The Game Show Forum

The Game Show Forum => Game Show Channels & Networks => Topic started by: TimK2003 on March 13, 2018, 10:55:53 AM

Title: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: TimK2003 on March 13, 2018, 10:55:53 AM
BUZZR's GM Ron Garfield recently (3/12) posted a live FB video discussing the latest happenings, which sound positive.  Among the topics he touched on:

•  Converting and adding around 1,000 new-to-Buzzer episodes of the game show classics within the next few months (a.k.a. "Speeding up the one-inch tape to digital conversion processes??).

•  Adding several new affiliates to the BUZZR network in the near future (no markets mentioned).

•  Maintaining and expanding the BUZZR name on Amazon Prime, Twitch, and other media platforms (No mention of Nosey, which still has the same 1-2 dozen episodes of shows since last June).

•  Starting a live viewer interactive game to coincide with episodes of Card Sharks later this month.

So pretty much, it might be the same old same old aspirations, but it wasn't too long ago that some of us were questioning the health and viability of the network as a diginet in the future.   This should calm some of those fears, as it does sound encouraging that they are in the middle of converting a thousand old tapes instead of a few dozen or hundred.

BTW, the 7-minute video can be found on BUZZR's Facebook page.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: Sodboy13 on March 13, 2018, 11:14:30 AM
The optimist in me is excited at the prospect of new-to-Buzzr content.

The realist in me is okay with casually watching the existing content and just wishes there was a bit more variety to it.

The pessimist in me thinks its probably a lot easier and speedier to "convert" Harvey Feud and American Idol.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: clemon79 on March 13, 2018, 11:17:32 AM
•  Maintaining and expanding the BUZZR name on Amazon Prime, Twitch, and other media platforms (No mention of Nosey

Just hazarding a guess, but when you have a significant relationship with major services like Amazon Prime and Twitch, you probably don't really give much of a fark about Nosey anymore.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: TLEberle on March 13, 2018, 11:41:21 AM
Nosey is a noun and not an adjective?
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: clemon79 on March 13, 2018, 12:00:39 PM
Nosey is a noun and not an adjective?

It is the name of an obscure streaming service that was carrying Buzzr programming before the real services got on board.

And the fact that you did not know that is absolutely no indictment on you, but certainly more evidence as to why Buzzr isn't especially concerned with investing in that relationship.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: TLEberle on March 13, 2018, 12:14:29 PM
It is the name of an obscure streaming service that was carrying Buzzr programming before the real services got on board.

And the fact that you did not know that is absolutely no indictment on you, but certainly more evidence as to why Buzzr isn't especially concerned with investing in that relationship.
To that point, Double Dare starring Alex Trebek has become a Saturday night tradition as viewing either before or after an Oilers game on HNIC.

On Amazon Prime.

So there's that.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: MSTieScott on March 13, 2018, 01:16:23 PM
•  Converting and adding around 1,000 new-to-Buzzer episodes of the game show classics within the next few months (a.k.a. "Speeding up the one-inch tape to digital conversion processes??).

If the video quality is going to look as fuzzy as Trivia Trap and the most recent batch of Dawson Feud, then I'd rather they take their time.

On the other hand, while I wasn't carefully analyzing the picture on last night's episode of the Card Sharks game show host tournament, that didn't strike me as low-res. I hope this means Buzzr identified the problem and corrected it.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: BrandonFG on March 13, 2018, 04:32:12 PM
The optimist in me hopes my market is one of the unmentioned.

/Should check out the Amazon Prime channel
//My Prime account is really underused with the streaming services
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: aaron sica on March 13, 2018, 05:10:09 PM
The optimist in me hopes my market is one of the unmentioned.

If I see a press release that mentions Hearst, Howard Stirk Holdings, Sinclair, Nexstar, or Tribune, then I'll be excited. :)
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: BrandonFG on March 13, 2018, 05:55:45 PM
The optimist in me hopes my market is one of the unmentioned.

If I see a press release that mentions Hearst, Howard Stirk Holdings, Sinclair, Nexstar, or Tribune, then I'll be excited. :)
I've lost track of who even owns what around here anymore. I think it's Nexstar, Tegna, and Sinclair, so I'll be on the lookout for at least one of those three. :P
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: WarioBarker on March 13, 2018, 06:16:38 PM
BTW, the 7-minute video can be found on BUZZR's Facebook page.
Here's a direct link (hopefully it works), as it'll undoubtedly get pushed down over time:

https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1980169308866521&id=1594990200717769

Sounds like "Lost and Found" will be back again this year, which is cool since Fremantle's still got a ton of pilots that haven't been aired yet (and with Temptation on the schedule now it'd be a good opportunity to show the 2006 pilots).
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: Chief-O on March 13, 2018, 10:57:51 PM
The optimist in me hopes my market is one of the unmentioned.

If I see a press release that mentions Hearst, Howard Stirk Holdings, Sinclair, Nexstar, or Tribune, then I'll be excited. :)
I've lost track of who even owns what around here anymore. I think it's Nexstar, Tegna, and Sinclair, so I'll be on the lookout for at least one of those three. :P

NE Wisconsin's locals are owned by Gray, Nexstar, Sinclair, and Scripps. Note there's 2 groups that we all have in common here.....and if either of them are involved, Buzzr's going to get quite the shot in the arm.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: Blanquepage on March 14, 2018, 01:12:32 PM
He mentioned and showed an example of the one-inch tapes, but I thought the entire G-T library was already converted to Digital Betacam many years ago?
 
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: snowpeck on March 14, 2018, 02:17:01 PM
He mentioned and showed an example of the one-inch tapes, but I thought the entire G-T library was already converted to Digital Betacam many years ago?

That was done for GSN though, does Fremantle not have access to those now? And even if they did, they'd have to be digitized to hard disk storage in real time just like the 2" and 1" tapes.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: gamed121683 on March 14, 2018, 06:50:57 PM
He mentioned and showed an example of the one-inch tapes, but I thought the entire G-T library was already converted to Digital Betacam many years ago?
 


Back in the '90s, the entire G/T library was converted to the Betacam format over at CBS Televsion City. Two copies of each episode were made: One for GSN, the other for Fremantle. Therefore, the previous poster is correct in saying that they still have to be digitized to a hard disk storage.

Source: http://www.j-shea.com/TVCity/History.html

The example Mr. Garfield showed was an episode of "Supermarket Sweep": A show that Fremantle only acquired...what, 5 months ago now? Conversions take time.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: Jamey Greek on March 14, 2018, 09:53:23 PM
I was going to watch the vid but it looks like it has been taken down.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: aaron sica on March 14, 2018, 10:45:00 PM
I was going to watch the vid but it looks like it has been taken down.

The FB link that Dan put up? Still works for me.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: snowpeck on March 14, 2018, 10:55:03 PM
The example Mr. Garfield showed was an episode of "Supermarket Sweep": A show that Fremantle only acquired...what, 5 months ago now? Conversions take time.

Also true. Fremantle has acquired several shows since that en masse dub in the 1990s - Press Your Luck, Let's Make a Deal, Supermarket Sweep and Wordplay (legal troubles aside) are but a few examples.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: PPatters on March 15, 2018, 12:07:49 AM
Also true. Fremantle has acquired several shows since that en masse dub in the 1990s - Press Your Luck, Let's Make a Deal, Supermarket Sweep and Wordplay (legal troubles aside) are but a few examples.

What are the legal troubles? (Sorry if this is mentioned elsewhere but in my search I couldn’t find them.) I know they only aired a couple episodes and stopped, but hadn’t seen why.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: snowpeck on March 15, 2018, 12:54:47 AM
Also true. Fremantle has acquired several shows since that en masse dub in the 1990s - Press Your Luck, Let's Make a Deal, Supermarket Sweep and Wordplay (legal troubles aside) are but a few examples.

What are the legal troubles? (Sorry if this is mentioned elsewhere but in my search I couldn’t find them.) I know they only aired a couple episodes and stopped, but hadn’t seen why.

Allegedly, at least according to a Rick Ambrose on Facebook who seems to be the same one who was involved in Wordplay's production, Fremantle didn't have permission from some or all of the other parties involved in the production.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: Jamey Greek on March 15, 2018, 05:58:55 PM
I was going to watch the vid but it looks like it has been taken down.

The FB link that Dan put up? Still works for me.

Yes it says that "the page cannot be displayed right now"
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: snowpeck on March 15, 2018, 06:40:31 PM
Quote from: Jamey Greek link=topic=30127.msg363421#msg363421
Yes it says that "the page cannot be displayed right now"

Might you have been banned from Buzzr's Facebook page?
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: BrandonFG on March 15, 2018, 07:21:06 PM
I was going to watch the vid but it looks like it has been taken down.

The FB link that Dan put up? Still works for me.
Likewise.
Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: Jamey Greek on March 18, 2018, 03:40:20 PM
Quote from: Jamey Greek link=topic=30127.msg363421#msg363421
Yes it says that "the page cannot be displayed right now"

Might you have been banned from Buzzr's Facebook page?

No

Title: Re: BUZZR's Ron Garfield & The State of His Channel
Post by: Dbacksfan12 on March 18, 2018, 04:52:40 PM
Quote from: Jamey Greek link=topic=30127.msg363421#msg363421
Yes it says that "the page cannot be displayed right now"

Might you have been banned from Buzzr's Facebook page?

No
I really shouldn't do this, but I'm a glutton for punishment.  Take a screenshot for us of what you seen when you try and view the video.