Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

calcaneous · Joined: 23 Feb 2006 Posts: 32

I know that "at 9/8c" means "at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time or at 8:00 p.m. Central time (Hence, represented by 'c')".

Well... Here's the thing. Say, you're living in the western region of USA, and, right now, watching one of those 9/8c TV shows (with lots of potato chips on the couch, of course :-). When did the show begin?

Some other questions:
Is there such a thing as "Western time"?
Can "9/8c" also refer to 9:00 a.m (E)/ 8:00 a.m. (C)?
Is this type of notation used only in USA?

Nef · Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 187 Location: California, USA

calcaneous · Joined: 23 Feb 2006 Posts: 32

Thank you, Nef.
Your answers are really specific and also very helpful.

Jintii · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Posts: 111 Location: New York City

One more note:

While Nef is certainly correct that 9:00 Eastern time is 6:00 Pacific, in actuality many shows that begin at 9 pm Eastern also begin at 9 pm Pacific.

I don't mean live shows, like major sports events, but TV series and that sort of thing. These shows are meant for certain audiences/age groups, the advertising is sold according to who will be watching, etc. The 6 pm audience is not the same as the 9 pm audience. So if a show is designed to air during "prime time", it will air during prime time on both coasts, even though there will be a 3 hour delay.

So if your favorite TV show is on at 9 pm Eastern/8 pm Central, it will most likely also be on at 9 pm Pacific, not at 6 pm Pacific.

Nef · Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 187 Location: California, USA

Jintii, you're right. Thank you. The best way to be sure of when a show is on is to check a local listing.