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Block programming - Wikipedia

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href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blocking_(Rundfunk%C3%B6konomie)" title="Blocking (Rundfunkökonomie) – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Blocking (Rundfunkökonomie)" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloque_de_programaci%C3%B3n" title="Bloque de programación – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Bloque de programación" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemrograman_blok" title="Pemrograman blok – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Pemrograman blok" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programma_contenitore" title="Programma contenitore – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Programma contenitore" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C5%B1sorblokk" title="Műsorblokk – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Műsorblokk" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verticale_programmering" title="Verticale programmering – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Verticale programmering" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" 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class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For code blocks in computer programming, see <a href="/wiki/Block_(programming)" title="Block (programming)">Block (programming)</a>.</div><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Form of programming where programs of a particular genre or similar are grouped together</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid 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class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Block_programming" title="Special:EditPage/Block programming">improve this article</a> by <a 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Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i>&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&amp;q=%22Block+programming%22">"Block programming"</a>&#160;–&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&amp;q=%22Block+programming%22+-wikipedia&amp;tbs=ar:1">news</a>&#160;<b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&amp;q=%22Block+programming%22&amp;tbs=bkt:s&amp;tbm=bks">newspapers</a>&#160;<b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&amp;q=%22Block+programming%22+-wikipedia">books</a>&#160;<b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Block+programming%22">scholar</a>&#160;<b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Block+programming%22&amp;acc=on&amp;wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">July 2022</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Lead_too_short plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-lead_too_short" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6c/Wiki_letter_w.svg/40px-Wiki_letter_w.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6c/Wiki_letter_w.svg/60px-Wiki_letter_w.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6c/Wiki_letter_w.svg/80px-Wiki_letter_w.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="44" data-file-height="44" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article's <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Lead_section#Length" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section">lead section</a> <b>may be too short to adequately <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Summary_style" title="Wikipedia:Summary style">summarize</a> the key points</b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please consider expanding the lead to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Lead_section#Provide_an_accessible_overview" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section">provide an accessible overview</a> of all important aspects of the article.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">May 2023</span>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> </div> </div><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>Block programming</b> (also known as a <b>strand</b> in British broadcasting) is the <a href="/wiki/Broadcast_programming" title="Broadcast programming">arrangement of programs</a> on radio or television so that those of a particular genre, theme, or target audience are united. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Overview">Overview</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Block_programming&amp;action=edit&amp;section=1" title="Edit section: Overview"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Block programming involves scheduling a series of related shows which are likely to attract and hold a given audience for a long period of time.<sup id="cite_ref-museumtv-programming_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-museumtv-programming-1"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> Notable examples of overt block programming were <a href="/wiki/NBC" title="NBC">NBC</a>'s Thursday evening "<a href="/wiki/Must_See_TV" title="Must See TV">Must See TV</a>" lineup, which included two hours of sitcoms and one hour of <i><a href="/wiki/ER_(TV_series)" title="ER (TV series)">ER</a></i>, and <a href="/wiki/Channel_4" title="Channel 4">Channel 4</a>'s "<a href="/wiki/T4_(Channel_4)" title="T4 (Channel 4)">T4</a>" program which often ran sitcoms back-to-back for an hour or more. <a href="/wiki/Rerun" title="Rerun">Reruns</a> on <a href="/wiki/Cable_television" title="Cable television">cable television</a> are often assembled into similar blocks to fill several hours of generally little-watched daytime periods. A particularly long program block, especially one that does not air on a regular schedule, is known as a <a href="/wiki/Marathon_(television)" class="mw-redirect" title="Marathon (television)">marathon</a>. </p><p>Block programming in radio also refers to programming content that appeals to various demographics in time blocks, usually corresponding to the top or bottom of the hour or the quarter-hour periods. For example, various musical genres might be featured, such as a country music hour, a three-hour afternoon block of jazz, or a four-hour Saturday night '70s disco show. </p><p>Generally speaking, block programming is anathema to modern competitive commercial radio, which traditionally uses uniform formats, other than a handful of speciality shows in off-peak hours such as weekends (for instance, the infamous <a href="/wiki/Beaver_hour" class="mw-redirect" title="Beaver hour">beaver hours</a> in Canadian radio). The general rationale for not using block programming is that listeners expect a certain type of music when they tune into a radio station and breaking from that format will turn those listeners away from the station; likewise, a station that airs its programming in hodgepodge blocks will have difficulty building listener loyalty, as listeners' music will only be on for a few hours of the day. This argument for homogenized radio was also a driving force behind the effective death of <a href="/wiki/Freeform_(radio_format)" class="mw-redirect" title="Freeform (radio format)">freeform radio</a> in the late 20th century. The case of <a href="/wiki/Talk_radio" title="Talk radio">talk radio</a> is indicative of the decline of block programming: prior to the 1980s, it was not uncommon to mix various blocks of talk programming together on one station, but this has declined dramatically in the late 1990s and beyond. A listener to a <a href="/wiki/Conservative_talk_radio" title="Conservative talk radio">conservative talk radio</a> station will have little interest in a <a href="/wiki/Progressive_talk_radio" title="Progressive talk radio">progressive talk radio</a>, <a href="/wiki/Sports_radio" title="Sports radio">sports radio</a> or <a href="/wiki/Shock_jock" title="Shock jock">hot talk</a> block, which reaches a different demographic; stations that have attempted the block strategy have historically been unsuccessful. Block programming of this nature is alive and well on outlets like <a href="/wiki/Public_radio" class="mw-redirect" title="Public radio">public radio</a> (such as <a href="/wiki/NPR" title="NPR">NPR</a>, the <a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a>, or <a href="/wiki/Canadian_Broadcasting_Corporation" title="Canadian Broadcasting Corporation">CBC</a>) and in multicultural radio serving broad ethnic and cultural audiences, although even in this realm the idea of block programming is declining due to competition for donations. </p><p>Some programming blocks have become so popular that they have been transformed to full-fledged 24-hour channels. Current channels which started as program blocks include <a href="/wiki/Disney_Junior" class="mw-redirect" title="Disney Junior">Disney Junior</a> (which is still a program block on <a href="/wiki/Disney_Channel" title="Disney Channel">Disney Channel</a>); the <a href="/wiki/Nick_Jr._Channel" title="Nick Jr. Channel">Nick Jr. Channel</a> (based on the <a href="/wiki/Nick_Jr." title="Nick Jr.">Nick Jr. block</a> that still airs on Nickelodeon);<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Boomerang_(TV_network)" title="Boomerang (TV network)">Boomerang</a> (which was once a program block on <a href="/wiki/Cartoon_Network" title="Cartoon Network">Cartoon Network</a>); <a href="/wiki/PBS_Kids#24/7_network" title="PBS Kids">PBS Kids</a> (which is still a <a href="/wiki/PBS_Kids" title="PBS Kids">program block</a> on <a href="/wiki/PBS" title="PBS">PBS</a>) and <a href="/wiki/MeTV_Toons" title="MeTV Toons">MeTV Toons</a> (which was once a programming block on <a href="/wiki/MeTV" title="MeTV">MeTV</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-ks_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ks-3"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> In addition, <a href="/wiki/TV_Land" title="TV Land">TV Land</a> airs older shows that were once aired on sister channel Nickelodeon's <a href="/wiki/Nick_at_Nite" title="Nick at Nite">Nick at Nite</a> program block. <a href="/wiki/Adult_Swim" title="Adult Swim">Adult Swim</a> is also a Cartoon Network Programming Block. </p><p>However, since the 2010s, new programming blocks have become rare due to airing programming in a regular format or with little or no brand reference within the programming block.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Block_programming&amp;action=edit&amp;section=2" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Audience_flow" title="Audience flow">Audience flow</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lists_of_programming_blocks" title="Lists of programming blocks">Lists of programming blocks</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Strip_programming" title="Strip programming">Strip programming</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Broadcast_programming" title="Broadcast programming">Broadcast programming</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dayparting" title="Dayparting">Dayparting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Marathon_(television)" class="mw-redirect" title="Marathon (television)">Marathon (television)</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Block_programming&amp;action=edit&amp;section=3" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-museumtv-programming-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-museumtv-programming_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.museum.tv/eotv/programming.htm">"Programming"</a>. <i>www.museum.tv</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2017-10-17</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.jtitle=www.museum.tv&amp;rft.atitle=Programming&amp;rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.museum.tv%2Feotv%2Fprogramming.htm&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABlock+programming" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://kidscreen.com/2013/10/02/oops-clarification-for-kidscreens-september-2013-issue/">"Oops! Clarification for Kidscreen's September 2013 issue"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.btitle=Oops%21+Clarification+for+Kidscreen%27s+September+2013+issue&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fkidscreen.com%2F2013%2F10%2F02%2Foops-clarification-for-kidscreens-september-2013-issue%2F&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABlock+programming" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-ks-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-ks_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://kidscreen.com/2016/02/23/pbs-kids-widens-access-with-247-channel-offerings/">"PBS KIDS widens access with 24/7 channel offerings"</a>. Kidscreen. 2016-02-23<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2017-10-17</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.btitle=PBS+KIDS+widens+access+with+24%2F7+channel+offerings&amp;rft.pub=Kidscreen&amp;rft.date=2016-02-23&amp;rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fkidscreen.com%2F2016%2F02%2F23%2Fpbs-kids-widens-access-with-247-channel-offerings%2F&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABlock+programming" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/05/26/soapnet-will-go-dark-to-make-way-for-disney-junior">SOAPnet Will Go Dark to Make Way for Disney Junior</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100527032646/http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/05/26/soapnet-will-go-dark-to-make-way-for-disney-junior/">Archived</a> 2010-05-27 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>, <i>Entertainment Weekly</i>, May 26, 2010</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <!-- NewPP limit report Parsed by mw‐web.codfw.canary‐84779d6bf6‐crlgt Cached time: 20241122144615 Cache expiry: 2592000 Reduced expiry: false Complications: [vary‐revision‐sha1] CPU time usage: 0.275 seconds Real time usage: 0.356 seconds Preprocessor visited node count: 615/1000000 Post‐expand include size: 36084/2097152 bytes Template argument size: 9101/2097152 bytes Highest expansion depth: 14/100 Expensive parser function count: 5/500 Unstrip recursion depth: 1/20 Unstrip post‐expand size: 17772/5000000 bytes Lua time usage: 0.172/10.000 seconds Lua memory usage: 4036171/52428800 bytes Number of Wikibase entities loaded: 0/400 --> <!-- Transclusion expansion time report (%,ms,calls,template) 100.00% 318.370 1 -total 36.36% 115.749 1 Template:Reflist 31.30% 99.637 1 Template:Multiple_Issues 28.45% 90.567 3 Template:Cite_web 19.37% 61.653 1 Template:Citations_needed 19.23% 61.212 1 Template:Short_description 18.61% 59.262 2 Template:Ambox 12.00% 38.196 1 Template:For 9.56% 30.443 2 Template:Pagetype 5.12% 16.314 4 Template:Main_other --> <!-- Saved in parser cache with key enwiki:pcache:idhash:2836685-0!canonical and timestamp 20241122144615 and revision id 1258572702. 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