cost much more to make than "reality" shows- Sad but True

occasionally enough fans snail mail a network and can get a show back but it's rare

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how can I stop shows from being cancelled?

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