"Jeopardy!" and "Steve Harvey" (the daytime talk show named for its host) are both made for syndication, which means they can air on whatever station pays for them.

Syndication is, simply put, the process of selling broadcast rights to a show. People are generally more familiar with it when it comes to reruns, when a network makes a program to air for itself, and then later sells the rights for other channels to air it.

When a show is made specifically for syndication, though, the rights are sold as soon as it's made.

Shows that are made for syndication are often made by independent production companies, which partner with the distribution arms of the networks to handle the sales and distribution. "Steve Harvey," for example, is distributed by NBC Universal Television Distribution, but it's produced by Endemol. "Jeopardy!" is distributed by CBS, but produced by Sony Pictures Television.

Syndication is how TV stations fill up a lot of their daytime hours. Not all daytime shows are syndicated, though. For example, soaps are still made by the networks that air them, as are some talk shows, such as ABC's "The View."

You generally only see syndicated shows airing outside prime time. Networks reserve their prime-time hours for their own first-run shows. For example, you'll never see a new episode of "NCIS" anywhere but on CBS. It airs on CBS first, and then is sold to other networks for reruns later.

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