short for \ shortened from \ shortened version of the prepositional phrase ‘on {TV}’ or ‘on {TV network-
X}’. Preposistion used as a present-tense_particple-type adjective in sentences that answer or pose (dependent on whether the sentence is declarative or interrogative) the question as to ‘*When* {<a designated program> is on <television>}’.
This is an example of a shortened version of something which is repeatedly said over-and-over in
English; another example is the ommition of 'that' or 'which' in the sense of “Why is it, that you
always seem to be attracted the to food *I*
like?”, which actually means “Why is it, that you always seem to be attracted the to food that\which *I*
like?” Not exactly the same are these two, though similar enough to be compared, I feel.
Q: When is Family Guy on?
A: Family Guy is on
FOX every Sunday at 9:00PM EST.
Person flipping through the satelite\cable\subscription
tv channels, changing it at intervals of exactly two seconds: “Ugh, nothing good is on...”
Annoyed endurer: “There’s 999 channels to choose from!!--Pick
one!!!”
Note: The above sentence breaks a rule as disregarded as split infinitives, ending a sentence with a preposition. It could be fixed to “There's 999 channels from which to choose!!--Pick
one!!!”, though sounds
awkward and stilted in such a form, even on a non-colloquial level.