I was curious about how networks pay for Star Trek episodes, do some cost more than others? I seem to see the same episodes rerun within a year but I have never seen others, ever. For example I have never seen "The Return of the Archons" run, is there some reason for that?
When syndication was primarily through local stations, I think they were just paying X amount to the distributor through some sort of package deal. If TNG had failed, the plan was for the first season to be bundled with TOS episodes. Not sure how it works with cable networks. Also, some TOS episodes were not aired in certain foreign countries, due to some element in a story that didn't meet that country's standards. I think "Archons" may have been one of those that had problems in Europe.
There was a story in Starlog Magazine, issue #5, Star Trek Censored in Texas. Some stations in the U.S. refused to show certain episodes because of their content.