The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => Game Show Channels & Networks => Topic started by: LetsGoYankees on December 02, 2012, 09:46:40 AM
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I'm off a day, but it was December 1, 1994 that the "Game Show Network" was born, and so were classic and modern game show reruns, including Match Game. MG was one of the first game shows to air on the Game Show Network, and still appears on the schedule every weekday now.
I ask this now: What was your first memory of the Game Show Network?
Check here for more information on which shows appeared first on GSN. (http://"http://gameshow.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=24155&st=35#entry299884")
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I was at a K-Mart in the TV department circa 1998 and all the monitors were showing Perry "Card Sharks." As soon as I got home, I called the cable co. to get the package with GSN.
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Well, my first *memory* was when it was being discussed on ATGS before it launched in '94, but my first experience seeing it was when someone (might have even been GSN itself) was streaming it as a Microsoft Netshow stream in '97 or so, and I could watch The Joker's Wild in a fuzzy 2" window over dialup.
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First read about "The Game Show Channel" in TV Guide in the fall of 1993. It took a bit over a year before what would become Game Show Network to go on the air. First experience was in January 1995, when my cousin got C-band satellite. We were spending the day watching those old game shows we grew up watching, as well as the B&W shows that were on before our parents reached their teen years. Finally got GSN on a full time basis in 1997, first as a two week preview in February, then as a part of the regular lineup in May.
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In 1997 or '98, I saw a TV at Best Buy airing a promo for Tattle Tales, where they showed various couples and said what happened to each of them. A couple years later, at a Blockbuster Video, I saw part of the Password Plus where Debralee Scott's clue of "lovemaking" is initially disallowed. It was three years before I actually had the channel. Coincidentally, either P+ or SP was on when my wife noticed it.
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If that broadcasting magazine archive went all the way to 1994 I could link to it...But my first memory of GSN is the ad that said "We came to play!" before launch..I remember first looking at their schedule in OnSat magazine after launch and just being mesmerized by all I saw ("Child's Play..I remember that show!"). Being out of HS for a year and a half at that point I used my A/V Club connections and my alma mater's satellite dish (purchased for Channel One) to tune to G7-T6 and record some GSN. I got the tail end of a WoF, and entire episodes of SP, MG90, BTC (with Gene Wood), and Child's Play. An additional tape a few weeks later netted me the end of a Combs Feud, my first look at an entire Rayburn MG episode in almost 15 years, among other shows. This was a truly magical time. I convinced my dad to get DISH Network when they added GSN in November 1996 and largely since then, I've had the channel.
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So GSN is an adult now, I see?
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Ahh, Game Show Network, you'll always be Channel 161 on the TCI digital lineup to me.
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Ahh, Game Show Network, you'll always be Channel 161 on the TCI digital lineup to me.
Interesting that you mention this - it happens to be Channel 161 right now in Denver on Comcast for the SD version. It's in the high 700's for HD. I remember it being 161 years and years ago when I lived in Iowa (TCI there, too).
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I remember seeing ads for GSN in Orbit magazine when I was in the supermarket with my mom. I remember a schoolmate talking about it and I remember on the way to dropping my stepsister off to see her mother in Mobile, we stopped at her father's friend's house and they had GSN and I caught the tail end of Trivia Trap and I remember we left and I was so hooked since then. Christmas of 1995 my grandmother got me a primestar for two reasons. 1. She lived out in the country in Alabama so she didn't have cable and 2. I wanted GSN but we found out it wasn't available at the time. In 1997, we finally recieved it prior to the "Dark period" I loved it. I was so happy to get it.
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I remember in 1992-93, when news outlets reported on the idea of a 500 channel universe, and I could only think how cool it would be to have an all game show channel...USA's rerun block, except 24 hours a day. Sure enough, in one of the reports, there was a clip of a few lovely ladies wearing Game Show Network or Game Show Channel shirts. I don't know what got this 9/10-year-old's attention more: the ladies or the 24 hours of game shows. ;-)
Sometime in 1994, I remember reading an article in the supermarket line about upcoming cable channels. GSN was on that list, and I immediately hoped for TCI to pick it up. Funny how, 20 years ago, I loved the idea of 500 channels, while I now realize I don't need cable because I can't find anything on the 500 channels offered. Roku, Youtube, and DVDs are now my "cable outlets". :-P
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As a member of the Usenet group, I was following the development of the channel along with everybody else. Conveniently, I work at a school district that had just purchased four big satellite dishes. I basically took one of the four and locked it onto the GSN signal, so I can honestly say I was watching GSN from Day One. I still have VHS tapes of the first 24 hours of their programming.
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First got GSN in 2003. The cable guy left my house at 6:30 pm EST. First show I saw was Match Game '75. A great time for GSN, when they had originals and classic oldies. 2007 - '10 were decent years also, IMO.
So GSN is 18 - in three more years it can go into any liquor store.
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My first encounters with GSN were from my first tape trade in 1996, when I got the premiere, finale, and a handful of the New Year's specials of Match Game, along with Password Plus and Super Password episodes (PW+ premiere, the "I was married to him for too long" ep. with Lucy and Dick Martin; two random SP's but including one where someone makes the exact same goof made on the PW+ premiere). I got by with tape trades to fulfill my game show fix for a while, but did think of how nice it would be to have this little network some of these old memories came from. Well a year later, our cable company was previewing some potential new channels (Sci-Fi and the Golf Channel were among the other candidates, with the former I was reunited with MST3K unexpectedly one evening too!) and had a vote on them. Sure enough, GSN was one of the choices too so I had my VCR working overtime capturing as much as I could from the couple of days they were showing it. I forget who won the vote, but shortly after all the channels ended up on our system anyway. Needless to say, I was in heaven...everything seemed just right at that time too (from the variety to little scheduling nuances like having Wheel at 11 am eastern, the slot the daytime version usually was in on NBC when I was growing up).
Little did I know that months later would come the so-called Dark Period...as we know now, it wasn't THAT bad but started some trends that would never leave the channel (repeating shows for instance). GSN has since had ups and downs but never reached that time when I first got it, IMO. And the scary thing is it was EVEN BETTER before 1997...the Club AM and etc. days.
Question...when did they first get TPIR? I know they did have clips of it in promos from when they started, but that disappeared soon. That is one advantage that came later.
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Question...when did they first get TPIR? I know they did have clips of it in promos from when they started, but that disappeared soon. That is one advantage that came later.
IIRC, 1996 or '97. I wanna say early-97.
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First got GSN in 2003. The cable guy left my house at 6:30 pm EST. First show I saw was Match Game '75. A great time for GSN, when they had originals and classic oldies. 2007 - '10 were decent years also, IMO.
So GSN is 18 - in three more years it can go into any liquor store.
But next year it can sneak into Canada and do it all :)
I don't remember the first time I *watched* GSN, but I remember getting a co-worker in 1999 to record 12-18 hours of GSN...and it happened to be during their 5th Anniversary when they counted down the top 20-25(?) Goodson-Todman shows in order. (Probably the best anniversary celebration they ever did, with Marianne Curan and Peter Tomarken at the hosting helm).
I had also talked to my grandfather into choosing Primestar over Dish Network since GSN was in the basic tier for Primestar, IIRC. It was still a few years off before I got GSN at home (via DirecTV).
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Question...when did they first get TPIR? I know they did have clips of it in promos from when they started, but that disappeared soon. That is one advantage that came later.
IIRC, 1996 or '97. I wanna say early-97.
I see. I also seem to remember someone saying they didn't have Perry Card Sharks at the launch. (They only showed Eubanks at first) True? If so, anyone know the story as to why they couldn't show the original series until later?
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Little did I know that months later would come the so-called Dark Period...as we know now, it wasn't THAT bad but started some trends that would never leave the channel (repeating shows for instance). GSN has since had ups and downs but never reached that time when I first got it, IMO. And the scary thing is it was EVEN BETTER before 1997...the Club AM and etc. days.
Question...when did they first get TPIR? I know they did have clips of it in promos from when they started, but that disappeared soon. That is one advantage that came later.
The thing GSN did that I liked the least was when they aired a block of shows from 8am-noon, and then repeated SAME BLOCK from noon-4pm. IIRC, they did the same thing from 8-midnight and midnight-4am too.
TPiR started showing up on the channel not long after I got the channel in November 1996. It was really kind of cool, too - before it found a "permanent home" on the schedule, they would toss it in at random times. I remember watching it on a Saturday morning, expecting to see some "Joker's Wild" and some other shows, and instead, they put on a Cullen ep, the first permanent hour-long ep, and a Kennedy. Another time, I tuned into Prime Games at 7 expecting "Match Game" but instead got an hour-long TPiR. I believe when December rolled around (and GSN celebrated its *2nd* birthday), they slotted TPiR at 6pm every weeknight.
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By the by:
and so were classic and modern game show reruns,
USA and Family Channel say "wasaaaaap."
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I ask this now: What was your first memory of the Game Show Network?
My response is that we shouldn't answer any of your questions until you answer some of the direct (http://\"http://gameshow.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=24152&#entry299688\") questions (http://\"http://gameshow.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=24147&#entry299596\") that have been asked of you.
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In all fairness, he technically answered them. Doesn't necessarily change my thought process, but I'll give him benefit of the doubt.
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Little did I know that months later would come the so-called Dark Period...as we know now, it wasn't THAT bad but started some trends that would never leave the channel (repeating shows for instance). GSN has since had ups and downs but never reached that time when I first got it, IMO. And the scary thing is it was EVEN BETTER before 1997...the Club AM and etc. days.
Question...when did they first get TPIR? I know they did have clips of it in promos from when they started, but that disappeared soon. That is one advantage that came later.
The thing GSN did that I liked the least was when they aired a block of shows from 8am-noon, and then repeated SAME BLOCK from noon-4pm. IIRC, they did the same thing from 8-midnight and midnight-4am too.
Granted it was useful if you missed a taping opportunity in the first four hour block, but yeah, as I said, the Dark Period meant an end to variety for the most part.
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Actually, I just remember the first time I watched GSN was at a friend's house around '96 or so. It was Sunday and it was a B&W marathon. The WML ep had Ethel Merman as the MG, and they announced that in advance during the promos. I remember telling my friend that the gimmick of the original WML was that the MG was a surprise. These days, they tell us everything in advance. Maybe that's why WML hasn't been revived.
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The first time I saw GSN was at a friend's house in Massillon, Ohio sometime in 1998-He had Color original daytime "Password" on Massillon Cable TV. I know one of the celebs was Barbara Eden..Not long after Time Warner Northeast Ohio picked up GSN...
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Ahh, Game Show Network, you'll always be Channel 161 on the TCI digital lineup to me.
Interesting that you mention this - it happens to be Channel 161 right now in Denver on Comcast for the SD version. It's in the high 700's for HD. I remember it being 161 years and years ago when I lived in Iowa (TCI there, too).
Welcome to the world of Headend in the Sky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headend_in_the_Sky).
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My parents got PrimeStar in the fall of 1997 which was my senior year in high school. We only had one receiver so I pretty much spent that school year sleeping on the couch. So basically, I got one month of seeing Match Game, Password, etc. and then the dark period. It was all interesting to me though since I had never seen Match Game or any version of Password before GSN (our local NBC must have not shown Super Password in the 80s).
But I'm sure I hogged the TV quite a bit in those first few months. Even made the original 3's a Crowd appointment TV.
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So basically, I got one month of seeing Match Game, Password, etc. and then the dark period.
That's a shame. I remember that so very well, The "Dark Period" literally started at the stroke of midnight on Saturday, October 11, 1997 (EST). with an episode of "The Gong Show" GSN started running teaser commercials for the G-T shows on April 1, 1998, and when people would post to a.t.g-s that they saw commercials that the G-T shows were coming back, they weren't believed at first. It was cause for celebration when "Child's Play" hit the airwaves on April 18 @ 8:00 a.m.
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My mom had to go to Radio Shack for some reason or another, and knowing that GSN exists, I wandered off to switch the TVs in the store to GSN. Radio Shack was running Dish Network in-store at the time. The first thing I saw - and only for a couple minutes - was Password Plus, which I had not seen before.
Right when the Dark Period started, or shortly before, I remember standing at the TVs in Costco and watching one of the personalities talk about how they were excited "Pyramid" was coming to the lineup. I think there was an episode of Pyramid showing at the time. I was disappointed that this is what was on GSN when I was in Costco, because I had seen Pyramid hundreds of times.
Shortly after this, I started tape trading, and much of what I requested from other traders, early on, was stuff taped straight from GSN. I have 20-30 tapes of Dark Period shows as a result. I need to dig through some of those.
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The Dark Period was my first exposure to GSN. One Saturday night in 1997, my mom's boss threw a Christmas party at her house, and I managed to sneak a peek at the network. First thing I ever saw was It's Optional being played for two Mustangs on TPiR.
Other than the times I'd watch the TVs at (insert any department store), every so often, my mom would take me to her job, and I'd watch GSN in the break room. That's how I caught Treasure Hunt, Three's A Crowd, and so many others. It was also the first time I got to see TJW, the one show I'd wanted to see for years.
Some of GSN's programming choices were questionable, but that 1998-2000 time frame always holds a special spot in my heart, mainly b/c of some of the rare classics they'd bring out. I promise that's not as cheesy as it sounds. :-P
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My first memory of GSN was just before April 15, 2002, as I remember seeing debut promos for Whammy! I stayed home from school on that big day, and frequently watched the original Hollywood Squares plus Win, Lose, Or Draw and pretty much everything else on the lineup. Unfortunately, my cable provider decided that GSN and MTV2 should share a single station on their lineup, and switched to the latter at about 6:02 PM (shortly into The $100,000 Pyramid).
Unfortunately, I didn't tape much of anything from GSN -- the only thing I've been able to find among my tapes is about 25 minutes worth from March 20, 2003 (last segment of a 1986 New Newlywed Game, full episode of Whammy!, first segment of Wintuition).
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As for the Dark Period, I see it as a grand time in GSN's history because it meant they had to dig around for other stuff to air when they lost almost all of the Goodson-Todman library. And for six months, they aired a lot of stuff that I'd wager they wouldn't have otherwise.
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Having already had GSN by the time DirecTV picked it up, I would tune the receivers at stores to it, not to watch it, but just to see passersby's reactions of seeing these old game shows on TV. At this point, where I lived, DISH/DirecTV was the only way to get GSN. It wouldn't arrive on cable for another 5 or 6 years or so, once digital started making a footprint. "Look how young Bob Barker looks", I remember hearing.
My favorite time for GSN was when I got it - from November 1996 until the Dark Period began. I wasn't a huge fan of the DP because it took off quite a few shows I enjoyed, some of which never found a home on GSN again ("Family Feud Challenge", for example).
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That's how I caught Treasure Hunt, Three's A Crowd, and so many others.
The pinnacle and the nadir, all in one.
/saw ads for it on Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Went to Wheel of Fortune's tapings at Seattle's Convention Center and as a bonus got to see Peter Tomarken host some episodes of Decades from the Wheel set. Whenever they had Go, Ruckus and Feud '94, that's when we jumped aboard for the first time.
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Knew it had been in existence, but couldn't get it until 1998. Seem to remember the first things I saw were MG7x and TATTLETALES. As soon as Convy said "the banana section," I was hooked.
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I'm off a day, but it was December 1, 1994 that the "Game Show Network" was born, and so were classic and modern game show reruns, including Match Game, which was the first show to air on the network.
It's almost strange how many random and unnecessary "facts" you can throw out there that are wrong. I didn't catch this at first because I try not to read your posts too closely. The doctor says I should watch my blood pressure. Still, a GSN insider pointed this out to me and told me what I already knew and should have told you sooner. Match Game was not the first show to air on the network, regardless of what you or your GSN board buddies might want to believe. GSN began with a 24-hour marathon featuring a single episode of every show in their library, roughly in chronological order. Therefore, the first show featured on the network was an episode of What's My Line?, specifically (so I'm told) one with Jackie Gleason as the Mystery Guest.
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At some point during 1997(?), they began running promos during Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy for GSN. Being intrigued and awestruck by the idea of an entire channel for game shows, I flipped through my cable lineup, and no GSN. First time it ever really hit me that there were entire channels of TV out there that I didn't get.
Though the promos during Wheel/J! kept the channel's existence in my mind, I moved on. That Thanksgiving, the family went to my aunt's for Thanksgiving dinner. They had satellite, and after flipping channels for a minute or two on one of the TVs, there it was. GSN. An episode of Jeopardy was just starting, and I was marveled at how it had the "old" (read: early 90s) set they'd gotten rid of. Watched J! and the first half of $25K Pyramid that day, and was hooked.
Got to see the channel in very limited quantities for the next few years. Hotel stays and visits to my aunt's. Loved every fleeting glimpse I got. Was out of my mind for probably the first two months after they added the channel in 2001 - if my TV was on, it was on GSN. Eventually programming changed and the novelty wore off, of course, but the concept of a channel of nothing but game shows, to a younger me, was truly marvelous.
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I had it from the beginning, and loved it dearly from 1994 to around 2000 or so. I had it on C-Band satellite (G7, T6) and watched it until it left that transponder in March 2004. My dish hardly left that channel for years!
I mainly watched it for the classic shows, and wished they could have kept more shows from what some people refer to as "the dark period" on the schedule even after the GT shows came back. It didn't have to be "one, or the other, but not both!"
I'm not really interested in their originals - although a few have been decent. If they ever went back to an all-classics channel from the '50s-80s, I'd be back in a minute!
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As much as I love the original format from the late-90s, what they had in 2002-03 was probably their best showing. You had a nice mix of classics in the mornings, the "Vertivision" blocks on certain nights, and a nice crop of well-produced originals. The rarities during the Feast of Favorites were also a nice touch.
/Plus the squeezed credits were done at a minimum
//They sure as hell didn't cut out in the middle of a closing back then
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1999 was when the channel was added to the lineup at my house. I hadn't seen it outside of the Wheel/J! promos. The best memory is sneaking into my parents room to watch B&W Overnight before I had to go to bed (I'd also flip between that and early Adult Swim). So many memories, so much fun playing along, so much history to absorb. It was absolutely thrilling. While that same channel I fell in love with isn't exactly there, I still love to catch it when I'm in the mood. The allure is still there, for me, eighteen years later.
GSN began with a 24-hour marathon featuring a single episode of every show in their library, roughly in chronological order. Therefore, the first show featured on the network was an episode of What's My Line?, specifically (so I'm told) one with Jackie Gleason as the Mystery Guest.
Would you by chance know the last show (newest) they aired that day?
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Mr. Davis would live to have a word with you...
http://buzzerblog.co...ebuts-day-1994/ (http://\"http://buzzerblog.com/2011/12/gsn-turns-17-debuts-day-1994/\")
"...The very first show ever showed on Game Show Network was Match Game. What's the first show that appears on its schedule today, it's birthday? Match Game."
Mr. Davis is free to contact me if he wishes. The fact that he's wrong too doesn't really change the fact that you're wrong. I know you don't often read other people's posts when they're not about you, but you might want to go back to the part where I say I have the first twenty-four hours on tape (http://\"http://gameshow.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=24155&st=7#entry299805\").
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Would you by chance know the last show (newest) they aired that day?
The tapes themselves are in storage, but I'm pretty sure it was that classic hit All About the Opposite Sex.
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Mr. Davis would like to have a word with you...
http://buzzerblog.co...ebuts-day-1994/ (http://\"http://buzzerblog.com/2011/12/gsn-turns-17-debuts-day-1994/\")
"...The very first show ever showed on Game Show Network was Match Game. What's the first show that appears on its schedule today, it's birthday? Match Game."
Disagreeing with a moderator? BAD IDEA. Not to mention that Matt was one of a few here, who, *AS HE SAID EARLIER* was able to see the station at launch. And you're arguing with that? Go back to your playpen and grab your pacifier while you're at it, put it in your mouth and shut yourself up. Have a nice day.
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It's almost strange how many random and unnecessary "facts" you can throw out there that are wrong. I didn't catch this at first because I try not to read your posts too closely. The doctor says I should watch my blood pressure. Still, a GSN insider pointed this out to me and told me what I already knew and should have told you sooner. Match Game was not the first show to air on the network, regardless of what you or your GSN board buddies might want to believe. GSN began with a 24-hour marathon featuring a single episode of every show in their library, roughly in chronological order. Therefore, the first show featured on the network was an episode of What's My Line?, specifically (so I'm told) one with Jackie Gleason as the Mystery Guest.
Mr. Davis would like to have a word with you...
http://buzzerblog.co...ebuts-day-1994/ (http://\"http://buzzerblog.com/2011/12/gsn-turns-17-debuts-day-1994/\")
"...The very first show ever showed on Game Show Network was Match Game. What's the first show that appears on its schedule today, it's birthday? Match Game."
And one of the comments debunks the myth for the precise reason Matt gave. I found a tentative premiere schedule on ATGS, that did have MG first at 7:00pm. That list was also from November 1994, enough time for the schedule to change.
The thread in question: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!searchin/alt.tv.game-shows/GSN$201994/alt.tv.game-shows/mWZCnaBw3MI/BgAE_QZB3poJ
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Disagreeing with a moderator? BAD IDEA.
It isn't so much the disagreeing (after all, I'm still here) but the stubborn disagreement in the face of reality.
At this point, everybody who I care about has made their decision about this guy, and I don't think it will change. If our FNG decided to pick up stakes and mosey, I'd be OK with that.
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I believe I had it first in 1999. In 2002 I was watching Louie Anderson 'Family Feud' and decided to check the networks listings to see if the original I enjoyed so much as a boy were on the network. I saw that it was on in prime time, and I tuned into Dawson 'Feud' that night. Soon thereafter every Saturday & Sunday afternoon from 4 to 6 PM CST I would watch the 'Feud' hour as well as the '$100,000 Pyramid' and 'Match Game' which were two other shows I remembered. By the time the network brought back 'Blockbusters' to weekend mornings that winter I was regularly taping a variety of shows off the network.
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Disagreeing with a moderator? BAD IDEA.
It isn't so much the disagreeing (after all, I'm still here)
Funny, I was about to bring up Keynotes.
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Disagreeing with a moderator? BAD IDEA. Not to mention that Matt was one of a few here, who, *AS HE SAID EARLIER* was able to see the station at launch. And you're arguing with that? Go back to your playpen and grab your pacifier while you're at it, put it in your mouth and shut yourself up. Have a nice day.
He's a Yankees fan. 'Nuff said.
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Everybody makes mistakes. And I apologize if I did, he did, or whoever. I was just trying to point out legit proof from the author who runs one of the biggest game show outlet/ game show news websites in the country.
Wow.
This is the sort of thing that got you drummed out of the GSN boards, you know.
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On the premiere marathon, did they include the multiple versions of shows over the years? (With MG, it would be Rayburn and Shafer, for instance)
I am wondering if they showed any of the other WOFs they had the rights to besides the syndie version. That and Bleu Gong Show (if they in fact showed the Barris version) and Caldwell TTD (though that technically was the same show Wink hosted). Any TPIR?
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I was just trying to point out legit proof
Your proof is demonstrably false.
Own your pwnage. Or don't, keep digging. Either way.
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On the premiere marathon, did they include the multiple versions of shows over the years? (With MG, it would be Rayburn and Shafer, for instance)
I am wondering if they showed any of the other WOFs they had the rights to besides the syndie version. That and Bleu Gong Show (if they in fact showed the Barris version) and Caldwell TTD (though that technically was the same show Wink hosted). Any TPIR?
Good question about TPiR. I'm not sure if this is right (as opposed to saying "It's true because I read it on the internets"), but from what I think I remember, in the earliest of promos for the channel (which ran *a lot* in the early days..the "commercials" were all PSA's and Sony commercials), they showed TPiR in the promos, until it was discovered that the eps have furs in them, which was a big no-no. The time was then spent to go through and remove fur eps from the rotation, which is the reason why TPiR on GSN never happened until almost 2 years after launch.*
*This is based on what i read. This is NOT FACT. Are you reading this, LGY and GSL87? Class dismissed.
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On the premiere marathon, did they include the multiple versions of shows over the years? (With MG, it would be Rayburn and Shafer, for instance)
I am wondering if they showed any of the other WOFs they had the rights to besides the syndie version. That and Bleu Gong Show (if they in fact showed the Barris version) and Caldwell TTD (though that technically was the same show Wink hosted). Any TPIR?
Good question about TPiR. I'm not sure if this is right (as opposed to saying "It's true because I read it on the internets"), but from what I think I remember, in the earliest of promos for the channel (which ran *a lot* in the early days..the "commercials" were all PSA's and Sony commercials), they showed TPiR in the promos, until it was discovered that the eps have furs in them, which was a big no-no. The time was then spent to go through and remove fur eps from the rotation, which is the reason why TPiR on GSN never happened until almost 2 years after launch.*
*This is based on what i read. This is NOT FACT. Are you reading this, LGY and GSL87? Class dismissed.
I don't recall where I read it, so take it with a grain of salt, but I thought I recalled reading that GSN didn't have access to the two G/T properties that were airing at launch (FF '94 and TPiR), thus the reason they aired when the rest of the G-T lineup disappeared.
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On the premiere marathon, did they include the multiple versions of shows over the years? (With MG, it would be Rayburn and Shafer, for instance)
I am wondering if they showed any of the other WOFs they had the rights to besides the syndie version. That and Bleu Gong Show (if they in fact showed the Barris version) and Caldwell TTD (though that technically was the same show Wink hosted). Any TPIR?
In general, no to everything. I really should dig up the tapes. The shows and their order are right on the boxes, and I know my database isn't going to be perfectly accurate. (I'm sure there's a Usenet post that listed the shows right around 12/1/94, if anybody can figure out how to access that.)
Definitely no TPIR, and I'm virtually certain there was no Gong Show either. As I recall, they didn't even include remakes like Password Plus. It was one and done, a smorgasbord to whet the appetite. As it turns out they didn't include several old series for which they only had a few episodes, like He Said She Said or What's Going On? and they showed some things, like Peter Marshall's Fantasy or the aforementioned All About the Opposite Sex that would end up getting very little play in the years that followed.
Incidentally, even though What's My Line was the first show in their chronological marathon, the I've Got a Secret episode that followed it was actually the oldest episode they included. It was from August, 1952 and the WML? they selected was from March, 1953.
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On the premiere marathon, did they include the multiple versions of shows over the years? (With MG, it would be Rayburn and Shafer, for instance)
I am wondering if they showed any of the other WOFs they had the rights to besides the syndie version. That and Bleu Gong Show (if they in fact showed the Barris version) and Caldwell TTD (though that technically was the same show Wink hosted). Any TPIR?
In general, no to everything. I really should dig up the tapes. The shows and their order are right on the boxes, and I know my database isn't going to be perfectly accurate. (I'm sure there's a Usenet post that listed the shows right around 12/1/94, if anybody can figure out how to access that.)
Definitely no TPIR, and I'm virtually certain there was no Gong Show either. As I recall, they didn't even include remakes like Password Plus. It was one and done, a smorgasbord to whet the appetite. As it turns out they didn't include several old series for which they only had a few episodes, like He Said She Said or What's Going On? and they showed some things, like Peter Marshall's Fantasy or the aforementioned All About the Opposite Sex that would end up getting very little play in the years that followed.
Incidentally, even though What's My Line was the first show in their chronological marathon, the I've Got a Secret episode that followed it was actually the oldest episode they included. It was from August, 1952 and the WML? they selected was from March, 1953.
I've searched the Google Groups archive for such a post in the past, but never came up with anything. Their archive seems to have lot of holes, especially back in those days. I'd love to see what did actually air that day.
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Definitely no TPIR, and I'm virtually certain there was no Gong Show either.
According to the link I posted, it did not air, or at least was not scheduled to. I don't think Barris' shows came along until 1996 or so.
Everybody makes mistakes. And I apologize if I did
Apology accepted.
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And if I may bring it up again, is it true that they could only use Eubanks CS at the beginning, and Perry premiered later?
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Think I got it in January or February of 1997, right about the time when they were starting to phase "Winnie" out. Earliest tapes I have recorded are the blue screen/green ball ID's (albeit they still had used Winnie for the episode air/tape dates). To this day I still kick myself how many more episodes of Treasure Hunt and $20,000 Pyramid (and a few other shows) I could've recorded during the DP. "Nah, they'll still be around later on". Blah.
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And if I may bring it up again, is it true that they could only use Eubanks CS at the beginning, and Perry premiered later?
Sorry for kind of answering your question indirectly.....But I was curious as to when GSN *did* add Perry CS...I had a general idea, and was right. When 1996 bowed, GSN made a ton of changes to their schedule, http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.game-shows/browse_thread/thread/b89ec6c206704b23/136bd216f3e7fa38?hl=en&q=Perry+Card+Sharks#136bd216f3e7fa38 (http://\"http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.game-shows/browse_thread/thread/b89ec6c206704b23/136bd216f3e7fa38?hl=en&q=Perry+Card+Sharks#136bd216f3e7fa38\") including adding Perry CS for the first time.
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Everybody makes mistakes. And I apologize if I did, he did, or whoever. I was just trying to point out legit proof from the author who runs one of the biggest game show outlet/ game show news websites in the country.
Well, you certainly have a lip on you.
If you read it on the Internet, it must be true. I think you learned something about Alex today.
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If you read it on the Internet, it must be true.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1n2M-U303U4/UAjuZiLNvgI/AAAAAAAAXg4/D8AU03MpDnE/s1600/state-farm-2.jpg (http://\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1n2M-U303U4/UAjuZiLNvgI/AAAAAAAAXg4/D8AU03MpDnE/s1600/state-farm-2.jpg\") Approves.
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I don't recall where I read it, so take it with a grain of salt, but I thought I recalled reading that GSN didn't have access to the two G/T properties that were airing at launch (FF '94 and TPiR), thus the reason they aired when the rest of the G-T lineup disappeared.
Not having access to FF'94 makes sense, especially since it was on the air when GSN premiered. I think the first show GSN aired that was "current" was that abomination known as "Wheel 2000".
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I don't recall where I read it, so take it with a grain of salt, but I thought I recalled reading that GSN didn't have access to the two G/T properties that were airing at launch (FF '94 and TPiR), thus the reason they aired when the rest of the G-T lineup disappeared.
That's plausible, although TPIR stayed in the lineup when the G-T shows came back. I don't think FF94 did. Doesn't mean there wasn't a correlation between the events.
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That's plausible, although TPIR stayed in the lineup when the G-T shows came back. I don't think FF94 did. Doesn't mean there wasn't a correlation between the events.
It always seemed to me that the reason FF94 disappeared was because they suddenly had access to superior, 30 minute versions of the show. Family Feud Challenge never reappeared on the schedule either, even though there's no reason to believe they didn't have the rights.
I always read that fur was the main reason TPIR was delayed, and FF94 was just still in first run when GSN launched.
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I always read that fur was the main reason TPIR was delayed....
It's funny that a mere 18 years later (and in some ways, it feels like yesterday) urban legends can spring up like this. It just doesn't make any sense that "fur episodes" was the reason for not running Price. After all, "cigarette episodes" were a problem for I've Got a Secret, and that show was a major, prime-time series for the network from Day One. If GSN had the rights to Price in the beginning, it would not be a problem for them to do what they eventually did when they DID pick up the rights, and simply weed out the episodes they couldn't show. For such a popular property as Price, with so many years of content available, they would have found a way to show it if they could. The simplest thing would just be to run seasons following Barker's no-fur edict.
GSN did not have the rights to show Price in the beginning, period. Speculate all you want about the reason for that, but speculation that they DID have the rights and didn't air the show because of the minor inconvenience of some "fur episodes" is not correct.
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I never said I thought they had the rights to the show at launch... I just said I had always read that the furs and Bob's objections were part of what kept them from leasing the show from the start. There were probably a variety of reasons that I'm not knowledgeable enough to speculate any further about.
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One could possibly surmise that they did not have rights to air TPIR from the start because of this: all of the other G-T shows' initial contract ran from 1994 through 1997, while the TPIR contract ran from 1996 (if it indeed did begin here) through 2000.
Granted, it's not a slam dunk statistic, but it's worth noting.
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One could possibly surmise that they did not have rights to air TPIR from the start because of this: all of the other G-T shows' initial contract ran from 1994 through 1997, while the TPIR contract ran from 1996 (if it indeed did begin here) through 2000.
Granted, it's not a slam dunk statistic, but it's worth noting.
I'll slap a theory on top of a theory - How much weight does the "GSN lost the rights to TPiR because they let them lapse and didn't sign the papers" argument hold? Nicholas, I'd say your theory might be on to something.
Also, Matt's answer on GSN not having the rights raises a question - and this is not an "I challenge your answer" question, as much as it looks like it - how, then, were clips able to sneak through during GSN promos?
/18 years old and still a mystery
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Also, Matt's answer on GSN not having the rights raises a question - and this is not an "I challenge your answer" question, as much as it looks like it - how, then, were clips able to sneak through during GSN promos?
The Goodson people (remember, this was years before Fremantle's involvement) were working very, very closely with Sony in the development of GSN. At one point they were going to be partners in the venture. I'm sure the network had access to all sorts of company footage to assemble their promotional material. Still, it certainly IS odd that there would be Price video in the promos at all, if the network wasn't going to run them. Maybe a deal broke down late in the process? I honestly don't remember Price video in the promos, but it's been an awfully long time.
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There were clips of Price in some of their overall network promos. A lot of it was recent (at the time), or from one of the specials (like the 20th anniversary week). On one Club AM from GSN's first full week on the air, Steve Day reads a letter asking about Price being on, and his answer was something like "don't quote me on the time, but not for another 10 months."
-Jason
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I think a plausible reason for TPIR not being there from the beginning was TNPIR '94. Perhaps with two versions on at the time of launch (and one of those in syndication, like FF'94), they couldn't do it. I'd guess they had planned on getting Price before launch (and probably had no problem getting it from G-T since they were working so close together), so once TNPIR '94 had been canceled, they got the episodes together and had them ready to go by 1996.
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Here, in correct order, are the shows that appeared during the first twenty-four hours of GSN's programming. Please adjust all blog entries, Wikipedia articles and mindsets accordingly.
What's My Line?
Beat the Clock
I've Got A Secret
To Tell the Truth
Password
The Dating Game
The Newlywed Game
The Perfect Match
All About Faces
Juvenile Jury (Jack Barry)
The Joker's Wild
The Parent Game
Match Game '73
The New Treasure Hunt
Tattletales
Now You See It
Wheel of Fortune
The Diamond Head Game
Break the Bank (Kennedy)
The Fun Factory
Family Feud
Double Dare (G-T)
Hollywood Connection
Card Sharks (Eubanks)
Tic Tac Dough
The $1.98 Beauty Show
Jeopardy!
Celebrity Charades
3's A Crowd
Joker! Joker! Joker!
Play the Percentages
Camouflage
Bullseye
Blockbusters (Cullen)
Fantasy
Child's Play
Hot Potato
Body Language
Trivia Trap
Bumper Stumpers
All About the Opposite Sex
Hold Everything
The Quiz Kids Challenge
Ruckus
Note plenty of Barris, but no Gong Show. My earlier guess about the final show turned out to be wrong by a few notches. Also note the oddity that of all the "alternate" versions they skipped, the one they include was the kids' version of Joker.
The floor is now open for questions.
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Hold Everything
What in the heck is this?
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Hold Everything
What in the heck is this?
From our remarkable friend videoarchives1000. This appears to be his master tape, not a GSN recording, but I think it's the same episode that aired on the network. The stars are the same at any rate. According to the EOTVGS, this aired in syndication for two months.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1fVavGXKk0[/media]
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I'm pretty sure it is. Compare the upload to the snapshots here (http://www.gameshowgarbage.com/ind036_holdeverything.html).
Mr. Davis would like to have a word with you...
http://buzzerblog.co...ebuts-day-1994/ (http://buzzerblog.com/2011/12/gsn-turns-17-debuts-day-1994/)
"...The very first show ever showed on Game Show Network was Match Game. What's the first show that appears on its schedule today, it's birthday? Match Game."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's been pretty well-established that Alex Davis doesn't like classic game shows -- note that of the "Vote for your favorite event of 2012!" post, none of them were events pertaining to news on the "classic game shows" front (such as GSN picking up the first episodes of Press Your Luck or the surfacing of those nine-and-a-bit minutes of the third Wheel of Fortune pilot, both of which had been given a post of coverage by Buzzerblog at some point).
[Edited to correct links.]
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this aired in syndication for two months.
I made it through almost three minutes before I determined that that was seven weeks too long.
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Surprised to see $1.98 Beauty Show on that list... considering it didn't actually show up on the regular schedule until 2001.
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this aired in syndication for two months.
I made it through almost three minutes before I determined that that was seven weeks too long.
I didn't even make it through the screenshot on here and Pat Bullard's horrendous hair.
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From our remarkable friend videoarchives1000. This appears to be his master tape, not a GSN recording, but I think it's the same episode that aired on the network. The stars are the same at any rate. According to the EOTVGS, this aired in syndication for two months.
At 13:40 I'm pretty sure he said that the winning celebrity's charity would be awarded a thousand points.
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Hold Everything
What in the heck is this?
From our remarkable friend videoarchives1000. This appears to be his master tape, not a GSN recording, but I think it's the same episode that aired on the network. The stars are the same at any rate. According to the EOTVGS, this aired in syndication for two months.
While I appreciate the link, Matt, I lasted exactly two minutes before determining this wasn't worth my time. Looking at the list, I'm assuming this was another show that failed in 1990?
If that's the case, were there any notable shows that didn't sell in 1990? I'm mildly stunned that these were the best options out there.
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"Gambit" and "Name That Tune", both for Orion IIRC.
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Hold Everything
What in the heck is this?
From our remarkable friend videoarchives1000. This appears to be his master tape, not a GSN recording, but I think it's the same episode that aired on the network. The stars are the same at any rate. According to the EOTVGS, this aired in syndication for two months.
While I appreciate the link, Matt, I lasted exactly two minutes before determining this wasn't worth my time. Looking at the list, I'm assuming this was another show that failed in 1990?
If that's the case, were there any notable shows that didn't sell in 1990? I'm mildly stunned that these were the best options out there.
It was a summer test-station consortium type of thing. Channel 2 in Detroit ran it along with the David Sparks-hosted AATOS. I think it was the Gillett stations and Chris-Craft that commissioned them.
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As far as 1990 shows that didn't sell, I think Monopoly should be included in the list...It made it to air, yes, but not in syndication. I hardly would imagine a summer run on ABC wasn't what they had in mind.
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Surprised to see $1.98 Beauty Show on that list... considering it didn't actually show up on the regular schedule until 2001.
Music clearances perhaps? Got the "naughty naughty...somebody's song is in there but we're not punishing you" warning when I put a few episodes on YT awhile back.