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The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Dbacksfan12 on July 23, 2003, 06:25:56 AM

Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: Dbacksfan12 on July 23, 2003, 06:25:56 AM
For those of you who get the west feed of TBS; or those who get it in syndiication; the first episode of \"Mama's Family\"; the Cardinal edition of \"The $25,000/$100,000\" Pyramid is prevanitely featured; as are several refrences to Dick Clark....
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: trainman on July 23, 2003, 10:41:45 PM
[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Jul 23 2003, 03:25 AM\'] For those of you who get the west feed of TBS... [/quote]
 There actually is no West Coast feed of TBS...but they're adding one later this year.

The reason they haven't had one until now is because of the \"superstation\" concept, the idea that the whole country is getting what's being broadcast over the air in Atlanta.  But apparently, what's finally pushed Time Warner over the edge is the fact that TBS's beloved \"Seinfeld\" reruns are airing at 3:30 and 4:00 Pacific.
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: EmiOfBrie on July 24, 2003, 05:07:37 AM
[quote name=\'trainman\' date=\'Jul 23 2003, 09:41 PM\'] The reason they haven't had one until now is because of the "superstation" concept, the idea that the whole country is getting what's being broadcast over the air in Atlanta.  But apparently, what's finally pushed Time Warner over the edge is the fact that TBS's beloved "Seinfeld" reruns are airing at 3:30 and 4:00 Pacific. [/quote]
 True.....if you're in Atlanta, you can get TBS simply by tuning antenna-based TV to channel 17.  As far as I know, WTBS and WGN are the only 2 superstations that are left (WWOR, WPIX, and WSBK I think all ceased national broadcast in the late 1990s).  I remember when TBS was listed in the TV Guide as \"17A\"

I think AOL/TW is trying to turn TBS and TNT into a showcase for Warner TV shows and movies, much like what Fox is doing with FX.
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: aaron sica on July 24, 2003, 07:11:09 AM
[quote name=\'EmiOfBrie\' date=\'Jul 24 2003, 04:07 AM\']
True.....if you're in Atlanta, you can get TBS simply by tuning antenna-based TV to channel 17.  As far as I know, WTBS and WGN are the only 2 superstations that are left (WWOR, WPIX, and WSBK I think all ceased national broadcast in the late 1990s).  I remember when TBS was listed in the TV Guide as "17A"
 [/quote]
 Actually, all three (WWOR, WPIX and WSBK) you can get as part of the \"Superstations Package\" on Dish Network. I'm not saying that they are classified as \"Superstations\" officially anymore, but they are still available nationwide to those with a satellite dish.

This post makes me think of one of Ted Turner's shrewd business moves.....I forget who the pitcher was for the Braves, but his nickname was \"The Channel\".....His # on his uniform was changed to 17, and his nickname was put on the back of his jersey, so when you saw him on TV, his jersey said \"Channel 17\". MLB quickly put an end to that one...
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: drmusic_99 on July 24, 2003, 08:26:37 AM
In Canada, KTLA, WPIX, WGN, and WSBK are all available in Canada as superstations on cable and satellite. WTBS was actually bumped to one of the basic analog packages a few years ago.

Of course, the \"superstation\" versions of TBS and WGN are different from the over the air feeds. TBS not so much these days, but WGN's national feed does not include the WB lineup, the morning newscast, some Bulls games, and certain syndie shows. Also, most local advertising is replaced.

The original superstation feed of WWOR (which was available on a limited basis in Canada) back in the late 80's/early 90's also differed quite a bit from the local feed. I don't know about the current version.
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: willmorris on July 24, 2003, 10:32:13 AM
For the record, the pitcher in question is Andy Messersmith, and he did NOT have the nickname of \"The Channel\" at all.  Ted Turner gave him the nickname \"Channel\" so he could put the jersey to read \"Channel 17\".  Chub Feeney was not amused.

Incidentally, what was WSBK?  I remember WWOR and WPIX, but not WSBK.
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: SRIV94 on July 24, 2003, 11:31:10 AM
[quote name=\'willmorris\' date=\'Jul 24 2003, 09:32 AM\']For the record, the pitcher in question is Andy Messersmith, and he did NOT have the nickname of \"The Channel\" at all.  Ted Turner gave him the nickname \"Channel\" so he could put the jersey to read \"Channel 17\".  Chub Feeney was not amused.

Incidentally, what was WSBK?  I remember WWOR and WPIX, but not WSBK.[/quote]
WSBK is Channel 38 out of Boston, and currently one of two broadcast outlets for the Red Sox (WBZ-4 is the other).  NESN handles the cable end.  WSBK has done in the past (and may do currently) the Bruins as well.

Doug
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: aaron sica on July 24, 2003, 11:43:57 AM
[quote name=\'willmorris\' date=\'Jul 24 2003, 09:32 AM\'] For the record, the pitcher in question is Andy Messersmith, and he did NOT have the nickname of "The Channel" at all.  Ted Turner gave him the nickname "Channel" so he could put the jersey to read "Channel 17".  Chub Feeney was not amused.

Incidentally, what was WSBK?  I remember WWOR and WPIX, but not WSBK. [/quote]
 Thank you for the correction on that.....Seems even cheesier though, that Turner gave him the nickname just for that purpose. :)

As for WSBK, that's already been answered. I remember it being on my aunt's cable in the '80s in NJ (when it was known as TV38)...Nowadays, it's a upn affiliate known as \"UPN 38\"...
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: GS Warehouse on July 24, 2003, 12:12:01 PM
[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Jul 24 2003, 10:43 AM\'] As for WSBK, that's already been answered. I remember it being on my aunt's cable in the '80s in NJ (when it was known as TV38)...Nowadays, it's a upn affiliate known as "UPN 38"... [/quote]
 I used to know of a good TV and radio station directory, but it recently became a pay site.  $60 a month?!  [Rod Roddy]Forget it![/Rod]
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: ChuckNet on July 24, 2003, 12:21:34 PM
Quote
As for WSBK, that's already been answered. I remember it being on my aunt's cable in the '80s in NJ (when it was known as TV38)...Nowadays, it's a upn affiliate known as \"UPN 38\"...

Yeah, we had it on our cable system as well until 1994, when it was replaced by FX...and as Aaron pointed out to me at the GSC last mo, it was pretty much the only station you could get reruns of Punky Brewster on. :-)

ObGameShow: TV38 also carried BtB '85, $1M CoaL, Fun House, the last season of Combs FF, and Dawson's return season.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious \"Chuckie Baby\")
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: Chelsea Thrasher on July 24, 2003, 12:31:54 PM
The Entire \"Superstations\" package, which costs $5.99, is KTLA (LA), KWGN (Denver), WSBK (Boston), WPIX (NY), and WWOR (NY).....

In fact, all 7 channels which E* classifies as Superstations are grouped together.    TBS (AT50) is @ 230, and WGN (Chicago [The Superstation feed, not the Local feed]) (AT100) is @ 239.   (The 5 in the Ss package are scattered between them)

-----

Anyway.....

Eh, I got nothin
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: snowpeck on July 24, 2003, 01:05:16 PM
[quote name=\'drmusic_99\' date=\'Jul 24 2003, 07:26 AM\']
Of course, the \"superstation\" versions of TBS and WGN are different from the over the air feeds. [/quote]
The only real difference now is that Lois & Clark reruns that air on the national feed of TBS are replaced by Little House on the Prairie on the local.




Greg
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: uncamark on July 24, 2003, 04:04:34 PM
Quote
The original superstation feed of WWOR (which was available on a limited basis in Canada) back in the late 80's/early 90's also differed quite a bit from the local feed. I don't know about the current version.


Since WWOR is strictly on satellite now, it's the same feed New Yorkers receive (including \"Feud\" and \"Pyramid\" every afternoon).  The feed to cable systems with the replacement programming ended at the end of 1996, when Discovery bought out the transponder space to launch an analog feed of Animal Planet.  At the same time, EMI Services, the distributor of the superstation feed of WWOR, also pulled WSBK from the national cable market (although it remains on satellite and on cable systems all over New England).

Of course, unless you're a completist or a fan of certain teams, you nowadays don't really need the superstations unless you don't have UPN or WB stations in your market (and if you're in a WB 100+ market, DirecTV will still import a nearby WB station to you, as I found a few weeks ago when I saw Decatur/Champaign/Springfield's WBUI on DirecTV in the Peoria/Bloomington market, which on cable is a WB 100+ market).

ObGameShow:  Peoria's WMBD, a CBS affil, airs \"Pyramid\" at 9:30 a.m.  They air an infomercial at 9 a.m. before \"Pyramid.\"  They don't air the second run anywhere else on the schedule.  Boy, is there something wrong with this picture.
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: EmiOfBrie on July 24, 2003, 11:05:17 PM
[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Jul 24 2003, 10:43 AM\'] Nowadays, it's a upn affiliate known as "UPN 38"... [/quote]
 Yeah....I forgot who originally owned 38, but it was one of Boston's first UHF stations in the 1950s, and has always been WSBK.   WLVI-56 (WTAO until 1972) is almost as old.

CBS/Viacom bought WSBK a few years back....if you go to the website of Boston's O&O CBS affiliate (WBZ-4), you'll see links to WSBK there as well  :)

I don't think WSBK airs the Red Sox anymore though....for the last few years they've been on Boston's Pax affiliate WBPX (68), which also sends mirror signals to Cape Cod's 58 and New Hampshire's 21.
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: aaron sica on July 25, 2003, 07:13:38 AM
[quote name=\'EmiOfBrie\' date=\'Jul 24 2003, 10:05 PM\']

CBS/Viacom bought WSBK a few years back....if you go to the website of Boston's O&O CBS affiliate (WBZ-4), you'll see links to WSBK there as well  :)

I don't think WSBK airs the Red Sox anymore though....for the last few years they've been on Boston's Pax affiliate WBPX (68), which also sends mirror signals to Cape Cod's 58 and New Hampshire's 21. [/quote]
 Yup, nowadays, as in a few TV Markets (Philadelphia, with KYW/WPSG, and L.A., with KCBS/Channel 9 (sorry, the calls escape me at the moment)), Viacom owns two channels.....It's very evident if you watch the 10pm news on WSBK, as it's pretty much a WBZ-4 newscast an hour earlier...

As for the Red Sox, WSBK is actually airing them again! However, there's a catch - if you're not in the Boston area, the Sox telecasts are blacked out..
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: Ian Wallis on July 27, 2003, 02:21:05 PM
Quote:
I remember it being on my aunt's cable in the '80s in NJ (when it was known as TV38)...Nowadays, it's a upn affiliate known as \"UPN 38\"...


--------


I liked the station a lot better when it was \"TV38\".  I loved the show they used to have called \"Ask the Manager\", where people could write in about anything and they'd read the questions on the air and answer them.  Found out a lot of neat stuff that way!  Very few stations have done shows like that.

WSBK used to be located on Spacenet 3, Channel 3.  But it was pulled from C-Band satellite several years ago, available now only on digital.

Looking back at some old TVGuides I have from the Boston area, Channel 38 actually aired many syndicated game shows during the mid-70s.
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: tvrandywest on July 27, 2003, 04:10:01 PM
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Jul 27 2003, 01:21 PM\'] I loved the show they used to have called "Ask the Manager", where people could write in about anything and they'd read the questions on the air and answer them. [/quote]
 Tough question I'd appreciate some help with.

One of the Boston area UHFs was owned for many years (and may still be) by John Garabedian. Does anyone know if this TV38 is that station? That \"ask the manager\" programming feature sounds like the kind of thing John would do. Anybody know?

FYI, John was a big time radio DJ in the glory days of AM (on WPTR Albany as Johnny Gardner, and lots of other stations). He was back on radio as host of the syndicated \"House Party\" Saturday night show sometime in the mid 90s.

In the 1970s I and a group of our friends laughed at Johnny buying a low power UHF in some Boston suburb. Boston was a major market saturated with VHF signals, and this seemed like a poor business move at the time. His was a low budget operation at the beginning, but John spent the decades getting a power increase and building the business.

I last saw John in 1999 in NY at the funeral of a mutual friend. He was doing very well; the private jet and all that stuff. We didn't get a chance to talk very much, and I'm wondering if this TV38 is his. Somehow I thought his UHF was a channel 68, but I could easily be wrong.


John Garabedian and TV38. Any clues?  

Thanks   ;-)


Randy
tvrandywest.com
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: zachhoran on July 27, 2003, 08:43:08 PM
[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Jul 23 2003, 05:25 AM\'] For those of you who get the west feed of TBS; or those who get it in syndiication; the first episode of "Mama's Family"; the Cardinal edition of "The $25,000/$100,000" Pyramid is prevanitely featured; as are several refrences to Dick Clark.... [/quote]
 There was an episode of Hogan Family(in the Sandy Duncan era) that also used the 80s Cardinal Pyramid home game in a scene.
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: Esoteric Eric on July 28, 2003, 12:30:27 AM
[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jul 27 2003, 01:10 PM\']
Tough question I'd appreciate some help with.

One of the Boston area UHFs was owned for many years (and may still be) by John Garabedian. Does anyone know if this TV38 is that station? That \"ask the manager\" programming feature sounds like the kind of thing John would do. Anybody know?

In the 1970s I and a group of our friends laughed at Johnny buying a low power UHF in some Boston suburb. Boston was a major market saturated with VHF signals, and this seemed like a poor business move at the time. His was a low budget operation at the beginning, but John spent the decades getting a power increase and building the business.

I last saw John in 1999 in NY at the funeral of a mutual friend. He was doing very well; the private jet and all that stuff. We didn't get a chance to talk very much, and I'm wondering if this TV38 is his. Somehow I thought his UHF was a channel 68, but I could easily be wrong.


John Garabedian and TV38. Any clues? 

Thanks   ;-)


Randy
tvrandywest.com[/quote]
I haven't lived in Boston since 1987, but I have some input on your query, TVRW...

John H. Garabedian was known as \"John H.\" in '60s Boston radio listings; I'm not sure about the station(s) he worked at then, having never actually listened to him until he showed up at WBCN in... the early-'80's? Mid-'80's?

Anyway, just about the time he was working @ 'BCN, he purchased interest in WVJV-TV, Channel 66, which debuted as a local music-video channel.  John also served as one of the VJ's.  The experiment didn't last long (which disappointed me, since the local cable of the day (Cablevision) put MTV on a higher tier than I was willing to pay for), and the channel's format switched to home shopping, possibly simulcasting HSN or QVC before Cablevision carried them.)

John was never involved w/ WSBK AFAIK; the dulcet-toned Mr. Dana Hersey (who later appeared in a syndie entertainment mag called \"Preview - The Best of the New\") was the host of \"Ask the Manager\" for most of the show's run.

Hope this helps!

Esoteric Eric, who will have Nu Shooz' \"(I'm at the)Point of No Return\" playing in my head for a couple of days now, since I first saw the stop-motion video for the song on (makes peace sign with right hand) \"V-66.\"
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: tvrandywest on July 28, 2003, 01:30:15 AM
[quote name=\'Esoteric Eric\' date=\'Jul 27 2003, 11:30 PM\'] ... he purchased interest in WVJV-TV, Channel 66, which debuted as a local music-video channel.  John also served as one of the VJ's.  The experiment didn't last long (which disappointed me, since the local cable of the day (Cablevision) put MTV on a higher tier than I was willing to pay for), and the channel's format switched to home shopping... [/quote]
 Thanks Eric...

That's the station... it was 66. Yes he debuted with music videos (they were cheap  ;-).  I thought John owned the station longer, but I might be confused with another station he owned.

John's a great guy. Thanks for the help with this left field question. This board is amazing!

Randy
tvrandywest.com
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: Ian Wallis on July 28, 2003, 09:39:43 AM
Just to add in a few more details on topics raised in this thread:

\"Open House Party\" was (and is) hosted by John Garabedian.  It started in Boston around 1988, and WMJQ in Buffalo was its second affiliate (unfortunatly, the Buffalo station dropped the show in 1992).  I used to love listening to it every weekend and have missed it ever since Buffalo dropped it.  The last time I heard it was on a Cleveland radio station when I was at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.  I recently saw an \"Open House Party\" web site (surprised that it was still on - there can't be too many stations that pick it up) and wanted to e-mail them, but their e-mail feature doesn't work (argghh).

\"Ask the Manager\" on TV38 was hosted in part by Dana Hersey, but also hosted by Daniel J Berkery from 1991 (the time I first saw it) to around 1996.  Daniel left to go to a station in Phoenix and a guy named Stu (don't remember his last name) took over.  I don't think the show's on anymore.

OK - to put something to do with game shows back in this thread:  there was a time during the late '60s when TV38 ran shows like \"Eye Guess\" for a while, because Boston's NBC affiliate ran something else during that time period.
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: ChuckNet on July 28, 2003, 11:59:11 AM
Quote
CBS/Viacom bought WSBK a few years back....if you go to the website of Boston's O&O CBS affiliate (WBZ-4), you'll see links to WSBK there as well :)

And I think, because of the deal, WSBK also airs a simulcast of WBZ's late news...a similar arrangement is used in nearby Providence, RI, where CBS affiliate WPRI (Ch. 12) has it late new simulcasted on Fox affiliate WNAC (Ch. 64).

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious \"Chuckie Baby\")
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: ChuckNet on July 28, 2003, 12:02:47 PM
Quote
Anyway, just about the time he was working @ 'BCN, he purchased interest in WVJV-TV, Channel 66, which debuted as a local music-video channel. John also served as one of the VJ's. The experiment didn't last long (which disappointed me, since the local cable of the day (Cablevision) put MTV on a higher tier than I was willing to pay for), and the channel's format switched to home shopping, possibly simulcasting HSN or QVC before Cablevision carried them.)

The \"music video channel\" experiment was also tried elsewhere...Newark's Ch. 68, previously best known for B&W reruns, WHT, and Uncle Floyd, became the all-video \"U-68\", although they mostly showed 3rd-rate videos that weren't exclusive to MTV, and later went to home shopping as well.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious \"Chuckie Baby\")
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: ChuckNet on July 28, 2003, 12:07:40 PM
Quote
John was never involved w/ WSBK AFAIK; the dulcet-toned Mr. Dana Hersey (who later appeared in a syndie entertainment mag called \"Preview - The Best of the New\") was the host of \"Ask the Manager\" for most of the show's run.

Locally, Hersey also did intros and wrap-arounds for TV38's nightly \"Movie Loft\", as well as hosting the entertainment series Hersey's Hollywood.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious \"Chuckie Baby\")
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: SRIV94 on July 28, 2003, 12:17:58 PM
[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Jul 28 2003, 11:02 AM\']
Quote
Anyway, just about the time he was working @ 'BCN, he purchased interest in WVJV-TV, Channel 66, which debuted as a local music-video channel. John also served as one of the VJ's. The experiment didn't last long (which disappointed me, since the local cable of the day (Cablevision) put MTV on a higher tier than I was willing to pay for), and the channel's format switched to home shopping, possibly simulcasting HSN or QVC before Cablevision carried them.)

The "music video channel" experiment was also tried elsewhere...Newark's Ch. 68, previously best known for B&W reruns, WHT, and Uncle Floyd, became the all-video "U-68", although they mostly showed 3rd-rate videos that weren't exclusive to MTV, and later went to home shopping as well.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby") [/quote]
 It was also tried in Chicago on Channel 66 (I believe the station was time-brokered for business news during the day and music videos at night and on weekends).  Eventually it evolved into a general TV outlet (chock full of syndie fare and reruns [it was Chicago's home to the Davidson PYRAMID and picked up the Finn TJW somewhere along the line], plus Illinois and Northwestern basketball) and now serves as the Univision outlet.

Doug
Title: Mama's Family-No Spoiler
Post by: uncamark on July 28, 2003, 03:11:04 PM
Quote
It was also tried in Chicago on Channel 66 (I believe the station was time-brokered for business news during the day and music videos at night and on weekends).  Eventually it evolved into a general TV outlet (chock full of syndie fare and reruns [it was Chicago's home to the Davidson PYRAMID and picked up the Finn TJW somewhere along the line], plus Illinois and Northwestern basketball) and now serves as the Univision outlet.


It also aired for very brief periods of time \"Strike It Rich,\" \"The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime\" and the final seasons of \"TJW\" and \"TTD.\"  I emphasize \"short time\" in that many of those shows got pulled off the air because the station's owner, Milt Grant, a rich man who bought a lot of TV stations in the mid-late 80s, overspent on programming and couldn't pay his bills (it should be pointed that some syndicators knew they had a live one with Grant and overcharged him on some shows).  The syndicators responded by pulling many of their shows off his stations, including what was then (and now) known as WGBO.  His stations eventually got sold off piecemeal, but WGBO remained the doormat of Chicago TV until the great Latino TV switcharound of 1993-4 where in a year or two's time WCIU went English-language independent from Univision, WSNS went Telemundo from Univision and WGBO went Univision from indie.  (The latter two stations were bought by their network, with the NBC-Telemundo merger WSNS now originates from the NBC Tower, with their news staff right next to WMAQ's.)

I would say that WCIU became and still is the ratings doormat of Chicago television, but it seems like since Fox bought WPWR, our UPN outlet, that the U is gaining on \"UPN Chicago\" (as they prefer to be known now, like \"Fox Chicago\" for WFLD, although some spots still say \"Chicago's Power Station\" without any reasoning for that slogan, like the call letters).  And the U is the home of \"Pyramid\" and \"Feud\" in Chicago.