The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: TheInquisitiveOne on July 08, 2004, 06:56:34 PM
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Good afternoon everyone!
I have been looking back at some of my old TV Guides, as well as looked through the websites of both Aaron Handy III and JRJ Games, and noticed the multitude of TV Guide ads of the past. A question came to mind, and I thought I would raise it here...
Do you think that the TV Guide ads helped bolster viewer interest in many game shows of old? Could it work today? I say that because there was a half page TV Guide ad that plugged TPIR's 30th anniversary. My opinion is that if there were no ad, it would not have received the good ratings that it eventually did.
However, I could be wrong on all of this. Opinions are always welcome!
The Inquisitive One, Finally Closing in on 200...
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Nowadays, the only ads in TV Guide for game shows are in among the
features, like J! did for the MDM tourney and the just-past Power Players
Week. And it also has to do with the evolution of TV Guide's format for
the listings: more emphasis on grids and reviewing programs, so the plugs
(not just for game shows) for local stations have slowly been squeezed
out.
In J!'s second season, they mainly had two ads all year with the
theme "Alex Trebek 007" : one ad showed Alex trying to remove the
femme fatale from the railroad track and the other showing Alex
jumping off a boat before it exploded; the tag line being: "Take the
Big Money Risk! - Play Jeopardy!" , and TV Guide had print ads
with that theme.
To answer your question, TV Guide did a good job when having ads
for game shows in its listings (you couldn't miss them), but it's just a
matter of how it's changed (or blame Rupert Murdoch?)
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A great piece of trivia during the 70s and 80s was that TV Guide was the biggest selling weekly magazine in America, and the magazine with the highest advertising rates.
I doubt it has the power it once did as I think most of us have access to other listings, including just watching the crawl of "what's on" that our cable company or satellite provider sends... on many cable systems it's provided by.... TV Guide. Hmmmm.
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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I think Randy's on to something here:
The last time I saw a game show ad on TV Guide was when ABC brought back Millionaire for its 3rd run of shows in 2000. That same year & that same guide, I also saw a big ad for NBC's new show called Twenty-One back then. In terms of ratings, TV Guide was batting .500(1/2). Millionaire had strong ratings while Twenty-One's was virtually "flat" so to speak. I guess it can help but sometimes, it doesn't. It all depends on how it's presented on there.
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I think it might have had an impact in the '70s and '80s. For people who were home during the day, or fans like us, seeing those ads would whet our appetite for watching the show. If it was a bad show though, ads in TVGuide wouldn't be able to boost the ratings enough to save it. As noted, TVGuide's readership had decreased significantly during the past 20 years, so any ads they have run aren't seen by as many people.
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And I remember back up until the 80s there were ads for local TV newscasts in TV Guide.
Brian
100 plus 100 equals 600?
We want some more pro wrestling (STILL) and NASCAR questions (oh, and Jeff Gordon won the Pepsi 400 driving a Pepsi Play for a Billion Chevy)!
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[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Jul 9 2004, 03:56 AM\'] I think Randy's on to something here:
The last time I saw a game show ad on TV Guide was when ABC brought back Millionaire for its 3rd run of shows in 2000. That same year & that same guide, I also saw a big ad for NBC's new show called Twenty-One back then. In terms of ratings, TV Guide was batting .500(1/2). Millionaire had strong ratings while Twenty-One's was virtually "flat" so to speak. I guess it can help but sometimes, it doesn't. It all depends on how it's presented on there. [/quote]
I thought Twenty One did pretty well for itself in the ratings department, but was cancelled solely because it didn't topple Millionaire.
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[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Jul 9 2004, 03:56 AM\'] I think Randy's on to something here:
The last time I saw a game show ad on TV Guide was when ABC brought back Millionaire for its 3rd run of shows in 2000. That same year & that same guide, I also saw a big ad for NBC's new show called Twenty-One back then. In terms of ratings, TV Guide was batting .500(1/2). Millionaire had strong ratings while Twenty-One's was virtually "flat" so to speak. [/quote]
I think they still do primetime ads, so I wouldn't count those. As for Twenty-One, it was a consistent Top 20, sometimes Top 15, maybe even Top 10 show, Millionaire's best competitor. As STYDFan noted, it didn't pull Millionaire ratings, so it was gone, showing that NBC is run by monkeys. :-)
The last game show ad I remember was for Feud 99. Nice-sized ad too.
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[quote name=\'brianhenke\' date=\'Jul 9 2004, 11:01 AM\'] And I remember back up until the 80s there were ads for local TV newscasts in TV Guide.
Brian
100 plus 100 equals 600?
We want some more pro wrestling (STILL) and NASCAR questions (oh, and Jeff Gordon won the Pepsi 400 driving a Pepsi Play for a Billion Chevy)! [/quote]
When Triangle owned TV Guide, there was a trade agreement where each local station would get ads in the magazine in exchange for TV spots for TVG. That ended when Rupert bought the mag.
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Nowadays, the only ads in TV Guide for game shows are in among the
features, like J! did for the MDM tourney and the just-past Power Players
Week.
Not entirely...I've seen ads w/the listings for a TPiR $1M Spectacular, several for Fear Factor, and one for the recent J! Power Players Week.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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Yes, but there were also the ads that local stations had to promote their
syndicated programs: for example, in the late 80's, WKRG in Mobile had
an ad which went:
"Besides Jeopardy!, the best game show on TV today..."
'What is Win, Lose or Draw?"
"Weekdays, beginning at 4PM, on WKRG, Channel 5"
(picture of Alex on left and Bert Convy on right)
And the locals also had spots for their news, movies......
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[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Jul 9 2004, 12:56 AM\'] The last time I saw a game show ad on TV Guide was when ABC brought back Millionaire for its 3rd run of shows in 2000. [/quote]
ABC placed an ad for "Super Millionaire" on the back cover of TV Guide earlier this year. (It still seems weird not to have a cigarette ad there.)
TV Guide used to do a barter arrangement with local stations, where the stations would run commercials for the magazine in exchange for ads in the listings section. That ended in the mid-to-late 1980s. That's why there are a lot of ads for syndicated shows and local newscasts in older TV Guides.
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Anyone know the guy who voiced those TV Guide commercials? Those were terrific! That was when the stories were all reader-friendly with no dipping into the controversy vat.
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I don't know the announcer's name, but I can never forget the electronic sounds that accompanied the TVG ads in the 1970s, which practically reminded me more of TVG than TVG itself.
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[quote name=\'rugrats1\' date=\'Jul 18 2004, 12:29 AM\'] I don't know the announcer's name, but I can never forget the electronic sounds that accompanied the TVG ads in the 1970s, which practically reminded me more of TVG than TVG itself. [/quote]
I know what sounds you mean--they were retired during that decade for a new musical underscore accompanied visually by a bending, stretching TV Guide logo. The music went through three variations before the electronic sounds came back with the visual staying.
One such spot I still remember word for word had movie critic Judith Crist subbing for the regular announcer: "Hello, I'm Judith Crist, and honest--I love movies. But I'll tell you why I criticize them so severely...in the new issue of TV Guide".
I just got an old 1967 Fall Preview issue in the mail yesterday (an eBay win) whose program listings contain nothing more than five VHF stations serving St. Louis. But amazingly, except for a couple of NBC cartoons missing from the Saturday Morning pages (one pre-empted, the other delayed till Sunday Morning), and a trio of ABC shows (two non-game daytimers and the Wednesday Night Movie) picked up by indie KPLR-11 instead of then-ABC station KTVI-2, the entire three-network program lineup is included on the affiliates for all dayparts! Snap Judgment, The Match Game, Eye Guess, American Bandstand, Joey Bishop in late night, all the old and new prime-time shows--they're all there. Oh, and the color section with all the new shows is a lively and fun read, too. TV Guide Fall Preview issues just didn't get any better than the ones between 1966 and 1990.
I also miss "As We See It", which ought to come back.
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[quote name=\'rugrats1\' date=\'Jul 17 2004, 09:29 PM\'] I don't know the announcer's name, but I can never forget the electronic sounds that accompanied the TVG ads in the 1970s, which practically reminded me more of TVG than TVG itself. [/quote]
Sadly, I've forgotten the announcer's name, and the friend of mine who worked at Triangle and knew the voicer left us in 1999. BUT... on a happier note... I dug out the sounder and sent the audio and a brief story of its composer to Matt to see if he could post it, link it, or whatever the kids today do so we can all hear it ;-)
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jul 18 2004, 11:22 AM\'] [quote name=\'rugrats1\' date=\'Jul 17 2004, 09:29 PM\'] I don't know the announcer's name, but I can never forget the electronic sounds that accompanied the TVG ads in the 1970s, which practically reminded me more of TVG than TVG itself. [/quote]
Sadly, I've forgotten the announcer's name, and the friend of mine who worked at Triangle and knew the voicer left us in 1999. BUT... on a happier note... I dug out the sounder and sent the audio to Matt to see if he could post it, link it, or whatever the kids today do so we can all hear it ;-)
Randy
tvrandywest.com [/quote]
Oh, that's terrific. Thank you, Randy. I can hear the voice in my mind's ear, but haven't actually heard the voice in at least 20 years--probably closer to 25.
So, tell us, Randy West, did you ever grab your Mr. Microphone and pretend you were the voice of the TV Guide ads? Or did working on Johnny Olson's delivery take up most of your leisure time?
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 18 2004, 08:24 AM\'] So, tell us, Randy West, did you ever grab your Mr. Microphone and pretend you were the voice of the TV Guide ads? Or did working on Johnny Olson's delivery take up most of your leisure time? [/quote]
I've had a firm grip on Mr. Microphone since the age of 12.
I never emulated (or truly appreciated the art) of the big voiced "straight" pronouncers until I got into the game. I spent those early years emulating Johnny O, Don Pardo and my radio hero Dan Ingram... that is, when I wasn't playing hide and seek with security at 30 Rock. What a simpler time.
Randy
tvrandywest
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[quote name=\'DjohnsonCB\' date=\'Jul 18 2004, 11:21 AM\'] I just got an old 1967 Fall Preview issue in the mail yesterday (an eBay win) whose program listings contain nothing more than five VHF stations serving St. Louis. But amazingly, except for a couple of NBC cartoons missing from the Saturday Morning pages (one pre-empted, the other delayed till Sunday Morning), and a trio of ABC shows (two non-game daytimers and the Wednesday Night Movie) picked up by indie KPLR-11 instead of then-ABC station KTVI-2, the entire three-network program lineup is included on the affiliates for all dayparts! Snap Judgment, The Match Game, Eye Guess, American Bandstand, Joey Bishop in late night, all the old and new prime-time shows--they're all there. Oh, and the color section with all the new shows is a lively and fun read, too. TV Guide Fall Preview issues just didn't get any better than the ones between 1966 and 1990.
I also miss "As We See It", which ought to come back. [/quote]
For years and years, I always jumped right to the Friday listings, because TV Guide would let you know when daytime changes were going to be made, whether it be the good:
10/28/83
3pm (4, 8, 28) FANTASY
[Last show of the series. Beginning Monday, "The Match Game-Hollywood Squares hour" premieres here.]
or the bad:
6/20/80
NOON (27) $20,000 PYRAMID-Game
[Last show of the series. Beginning Monday, "Family Feud" moves here.]
I won't go off on my "TV Guide sucks now" tangent. :)
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In case anyone's interested, this site has a couple of audio clips of TV Guide commercials from the 1970s (1976 and 1979):
http://dt.prohosting.com/70s/adulttv/adulttv.html (http://\"http://dt.prohosting.com/70s/adulttv/adulttv.html\")
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Here's the story Randy sent me:
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As half of Johnson-Siday, Eric Siday created this memorable ditty for TV Guide. The pair worked in advertising for decades; having created the 1939 "Pepsi Cola hits the spot" commercial jingle. Eric was an innovator in the development of electronic music, and is also responsible for the electronic sounds that became memorable as the Maxwell House percolating coffee pot. He also did the audio for ABC radio news themes and some of the early studio musical IDs heard at the end of TV shows, the Screen Gems electronic logo among them.
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And here (hopefully) is a link to it. It's just the "beeps", there's not an announcer.
http://userdata.acd.net/ottinger/cullen/so...VGuideBeeps.mp3 (http://\"http://userdata.acd.net/ottinger/cullen/sounds/TVGuideBeeps.mp3\")
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I just got an old 1967 Fall Preview issue in the mail yesterday (an eBay win) whose program listings contain nothing more than five VHF stations serving St. Louis. But amazingly, except for a couple of NBC cartoons missing from the Saturday Morning pages (one pre-empted, the other delayed till Sunday Morning), and a trio of ABC shows (two non-game daytimers and the Wednesday Night Movie) picked up by indie KPLR-11 instead of then-ABC station KTVI-2, the entire three-network program lineup is included on the affiliates for all dayparts! Snap Judgment, The Match Game, Eye Guess, American Bandstand, Joey Bishop in late night, all the old and new prime-time shows--they're all there. Oh, and the color section with all the new shows is a lively and fun read, too. TV Guide Fall Preview issues just didn't get any better than the ones between 1966 and 1990.
Those were the days. I have all those old TVGuides too, and love looking through old issues from the '60s and '70s. It was kind of fun back in the days when network affiliates didn't pre-empt very much, and when TVGuide's listings were very detailed. I think the best Fall Preview issues were probably in the '60s and '70s.
What I especially like about reading those old listings is that just about all the network game shows were seen in every city. In some cases, if a network affiliate didn't air a show, a local independent would pick it up. Or sometimes the network affiliate would air it later in the day. They were great for doing lists of celebrities who appeared on the shows as well.
There were also quite a few TVGuide articles that pertained to game shows over the years. Those were neat times...
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TV Guide issue #906 for the week of August 8-14, 1970:
Listing for Monday, August 10, 1970:
11:00 7 12 WARREN BURGER SPECIAL C
Special: Chief Justice Warren E. Burger delivers his
State of the Judiciary message. See the Close-Up on
page A-29 (Live)
["Jeopardy!" is pre-empted.]
Gee, but CBS didn't pre-empt their soap opera
"Where the Heart Is" for that speech.......
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 17 2004, 09:55 PM\']Anyone know the guy who voiced those TV Guide commercials? Those were terrific! That was when the stories were all reader-friendly with no dipping into the controversy vat.[/quote]
I believe the announcer for the TV Guide commercials was Taylor Grant, a longtime radio news anchor in Philadelphia. He did afternoon drive newscasts for many years on WCAU, the CBS-owned station. It's been some years, but I do remember the name and his voice from the few years as a kid I lived in the Philadelphia area. And of course, since this is back in the days when Triangle Publications ran the mag and world headquarters were in beautiful Radnor, Pennsylvania near Valley Forge (I recall my parents driving by the TV Guide HQ and my mouth dropping open in wonder), so it's totally possible that they used Philly talent for the ads.