What does 9/8c mean?

[bash7353]

I am from Germany, so I have no idea how things work in the US. When I watch promos to TV serieses like Lost, 24 or Prison Break, it always says something like "Next Thursday at 9/8c" (spoken as 'central').

I think it has something to do with the different time zones in which the US is divided, but I'm not so sure.

Hope you can help me, and thanks for your anwers.
See ya

[Zdm321]

9/8c:
9 o'clock PM on the east coast, which is in EST.
8 o'clock PM in the central United States, which is mostly CST.

EST and CST are different time zones.  If it is 9PM on the east coast, it is 8PM in the central US.

[bash7353]

9/8c:
9 o'clock PM on the east coast, which is in EST.
8 o'clock PM in the central United States, which is mostly CST.

So this would mean 7pm in Pacific Time, right?

[Zdm321]

9/8c:
9 o'clock PM on the east coast, which is in EST.
8 o'clock PM in the central United States, which is mostly CST.

So this would mean 7pm in Pacific Time, right?

No, there is another time zone in the US between Central and Pacific, called Mountain Time Zone.

9PM East
8PM Cental
7PM Mountain
6PM Pacific

[kat1214young]

Wow that's confusing.
So DCTV's time is EST right?
What does 6:00PM EST mean then, basing it on East Asian time 

[Zdm321]

Look here: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?month=1&day=31&year=2009&hour=18&min=0&sec=0&p1=179

Find your city (or another city in your time zone).

[kat1214young]

Thanks
So that means we're 13hrs ahead...