The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: pyrawoman on January 18, 2004, 04:17:01 AM
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This post is for all those who want to save Pyramid. (The rest of you can feel free to ignore it!) Donny has explained what is going on with the show on his site, and is asking for the help of Pyramid fans. He has specified who is best to write to, and has provided a petition to sign. Here is the link for the petition:
http://www.donny.com/pyramid.pl (http://\"http://www.donny.com/pyramid.pl\")
Here is what Donny had to say:
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Dear Friends,
With the deepest humility, I ask for your help.
VIACOM just pulled PYRAMID off their stations! They own quite a few all over the country, including Philadelphia (KYW-TV3), Boston (WSBK / UPN38) and Los Angeles (KCAL). Unless we pull off a miracle, PYRAMID will not be back next year.
We have already been renewed in so many great markets for season 3, including the number one market, New York. If Sony doesn't find a replacement station for LA, Boston & Philadelphia, we won't be back. It's as simple as that. With February just around the corner (one of the 'sweeps' months where our ratings are determined), we will need a dramatic jump in order to play a part in affecting any decisions. The annual television programmers conventions is going on in Las Vegas right now. If the station managers return to work on Tuesday or Wednesday to find their stations are being flooded with calls to the switchboards as well as emails and snailmails asking for Pyramid to be saved, it could make a difference. And of course, if the same emails were sent to the local program sponsors, you just never know what might happen... Maybe a miracle!
Just to fill you in on what is going on, Viacom owns CBS TV, UPN TV as well as Paramount Pictures (and Blockbuster Video, MTV, VH-1, TV Land and so on). Paramount produces television shows (such as Entertainment Tonight) and so it is safe to assume that Viacom is probably making room for one of its own programs. This unfortunately, is just the nature of the television business.The dirty part is that they waited until just before this NATPE convention in Las Vegas to announce this, presumably to pull the rug from beneath our feet by giving us very little time to respond or to replace the Viacom stations that currently air our show. It's nothing personal against me or the show, it's just a dog eat dog scenario. Those are the facts.
You may be the only ones that can affect whether or not Sony Pictures Television cancels us or keeps us on by making calls and sending your letters to the appropriate people and you'll find that information following this email. I appreciate it so much and If you can get your friends and family to do the same, it would even be more effective.
Thank you very much for your continued support of me and PYRAMID.
Sincerely,
Donny Osmond
Important Contact Information
Dennis Swanson
Executive Vice President and COO
Viacom Television Station Group
524 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019-2985
Phone: 212.975.8263
Fax: 212. 975.1004
General Manager:
Don Corsini, KCAL 9
5515 MELROSE AVENUE HOLLYWOOD, CA 90038
MAIN PHONE: 323-467-9999
NEWS PHONE: 323-960-3899
NEWS FAX NUMBER:
323-469-4979
Don's number:323-960-3636
General Manager: Peter Dunn
KYW, Channel 3
101 South Independence Mall,
East Philadelphia, PA 19106
Telephone: (215) 238-4700 Fax:
(215) 238-4703
WSBK TV Channel 38 WSBK DT Channel 39
Owner: Viacom, Inc.
General Manager: Ed Goldman
1170 Soldiers Field Rd.
Boston, MA 02134
Web Address: http://upn38.com/ (http://\"http://upn38.com/\")
(617) 787-7500
Find Your Location Station
Find your local station that currently airs Pyramid by visiting
http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/pyramid/station.php (http://\"http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/pyramid/station.php\")
Online Petition
Also, after contacting the people above, if you still have time, please sign our online petition.
http://www.donny.com/info/save_pyramid (http://\"http://www.donny.com/info/save_pyramid\")
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[quote name=\'pyrawoman\' date=\'Jan 18 2004, 04:17 AM\']
VIACOM just pulled PYRAMID off their stations! They own quite a few all over the country, including Philadelphia (KYW-TV3), Boston (WSBK / UPN38) and Los Angeles (KCAL). Unless we pull off a miracle, PYRAMID will not be back next year.
[/quote]
WGTW channel 48 in Philly could use a companion show for Feud or Street Smarts, Pyramid would be a good choice for that if they wanted to pick it up.
Obphillysportscurse:TEAGTL=The Eagles are Going to Lose, and the 21 year Philly sports championship curse will continue :)
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Maybe if enough people write to Viacom they'll show Pyramid again, of course Viacom has hundreds of Cullen Pyramid shows they own outright, so why not cut out the middle man. Seriously, a letter writing campaign is too late, Sony will never have the clout of owning stations in the US as many of the other studios do, Pyramid is flawed and doesn't have the ratings so it is a lost cause.
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Online petitions have been rendered useless these days.
Remember the Rod Roddy petition? How well did that work?
In this age we live in, people seem to write nasty e-mails or make nasty demanding phone calls (mostly because of laziness) forgetting that a well written letter has more impact than the former methods combined.
Get over it Donny and move on.
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I've added my name to the petition...a longshot (no pun intended), yes, but in this ongoing effort to save Pyramid, anything can happen...
Chuck Donegan (The Optimistic "Chuckie Baby")
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Great...I'll spend 37C on a stamp and snail mail them.
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[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Jan 18 2004, 11:17 AM\'] I've added my name to the petition...a longshot (no pun intended), yes, but in this ongoing effort to save Pyramid, anything can happen...
Chuck Donegan (The Optimistic "Chuckie Baby") [/quote]
Darn Chuck, you may or may not help with Pyramid's fate, but you might resurrect Whew! with that petition.
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Darn Chuck, you may or may not help with Pyramid's fate, but you might resurrect Whew! with that petition.
At the risk of sounding like an idiot (or continuing to sound like one), how do you figure that? (I can't see what he had to say)
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[quote name=\'Thad Dixon\' date=\'Jan 18 2004, 01:35 PM\']
Darn Chuck, you may or may not help with Pyramid's fate, but you might resurrect Whew! with that petition.
At the risk of sounding like an idiot (or continuing to sound like one), how do you figure that? (I can't see what he had to say) [/quote]
The term Longshot was used on Whew! by a contestant trying in a last-ditch effort to win a round. I'll let the WHew! experts fill in more.
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The term Longshot was used on Whew! by a contestant trying in a last-ditch effort to win a round. I'll let the WHew! experts fill in more.
Oh, that won't be necessary; I see what's being said now. Mr. Donegan had used that term in this thread, and what I was thinking of was in terms of comments he may have had to offer when signing. (and I have seen three episodes of Whew!: the ones with the late Randy Amasia, and Matt Kaiser's production of it. Yes, it's only three episodes but I do know how the game works and what happens in those three eps.)
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Well, I just signed the petition. I hope there's enough signatures to keep the show running.
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If Pyramid does leave the air after this season, it'll be another game show cancellation, after Squares, in which it's Viacom's fault.
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[quote name=\'rugrats1\' date=\'Jan 18 2004, 05:37 PM\'] If Pyramid does leave the air after this season, it'll be another game show cancellation, after Squares, in which it's Viacom's fault. [/quote]
There is a bright side, Viacom (through its subsidiaries) is allowing TPIR, WOF and J! to continue. In addition, Sony is involved in a a gaming-related network on which Pyramid could air, if they really wanted the show to continue.
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[quote name=\'pyrawoman\' date=\'Jan 18 2004, 04:17 AM\'] This post is for all those who want to save Pyramid. [/quote]
Would you please stop posting this multiple times? We don't need to have this beat into the ground. Thank you.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jan 18 2004, 08:11 PM\'] In addition, Sony is involved in a a gaming-related network on which Pyramid could air, if they really wanted the show to continue. [/quote]
That's certainly an interesting thought - is the budget on Pyramid outside of GSN Original range (if you eliminate the tourney, perhaps)??
I know GSN would kill to get Pyramid's ratings (yes I know ratings for a syndie show are apples and oranges compared with a niche cable net)...do you think it would succeed on GSN?
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[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Jan 18 2004, 08:39 PM\'] I know GSN would kill to get Pyramid's ratings (yes I know ratings for a syndie show are apples and oranges compared with a niche cable net)...do you think it would succeed on GSN? [/quote]
Under the current lax judging, celebrity prompting, and what not, it couldn't afford to. It gives away WAY too much money.
Now, get back to the standards set by the 80's version, and you might have a chance.
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Latest note and suggestions from Donny:
January 18, 2004
Hello,
I knew that members of Donny.com would unite and help us to fight against the decision to discontinue Pyramid, but I wasn't prepared for the response that came in...it is overwhelming!! I can't thank you enough for the time and efforts that you have put into this "campaign". You have once again gone above and beyond my expectations, but it's not over.
We need to fight this for as long as we can to make sure that our voices are heard by those making the decisions. We need to make as much noise as possible. Get everyone you know involved in this. It's a great show and needs to stay on the air!
Thank you again to the Donny.com community. You really are the best. I've always known it and will continue to believe it.
Donny Osmond
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So many people have coordinated ideas and Donny has approved these ideas for the Save Pyramid Project!
#1
Important contact information on the bottom of Donny's letter. The list of executives that need to hear from you directly!
#2
These links to 3 stations. Please write to them!
http://kcal9.com/feedback (http://\"http://kcal9.com/feedback\") (Los Angeles)
http://kyw.com/feedback (http://\"http://kyw.com/feedback\") (Philadelphia)
http://www.upn38.com/feedback (http://\"http://www.upn38.com/feedback\") (Boston)
#3
Email Pyramid Executives and thank them for all they are doing. They are on our side, and are working hard to keep the show going too.
#4
Flood the desks at The Venetain Hotel, it is the host hotel for the NAPTE Conference Lets bombard them with faxes!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND CALLS for Don Corsisi from KCAL 9.
1 702 414 1100 (fax)
1 702-414-1000 (phone)
#5
http://www.fox5ny.com (http://\"http://www.fox5ny.com\") Email or call and find out if Fox can put the announcement on their stations in areas that are jeopardized.
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 18 2004, 08:57 AM\'] Obphillysportscurse:TEAGTL=The Eagles are Going to Lose, and the 21 year Philly sports championship curse will continue :) [/quote]
Boy, you're good. Care to pick a few lottery numbers? :)
Doug -- who lives in the city of the most cursed sports team on the planet (with apologies to Red Sox fans)
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Just want to say I'm glad someone put this up. I was off work and watching this morning's Pyramid episode on WKRC-TV in Cincinnati, and when it came time for the show's "contestant plug," I thought of how the late Rod Roddy might have done it in the wake of the show's cancellation announcement last week.
Consider, fellow game show fans, what the stations carrying Pyramid might choose to replace it with if this show is cancelled: Another t**k s**w? Another "courtroom show"? Or worse -- reruns of TLC's Junkyard Wars Seasons 11 and 13, or maybe that new show they premiered last Saturday evening (1-17-2004 called In a Fix in which a bunch of drunken workers go to work on some poor soul's house and do things like rip out porch support columns, dump 2½ tons of sand in the yard, and create a lot of upset among the neighbors. (And that was just on the first episode!)
No -- give us good, clean-cut Donny Osmond in the mornings in Cincinnati!
Michael Brandenburg
(Better yet, have him followed in the mornings by that other guy who not only does a great job with his own game show, but, or so I understand, was on a good home improvement show some years ago!)
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[quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'Jan 18 2004, 05:17 PM\']Well, I just signed the petition. I hope there's enough signatures to keep the show running.[/quote]
Online petitions don't work anymore (if they ever did). No one pays attention to them at all because there are way too many of them.
I'm officially sitting on the fence on this one, since there are good arguments from both sides, but my advice for those of you who want to write about "Pyramid" is this: Respectful, cleanly-typed or written, articulate snail mails (or E-mails, if you really need to) to the stations or to Sony count more than online petitions or rants. They won't guarantee that you'll get "Pyramid" back, but they help more than the quickly-fired off phone call or board posting.
And if there is a form letter going around, rewrite it in your own words. Form letters become way too obvious when 1,000 letters say the same thing in the exact same words.
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I wonder if Sony would be pulling this garbage if Dick Clark was hosting. I bet they would think twice about it in that case. Donny is doing a decent job, but the show has a few things it needs to fix. Go back to 7 in 30 seconds, and have the mystery 7(it's funner imo)
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[quote name=\'passwordplus\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 12:36 PM\'] I wonder if Sony would be pulling this garbage if Dick Clark was hosting. I bet they would think twice about it in that case. Donny is doing a decent job, but the show has a few things it needs to fix. Go back to 7 in 30 seconds, and have the mystery 7(it's funner imo) [/quote]
I don't see how going back to 7 in 30 would fix anything.
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[quote name=\'passwordplus\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 12:36 PM\'] I wonder if Sony would be pulling this garbage if Dick Clark was hosting. I bet they would think twice about it in that case. Donny is doing a decent job, but the show has a few things it needs to fix. Go back to 7 in 30 seconds, and have the mystery 7(it's funner imo) [/quote]
Let's not forget that Winning Lines got its plug pulled with unaired shows still in the can, thanks to lousy Nielsens. Dick Clark hosted that one, and it was clear that he was really enjoying what he was doing. That set also cost the network a cool half million, too. As much as I enjoyed the show (and still do on tape), I can see how the economics just didn't work out in CBS's favor. It's not about who hosts -- it's about who's watching.
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[quote name=\'DrJWJustice\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 06:24 PM\']It's not about who hosts -- it's about who's watching.[/quote]
Exception...
TPIR
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[quote name=\'tommycharles\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 04:57 PM\'] [quote name=\'passwordplus\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 12:36 PM\'] I wonder if Sony would be pulling this garbage if Dick Clark was hosting. I bet they would think twice about it in that case. Donny is doing a decent job, but the show has a few things it needs to fix. Go back to 7 in 30 seconds, and have the mystery 7(it's funner imo) [/quote]
I don't see how going back to 7 in 30 would fix anything. [/quote]
That would make the show more rushed, as it would add two more minutes of game time. More commercial time than in, say, 1991 when Davidson's version aired was the main reason for cutting from 7 in 30 to 6 in 20 IIRC.
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[quote name=\'passwordplus\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 12:36 PM\'] I wonder if Sony would be pulling this garbage if Dick Clark was hosting. [/quote]
The $50,000 Pyramid, hosted by Dick Clark, lasted seven and a half months--including about three months of repeat telecasts (or in the B & E language: "choice shows").
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 06:42 PM\'] [quote name=\'DrJWJustice\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 06:24 PM\']It's not about who hosts -- it's about who's watching.[/quote]
Exception...
TPIR [/quote]
The real test of whether or not this is true will come when Barker on the baton to someone else. May that day not come any time soon. :-)
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Update From Donny! - January 19, 2004
Once again thank you for all of your support in contacting Viacom. You have done an amazing job and your work has not gone unnoticed. This is what we need to do now. At this point we need to broaden our efforts and try a different angle. It may not be possible to get Viacom to change their strategy, but maybe we can convince Sony not to cancel Pyramid and keep pursuing finding replacement stations in those cities where Pyramid was dropped. There are three primary Sony executives holding the fate of Pyramid in their hands. They are the ones who should be contacted if you want to let them know how much you enjoy Pyramid and want it to come back for another season.
They are:
Steve Mosko, John Weiser and Russ Krasnoff.
This is their contact information:
Sony
10202 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Fax 310-202-3770
Phone 310- 244-4000
Steve Mosko, President - email:
steve_mosko@spe.sony.com
Russ Krasnoff, President of Programming - email:
russ_krasnoff@spe.sony.com
John Weiser, Exec. Vice President of Sony Pictures Television.
email:
john_weiser@spe.sony.com
Let's keep it going. Let 'em hear your voices!
Again, thank you for all your efforts. I couldn't do it without you.
Donny
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[quote name=\'DrJWJustice\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 10:51 PM\'] The real test of whether or not this is true will come when Barker on the baton to someone else. May that day not come any time soon. :-) [/quote]
Well, CBS made the official announcement this past weekend: Barker's staying on for next year. I've said it before and I'll say it again: he'll stay as long as he still has it. Right now, he still has it.
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[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Jan 20 2004, 10:36 AM\'] [quote name=\'DrJWJustice\' date=\'Jan 19 2004, 10:51 PM\'] The real test of whether or not this is true will come when Barker on the baton to someone else. May that day not come any time soon. :-) [/quote]
Well, CBS made the official announcement this past weekend: Barker's staying on for next year. I've said it before and I'll say it again: he'll stay as long as he still has it. Right now, he still has it. [/quote]
And this surprises ... no one! I'll keep watching, FWIW.