Programming decisions balance four things: whether an idea fits the channel identity, whether it can be made with available resources, whether it fills a gap in the schedule, and whether an audience exists for it. Quality matters, but it is rarely the deciding factor — most rejections are about fit and feasibility, not merit.
At commercial and public broadcasters, a commissioning editor or channel controller, working within a budget set above them. On community-governed platforms it is the community, usually through a vote, with staff handling feasibility rather than taste.
Conventional television commissions six months to two years ahead, because production takes that long. Community and online programming operates on weeks, which is why it can respond to things national schedules cannot.
Usually not. Fit, timing, budget and duplication account for most rejections. The useful question after a no is which of those four applied, because three of them mean try again elsewhere or later rather than change the idea.