Solution: TV lingo for using established hits to prop up weaker shows - NYT Crossword

Put down the clock app, kiddos, and I will tell you something scary: We used to just watch whatever was on television. We had to — and if we wanted to see a particular show, we had to get there at exactly the right time, like we have to now to catch an Instagram sunrise in Moab, Utah. Except television scheduling had nothing to do with nature’s powers and everything to do with ratings, demographics and money. This is where TENTPOLING comes in, a term that’s a debut yet sounds old-fashioned; it’s the concept of sandwiching a hit show between a couple of lesser-known viewing choices in the hopes of creating a block of “destination television.”