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The Game Show Forum => Game Show Channels & Networks => Topic started by: zachhoran on December 01, 2004, 08:06:19 AM

Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: zachhoran on December 01, 2004, 08:06:19 AM
As we know, today marks GSN's 10th anniversary. Jeopardy!, Dawson Feud, and Newlywed Game are the only three shows to have aired on GSN for all 10 years of its history. MG7x makes the cut if we discount the six month, GT-less Dark Period(TPIR and Feud 1994-95 still aired during the DP). Some form of Card Sharks has aired on GSN all but the Dark Period and from January 5-March 16 2003. WOF aired on GSN from the beginning through late August of this year.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Ian Wallis on December 01, 2004, 09:19:07 AM
GSN hit the air at 7 p.m. Eastern on Dec 1, 1994.  In the early going it was mostly available on C-band satellite systems only.  

The first thing they aired was a 6-minute montage of clips of each series they had at the time.  That was followed by Peter Tomarken's intro to the network, stating "This is what you've all been waiting for..."  Peter then introduced an early episode of "What's My Line" as they did a 24-hour marathon consisting of one episode of every series they had.  Shows like "Fantasy" aired during the marathon, which is the only time they aired during the network's history.  Although they had shows like "The Gong Show" from the beginning, this wasn't included in the opening marathon.

The next night, he was back hosting the first installment of "Prime Games".  It was during this time we got our first look at the GSN interactive game, "Decades".  It was just played for demo as regular contestants weren't there for a couple of weeks.

The following Monday, we got our first look at "Club AM", with Laura Chambers and Steve Day.  They also played interactive games between shows, including a game called "What's in the box".

GSN's early schedule was heavy on Goodson-Todman, but also featured "Joker's Wild", "Tic Tac Dough", "Dating Game", "Newlywed Game", "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy".  The weekends featured a two-hour retrospective called "Wide World of Games".  Quite frequently, this show would included episodes of series not on the regular schedule.

GSN's original library was over 50,000 episodes.  It increased as time went on, most notably with the addition of the Bob Stewart library in 1997.

Although just about every series in the GSN library has aired at least once during the 10 years, there still are an estimated 10,000 or so episodes they have access to that have never aired.  With the direction the network has gone in the past couple of years, it seems unlikely they ever will.

I'm really happy I've had GSN almost since the beginning (although I did lose it from C-band earlier this year).  In the beginning I think it was a much warmer and friendlier place, and I have great memories (and tapes) of watching during the first few years, but when you look at everything they've aired in 10 years it's been pretty good to us.

Happy Anniversary!
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: aaron sica on December 01, 2004, 10:02:17 AM
I, personally, was first able to get GSN on...

Just kidding!

However, with the network now being a "double-digit midget", what's your very first memory of GSN? (not when you GOT the channel, but when you saw it for the first time).

I had seen the network advertised in Broadcasting/Cable with their "deck of cards" and a different host on each card, and the ad saying something like "With over 50,000 episodes....We came to play!". Especially exciting to me was the "Gene Rayburn" card. I'd been chomping at the bit to see the '70s "Match Game" ever since a clip I saw on "Sally Jessy Raphael" in 1989 when they had Gene, Peggy Cass, Kitty Carlisle, and Soupy Sales on.

December 1 rolled around, and I can remember looking at a copy of "On-Sat" magazine to see what GSN had on their schedule...Tic Tac Dough, Joker's Wild, Match Game, Family Feud, Trivia Trap, Card Sharks, et al...It seemed too good to be true!

I was not less than 2 years removed from HS at this point (class of '93), so I used my A-V Club connections to have my old advisor tune the school's dish to good old G7-6 and tape GSN for me. On that first tape was part of a WoF episode, J!, SP, MG' '90,  BtC, and Child's Play, interspersed with Club AM of course.

It was like TV nirvana, the likes of which we may never see again...

At the risk of sounding corny, GSN is not what it was 10 years ago by any means, but we'll always have the memories. No one can take those away.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Jimmy Owen on December 01, 2004, 10:18:56 AM
Before my cable company added GSN, I too would look at On-Sat mag's listing and just marvel at the shows. As an apartment dweller at the time, a bulky satellite dish was out of the question, so this was the one and only time I actually called my cable company to request they carry GSN.  Four years later they granted my request, so I got it at a pretty good time, just after the dark period.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: SRIV94 on December 01, 2004, 10:28:33 AM
[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 09:02 AM\']However, with the network now being a "double-digit midget", what's your very first memory of GSN? (not when you GOT the channel, but when you saw it for the first time).
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In my case, they were one and the same.  June 1998--a MG episode followed by TATTLETALES was my earliest viewing of the channel.

Doug
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: cmjb13 on December 01, 2004, 10:31:36 AM
Can't recall which show I saw first, but I do recall seeing Break the Bank (not sure which version) and Kennedy Price around October 1997.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: zachhoran on December 01, 2004, 10:44:23 AM
[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 10:31 AM\']Can't recall which show I saw first, but I do recall seeing Break the Bank (not sure which version) and Kennedy Price around October 1997.
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The Kennedy BtB had a weekend berth on the schedule for a few months starting in October. The Jack Barry BtB aired only a few times ever on GSN(Xmas 1997 was one time)
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Matt Ottinger on December 01, 2004, 10:47:35 AM
I'm not ever going to forget that original 6-minute montage and the 24-hour marathon that followed.  

Remember, this was just as the Usenet group was beginning to get popular for the first time as well, so for a lot of us "originals", this was an insanely amazing period where just in the matter of a few months, we not only discovered each other but also this spectacular resource for classic series.  An incredible time that wll probably never be duplicated again.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: uncamark on December 01, 2004, 12:56:03 PM
July 1998 on a Saturday afternoon.  As soon as the installer leaves the apartment and I've finished watching the instructional video on the new remote for the digital box, I tune immediately to 161 and see 60s color "Password."  I'm like a kid in a candy store--until I gasp at those dubbed music beds on the first 70s syndie "TNG" I see.

Yes, I spent a lot of time watching TV that weekend.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: BrandonFG on December 01, 2004, 01:15:49 PM
December 1997 I believe. Was at a Christmas party for my mom's job, and turned to find a Barker TPiR from the late-70s. The contestant was playing "It's Optional."

After that, usually whenever we went to the mall, I stopped at either Radio Shack, Montgomery Wards, or Sears, and slyly found GSN, and watched a good hour or so of programming. There were also times when I'd go to my mom's job and watch GSN in the break room. I remember catching another TPiR (c. 1976), Wheel, J!, Three's a Crowd, Treasure Hunt, and Dawson Feud 94.

We finally got digital cable in May 2002, just when GSN was starting to pull out a few more classics (HSq, WLoD, the Vertivision and Breakfast blocks), and put on the new originals. Summer 2002 was gold for me. :-)
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: irismason42 on December 01, 2004, 02:48:57 PM
My very first full episode viewing of GSN was with the Wheel 2000/JEP! hour that I saw at Uncle Butch's house in Miami, FL, but I didn't get GSN myself until 1 year later, which was very early in 1999 when Card Sharks was on every single day and when Family Feud was on with just the ABC version which first aired on Friday, July 12.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: johnnyd1788 on December 01, 2004, 03:17:07 PM
I remember when I saw GSN for the first time was at my grandparent's house. They had just gotten satelite and I was flipping through channels and found a station call Game Show Network. Fell in love at first sight. It was some great stuff. And the weird thing is, the channel is G7-6, just like Aaron had said... Things don't change, do they?
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: aaron sica on December 01, 2004, 03:24:50 PM
[quote name=\'johnnyd1788\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 03:17 PM\']I remember when I saw GSN for the first time was at my grandparent's house. They had just gotten satelite and I was flipping through channels and found a station call Game Show Network. Fell in love at first sight. It was some great stuff. And the weird thing is, the channel is G7-6, just like Aaron had said... Things don't change, do they?
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I didn't know where anything else was on a BUD (Big Ugly Dish, for those who don't know), but boy, I sure knew where GSN was. :)

And as Matt O. said, the newsgroup was a wonderful place at that point - completely the opposite of what it has become. If you ever get some time, go to www.dejanews.com and do a search for alt.tv.game-shows back in 1994. Some very interesting reading, with a lot of names you'll probably recognize.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: SRIV94 on December 01, 2004, 03:32:48 PM
[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 02:24 PM\']And as Matt O. said, the newsgroup was a wonderful place at that point - completely the opposite of what it has become. If you ever get some time, go to www.dejanews.com and do a search for alt.tv.game-shows back in 1994. Some very interesting reading, with a lot of names you'll probably recognize.
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I'll second that emotion (although I use Groups-gle to do my searching).  It started to go downhill in about 2000.  Right about the time I hooked up.  :-)

Doug
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: dzinkin on December 01, 2004, 03:36:18 PM
[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 03:32 PM\']I'll second that emotion (although I use Groups-gle to do my searching).
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Well, since Google bought Deja, and www.dejanews.com now goes to groups.google.com, it's all one and the same now. :-)

Quote
It started to go downhill in about 2000.  Right about the time I hooked up.  :-)
Remind me again why you were allowed in here? :-D
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: davemackey on December 01, 2004, 06:16:13 PM
First look at GSN provided from tapes provided to the Mackey Bros. by Dave Hammett. Sometimes we felt like we were the only ones watching (or timeshifting, in our case) the network.

Earliest memory: not many revenue ads, mostly house ads for Sony properties. Now, however, major advertisers flock to GSN and participate in sponsorship opportunities.

I didn't actually see the network on a regular basis until GSN was picked up by Comcast of Monmouth County, where I worked from 1994 to 2002. I think they came on board in late 1996 or early 1997.

Ten years of incredible growth... and in spite of last March's conversion to GSN, the best is yet to come.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Gromit on December 01, 2004, 06:41:54 PM
My first viewing would have been in late 1999, when I moved into my current home and got digital cable. I have no idea what my first show was, likely Match Game or Pyramid. That was too late to see old Price is Right's, I wish I could have seen those. I saw them first run of course, but I'd love to go back and see the old ones.

I spent many joyous hours each day watching, GSN was my favourite channel. Sadly, that's no longer the case any more. With the current schedule, I'm down to half an hour a day, and frankly, barely even check the schedule any more. It used to be "Ok, nothing's on, turn to GSN and watch that".

I'm afraid I don't share Dave's optimism at all.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Jamey Greek on December 01, 2004, 09:28:10 PM
I remember when I was in 3rd grade an 8-year old in Elba Alabama a small town in L.A (Lower Alabama mind you) and I was looking at a Sattelite Orbit magazine and found ads for GSN!!!  in 1994! I don't remember if I showed my mom or not, and a year later we were at a friend's house, and they had a C-Band sattelite and guess what?! They had GSN!!! when I turned it to GSN Trivia Trap was about to end.  Also, Christmas 1995, my grandmoither bought me a Primestar to keep at her house, One reason was she lived in the boondocks in Alabama and did not have cable, but the main reason was I wanted GSN only to discover that It was not availible but finally, in 1997, it finally was!!!!!  It was prior to the dark period.  and I am going to miss those older days.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: SRIV94 on December 01, 2004, 11:12:10 PM
[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 02:36 PM\']Remind me again why you were allowed in here? :-D
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Secret photographs (this joke does itself--and thank goodness for small favors).  ;-)

Doug
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Ian Wallis on December 02, 2004, 09:24:27 AM
Quote
Earliest memory: not many revenue ads, mostly house ads for Sony properties. Now, however, major advertisers flock to GSN and participate in sponsorship opportunities.


That's one of the things I liked about the early GSN - the "Mr Hostman" commercials, the interviews with people like Kitty Carlisle, Jim Lange and Charles Nelson Reilly, and the endless airing of Gene Rayburns "nipples" blooper.

It's too bad they don't pull some of those out to air once in a while.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: JMFabiano on December 02, 2004, 02:03:08 PM
[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 03:32 PM\'][quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 02:24 PM\']And as Matt O. said, the newsgroup was a wonderful place at that point - completely the opposite of what it has become. If you ever get some time, go to www.dejanews.com and do a search for alt.tv.game-shows back in 1994. Some very interesting reading, with a lot of names you'll probably recognize.
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I'll second that emotion (although I use Groups-gle to do my searching).  It started to go downhill in about 2000.  Right about the time I hooked up.  :-)

Doug
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I still think ATGS and GSN's quality correlated.  When it started getting really bad (i.e. Tauber/Fleming eras), I noticed that that was when a bit more nastiness and negativity started to creep in.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: DaneFromKansas on December 02, 2004, 02:33:12 PM
My earliest memory of seeing something about GSN was sometime in 94, when TV Guide mentioned it during a profile of soon-to-be-debuting cable networks.  I wanted it so bad, and I talked my parents into calling and requesting it, but it took several years before I saw it.  The first time I actually got to bear witness to GSN was in mid-2000 (I believe) when my local cable company began a promotion of showing one-week free previews of various digital cable channels as a promo for their digital cable.  With no prior announcement, I happened on to it during the first day of the promotion, and was greeted by Perry Card Sharks, followed by Hollywood Showdown.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Don Howard on December 02, 2004, 04:26:09 PM
[quote name=\'davemackey\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 06:16 PM\']Ten years of incredible growth... and in spite of last March's conversion to GSN, the best is yet to come.
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Only if they start showing the TVMA version of The Brooke Burke Strip Poker Challenge.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: gameshowfan1991 on December 02, 2004, 06:26:17 PM
I have never had cable TV, but I have watched some GSN over the years, mostly at friends and relatives houses. The first time I saw it was probably sometime in the late 90's, around 1998 or '99.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: gameshowguy2000 on December 02, 2004, 07:15:47 PM
First GSN show I saw was TPIR (Win TV), as I got it in 2000.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Ian Wallis on December 03, 2004, 09:16:27 AM
Quote
My earliest memory of seeing something about GSN was sometime in 94, when TV Guide mentioned it during a profile of soon-to-be-debuting cable networks.

It was actually mentioned in at least two Fall Previews before it hit the airwaves.  I'm pretty sure it was mentioned in TVGuide as early as September 1992.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: FeudDude on December 03, 2004, 06:44:01 PM
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Dec 3 2004, 09:16 AM\']
Quote
My earliest memory of seeing something about GSN was sometime in 94, when TV Guide mentioned it during a profile of soon-to-be-debuting cable networks.

It was actually mentioned in at least two Fall Previews before it hit the airwaves.  I'm pretty sure it was mentioned in TVGuide as early as September 1992.
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I think those might have actually been referring to the "Game Show Channel" that the then-owners of the Family Channel (pre-Fox/ABC) were going to start.  That never got off the ground, needless to say.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: TonicBH on December 03, 2004, 07:43:22 PM
Earliest viewing could go back to around 1999-2000, when my dad's work had it on Satellite.

I first had GSN on September 5, 2001. At the time, LMAD, PYL and a few other shows had just "premiered" on the network.

It was good to see some classics again. Now if only they got off the "reality show" mentality the network's gone in.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: GSCrank on December 03, 2004, 11:57:24 PM
[quote name=\'TonicBH\' date=\'Dec 3 2004, 08:43 PM\']It was good to see some classics again. Now if only they got off the "reality show" mentality the network's gone in.
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I would love to see GSN go back to being what it used to be.  Hell, I'd love to see it go back to what it was before I got it in 1998.  But I don't think that is happening.  Cronin's looking for ratings, and nowadays, a channel with just game shows won't appeal to their targeted demographic (the age range I happen to be in, too).

Now, as for my first experience with GSN, it was actually in 1998, when I first got the channel.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Jimmy Owen on December 04, 2004, 08:53:33 AM
[quote name=\'FeudDude\' date=\'Dec 3 2004, 06:44 PM\']

I think those might have actually been referring to the "Game Show Channel" that the then-owners of the Family Channel (pre-Fox/ABC) were going to start.  That never got off the ground, needless to say.
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I always considered the early 90's FAM daytime game block (Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, Jumble ,etc.) as a psuedo-pilot for the the Game Channel. It probably would have looked much the same.  The TV Guide Fall Preview issue of 1992 states on pg. 59, the channel will feature "repeats of Name That Tune, The Cross-Wits, Jackpot, Truth or Consequences, among others." (by that I would assume agreements with Ralph Edwards and Bob Stewart) and would likely hit the air in January 1993.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: zachhoran on December 04, 2004, 08:55:38 AM
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Dec 4 2004, 08:53 AM\']
I always considered the early 90's daytime block (Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, Jumble ,etc.) as a psuedo-pilot for the the Game Channel. It probably would have looked much the same.  The TV Guide Fall Preview issue of 1992 states on pg. 59, the channel will feature "repeats of Name That Tune, The Cross-Wits, Jackpot, Truth or Consequences, among others." (by that I would assume agreements with Ralph Edwards and Bob Stewart) and would likely hit the air in January 1993.
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The Crosswits(no hyphen) in question was probably the 1986-87 version, which reran on FAM from June-September 1993.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Jimmy Owen on December 04, 2004, 09:00:01 AM
It could be, but the title in the TVG article had a hyphen.
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Jamey Greek on December 11, 2004, 01:12:33 AM
Does anyone have an article in Broadcasting and Cable regarding that channel?  I am talking about "The Game Show Channel" if so, please send it to me via email my address is Jameyg15@yahoo.com
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: sshuffield70 on December 11, 2004, 03:17:38 PM
[quote name=\'Jamey Greek\' date=\'Dec 11 2004, 01:12 AM\']Does anyone have an article in Broadcasting and Cable regarding that channel?  I am talking about "The Game Show Channel" if so, please send it to me via email my address is Jameyg15@yahoo.com
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BZZZZZZZZZZ!!! (Losing horns)

I'm sorry, but the name of the proposed network was The Game Channel.  GSN had been referred to by Geneius as Game Show Channel.

Thank you for playing "Name That Cable Channel!"
Title: Happy 10th anniversary GSN!
Post by: Jamey Greek on December 11, 2004, 05:12:09 PM
Sorry!