A method for adapting the storage of program guide information for a plurality of programs in a receiver memory, said method comprising: receiving program guide information containing a listing of programs scheduled for broadcast over each channel accessible by a receiver, storing all received program guide information in a program guide database stored in said receiver memory; determining whether a channel is included within a scan list stored in said receiver memory and comprising a plurality of preferred channels; and deleting, from said program guide database, program guide information associated with said channel if said channel is not included within said scan list, characterized in that said program guide database comprises a plurality of database objects including channel objects, schedule objects and program objects, wherein said channel objects include attributes associated with channel data, wherein said schedule objects include attributes associated with schedule data, and wherein said program objects include attributes associated with program data, and said step of deleting comprises: determining whether a program object referenced by a channel object associated with said channel not included within the scan list is also referenced by a channel object associated with a different channel; deleting from said program guide database said referenced program object from memory if said program object is not referenced by another channel object; and deleting from said program guide database said channel object associated with the channel not included within the scan list. receiving program guide information containing a listing of programs scheduled for broadcast over each channel accessible by a receiver, storing all received program guide information in a program guide database stored in said receiver memory; determining whether a channel is included within a scan list stored in said receiver memory and comprising a plurality of preferred channels; and deleting, from said program guide database, program guide information associated with said channel if said channel is not included within said scan list, characterized in that said program guide database comprises a plurality of database objects including channel objects, schedule objects and program objects, wherein said channel objects include attributes associated with channel data, wherein said schedule objects include attributes associated with schedule data, and wherein said program objects include attributes associated with program data, and said step of deleting comprises: determining whether a program object referenced by a channel object associated with said channel not included within the scan list is also referenced by a channel object associated with a different channel; deleting from said program guide database said referenced program object from memory if said program object is not referenced by another channel object; and deleting from said program guide database said channel object associated with the channel not included within the scan list. determining whether a program object referenced by a channel object associated with said channel not included within the scan list is also referenced by a channel object associated with a different channel; deleting from said program guide database said referenced program object from memory if said program object is not referenced by another channel object; and deleting from said program guide database said channel object associated with the channel not included within the scan list.