The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: colonial on January 20, 2015, 08:04:41 AM
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"Buzzr TV" will feature game shows from the Fremantle library, and will be programmed/distributed in a similar vein as Antenna TV, MeTV and Retro -- digital subcarriers of larger stations (in this case, the Fox O&O's to start) ...
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/fox-stations-to-launch-game-show-digital-channel-from-fremantlemedia-1201409379/
JD
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The prophecy has been fulfilled. (http://www.gameshowforum.org/index.php/topic,26675.msg332341.html#msg332341)
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It could mean something or could mean nothing, but there's no mention of airing any version of TPIR
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/82339/fox-oos-push-the-button-on-buzzr-tv (http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/82339/fox-oos-push-the-button-on-buzzr-tv)
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The prophecy has been fulfilled. (http://www.gameshowforum.org/index.php/topic,26675.msg332341.html#msg332341)
all hail the ottinger
master of past, present, and future
ohhhhhhhhmmmmmm
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So where does the line open up at for the amount of time until the channel is renamed HarveyFF?
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It could mean something or could mean nothing, but there's no mention of airing any version of TPIR
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/82339/fox-oos-push-the-button-on-buzzr-tv (http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/82339/fox-oos-push-the-button-on-buzzr-tv)
There was mention: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-tv-stations-air-classic-764821?utm_source=twitter
On Tuesday, FremantleMedia announced Fox’s 17 owned and operated TV stations are the first customer for an endless stream of titles including The Price Is Right, Card Sharks, To Tell The Truth, Beat The Clock, Password and versions of Family Feud hosted by Richard Dawson, Ray Combs, Louis Anderson, Richard Karn and John O’Hurley. The Steve Harvey version will eventually be added as well.
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So does this mean GSN would cease carrying these shows (what few they do anyway), or could they coexist with Buzzr?
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This is potentially the best (certainly the biggest) classic game show news I've heard in a long time.
So does this mean GSN would cease carrying these shows (what few they do anyway), or could they coexist with Buzzr?
We have no way of knowing that, and ultimately that would be up to Fremantle. But if you want clues, the quote below about Harvey Feud "eventually" being added might suggest that they're waiting for contracts to run out.
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The prophecy has been fulfilled. (http://www.gameshowforum.org/index.php/topic,26675.msg332341.html#msg332341)
all hail the ottinger
master of past, present, and future
ohhhhhhhhmmmmmm
Happy to see you people are finally coming to your senses.
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Have they announced specifically which O&O's will be carrying the channel at launch? I want to know whether I'm going to have any free time this summer.
(Matt: The last time we met and I shook your hand, did you have any visions of my future?)
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(Matt: The last time we met and I shook your hand, did you have any visions of my future?)
(https://s1.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/EKJOEI.E9ppit9GxByvF.w--/dz05NTY7Zmk9ZmlsbDtweW9mZj0wO2g9NTM4O2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/video/video.snl.com/SNL_0761_04_Ed_Glosser_EST.png)
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Have they announced specifically which O&O's will be carrying the channel at launch? I want to know whether I'm going to have any free time this summer.
From what I've read, all of them (which is seventeen).
Unfortunately, Baltimore doesn't have an O&O. The closest is WTTG in DC and I don't think I can pick that up all the way up here anymore. So I'm curious as to what other stations besides O&Os are getting this or is starting off as an exclusive?
So does this mean GSN would cease carrying these shows (what few they do anyway), or could they coexist with Buzzr?
We have no way of knowing that, and ultimately that would be up to Fremantle. But if you want clues, the quote below about Harvey Feud "eventually" being added might suggest that they're waiting for contracts to run out.
I know Fremantle was/is trying to make the most money they can off their product and that this deal wasn't final until now, but I'm surprised they whored Harvey Feud out to all these other sources if they knew this was in the works. I mean it was already past the point of saturation on GSN, but they went to at least three other channels with deals. Now, they have to wait to use it on their own channel.
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Have they announced specifically which O&O's will be carrying the channel at launch? I want to know whether I'm going to have any free time this summer.
From what I've read, all of them (which is seventeen).
Unfortunately, Baltimore doesn't have an O&O. The closest is WTTG in DC and I don't think I can pick that up all the way up here anymore. So I'm curious as to what other stations besides O&Os are getting this or is starting off as an exclusive?
From what I've read, the channel is being shopped around at the NATPE convention as we speak. So I'm sure some other areas will pick this up.
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Dear BUZZR TV: Please, please, PLEASE pony up the costs for having the 2-inch-quad tapes of 1975's Spin-Off with Jim Lange digitized, then put them on your network!
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Not entirely surprised, but also very happy for this. These subchannels are definitely the best side effect of the move to digital. At least for now. In 10 years, they may just end up like today's oversaturated cable nets.
GSN wouldn't have a lot of classics left to air if they lose GT, but it seems like a block of PYL, $ale, Pyramid, and a couple of others would probably remain at least for now. Could always plug in some classic Newlywed game 7 times per day.
Also, is this being programmed as a 24/7 operation?
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Dear BUZZR TV: Please, please, PLEASE pony up the costs for having the 2-inch-quad tapes of 1975's Spin-Off with Jim Lange digitized, then put them on your network!
With a library of over 40,000 episodes that Fremantle has to pay very little in the way of fees, why would they pick some obscure 13-week show and pay the transfer costs for a crappy format that very few people remember?
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By the way, is there any reason to believe at this point Fremantle won't use the non-G/T shows they own? LMAD has been mentioned in the press releases. They also own the Carruthers library (which does anything exist in its entirety besides PYL?) and the Grundy library.
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I hope some of the non Fox O&O's end up picking this... specifically Pittsburgh's Sinclair-owned WPGH
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why would Fremantle pick some obscure 13-week show and pay the transfer costs for a crappy format that very few people remember?
Because he wants it and it isn't his money being spent.
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Dear BUZZR TV: Please, please, PLEASE pony up the costs for having the 2-inch-quad tapes of 1975's Spin-Off with Jim Lange digitized, then put them on your network!
Thanks for your call! We'll try to get that one on the air for you real soon.
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It's not April Fools Day, so this must be legit. I'm guessing this also means should they decide to run old shows of Barker's TPIR on Monty's LMAD, there's nothing CBS head Les Moonves can do about it.
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I'm looking forward to this...at least eventually. I don't think our FOX station has a subchannel, but it would be a very welcome addition in due time.
Dear BUZZR TV: Please, please, PLEASE pony up the costs for having the 2-inch-quad tapes of 1975's Spin-Off with Jim Lange digitized, then put them on your network!
It's time to let this one go. I doubt anyone outside this forum knows what it is, and the OP said Fremantle shows, which I don't believe this was.
Fond childhood memory does not mean it has rerun value, esp. if literally only 0.001% of the U.S. population knows what Spin-Off was.
/I think that's right
//Majored in journalism for this reason
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Wolfram Alpha sez that's about 3,200 people, which is close enough. Impressive, Snake.
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...Wow. This is in fact news I can use.
Hopefully Debmar-Mercury can get this out to more of the country, as I'd happily pony up for a basic cable package (I don't really have a solid over-the-air antenna) for this. :)
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Wolfram Alpha sez that's about 3,200 people, which is close enough. Impressive, Snake.
Excellent, thanks. That settles that. :-)
Back to the new channel, an OTA channel is great, although I figured a streaming channel would happen first, on Roku or Apple TV, et al. The OTA is much better though since it's free. ;-P
Also kinda thought one of the older OTA channels would air reruns of a game show first, something more recent (say, the last 5-10 years).
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^Technically, that's already happened on Bounce.
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Ooh, forgot about Bounce.
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...Wow. This is in fact news I can use.
Hopefully Debmar-Mercury can get this out to more of the country, as I'd happily pony up for a basic cable package (I don't really have a solid over-the-air antenna) for this. :)
My gut reaction to this that you should pony up for a solid over-the-air antenna. Something seriously like an omni-directional in the $60 - $100 range. Then again, I live two miles from downtown. YMMV.
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Here's the Fox O&O markets:
Atlanta
Austin
Charlotte
Chicago
Dallas
Detroit
Houston
LA
Minneapolis
NYC
Orlando/Gainsville
Philadelphia
Phoenix
San Francisco
Tampa
Washington DC
So it's a good start (When we get closer to a start date, I might think about getting an antenna- I'm in the DC market). Maybe after NATPE we'll see some other markets come in.
I do wonder what this will do to GSN in the long run- admittedly they don't have a lot of Fremantle material on now, but they probably have enough sources to work with even if they lost access to the library.
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Pretty excited to hear this news. Get the best of both worlds, as I do like some of GSN's current content, and we get more of the classics elsewhere. I do fear it means some shows will get lost in the shuffle for a long time, if not forever, where they'll join the B&E library and most of Stewart in the dustbins. Who knows. None of us completely, that's for sure.
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For me, this is honestly a good excuse to get a DVD recorder or TiVo and just hook my antenna up to it, though I am a bit worried that this may create a 2nd Dark Period of sorts for GSN.
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For me, this is honestly a good excuse to get a DVD recorder or TiVo and just hook my antenna up to it, though I am a bit worried that this may create a 2nd Dark Period of sorts for GSN.
I honestly don't understand why people complain about this. Many people in these circles seem to want a variety of classics...the so-called dark period was it.
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For me, this is honestly a good excuse to get a DVD recorder or TiVo and just hook my antenna up to it, though I am a bit worried that this may create a 2nd Dark Period of sorts for GSN.
I honestly don't understand why people complain about this. Many people in these circles seem to want a variety of classics...the so-called dark period was it.
Even though I do like what GSN has done in the last year or two, I gotta say the dark period really doesn't seem that dark anymore.
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Honestly, 1997-98 was my first time seeing GSN. So, maybe I'm a little partial, but I never really found the era to be that "dark" even back then. I enjoyed the obscure stuff just as much as I did the Goodson-Todman shows once they returned in spring '98.
I was just happy to see episodes of shows I'd only read about/seen pictures of in the EOTVGS and various other game show books.
/Or the various screengrabs from the fan pages of that era
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GSN will be just fine, though they'll have to be more creative when they lose Harvey Feud. They still have access to enough content to fill the rest of their day. The Chase will have enough episodes to run as a daily in reruns if they want. And they could bring back some of the better originals from the past decade or more if they wished. I don't see them going after very many other classics, except perhaps bringing back J! and Wheel.
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We shouldn't assume GSN is going to lose any of the Fremantle shows. Shouldn't Fremantle be happy to be making money no matter where it's coming from?
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We shouldn't assume GSN is going to lose any of the Fremantle shows. Shouldn't Fremantle be happy to be making money no matter where it's coming from?
This is a good point, based upon the number of networks currently running Steve Harvey
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For me, this is honestly a good excuse to get a DVD recorder or TiVo and just hook my antenna up to it, though I am a bit worried that this may create a 2nd Dark Period of sorts for GSN.
I honestly don't understand why people complain about this. Many people in these circles seem to want a variety of classics...the so-called dark period was it.
As one of the founding fathers of that term, I agree that calling 1997-early '98 the "dark period" is harsh in retrospect. For classics fans, you get to see shows you probably would not see AT ALL otherwise (and in many cases, that much has held true). On the other hand, as the moment when you knew things wouldn't quite be the same as before, the (Not So) Dark Period was it. For that was when the repeating program blocks began (3-4 hours of a number of shows, then repeat...), the oversaturation of the network's "babies" (Newlywed Game:1997::Harvey Feud:Now), and the "holding back" of certain shows and versions of shows, whereas pre-Oct '97 seemed to always have something for everybody each day. It took 2 years (by the time of the beginning of Cronin's run), I believe, to get Super Password, Eubanks CS, and Combs FF run regularly again and not disappear after a couple weeks.
I guess other than that, the DP is now a Not-so-DP because the loss of things we had in that time caused us to appreciate them more.
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It could mean something or could mean nothing, but there's no mention of airing any version of TPIR
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/82339/fox-oos-push-the-button-on-buzzr-tv (http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/82339/fox-oos-push-the-button-on-buzzr-tv)
There was mention: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-tv-stations-air-classic-764821?utm_source=twitter
On Tuesday, FremantleMedia announced Fox’s 17 owned and operated TV stations are the first customer for an endless stream of titles including The Price Is Right, Card Sharks, To Tell The Truth, Beat The Clock, Password and versions of Family Feud hosted by Richard Dawson, Ray Combs, Louis Anderson, Richard Karn and John O’Hurley. The Steve Harvey version will eventually be added as well.
Which, for those of you hoping for a cease of Harveymania on GSN, might be disappointing, as it implies that maybe it and the other channels it's running on have separate rights to it? Then again, this might be similar to what Feud '94 ran into when GSN started.
No TPIR so-called embargo = chances that this new network can jump the NBC hurdle in front of Concentration?
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As one of the founding fathers of that term, I agree that calling 1997-early '98 the "dark period" is harsh in retrospect...
Now that's something to put on your resume.
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I first got GSN in September 1997, so I saw the last several weeks before the initial G-T lease expired. I missed those shows a lot, but I do have a lot of good memories from the months that followed: staying up late on Saturday nights to catch Hot Potato, Chain Reaction and Pass the Buck, watching $20K Pyramid early weekday mornings and Break the Bank on Sunday evenings, and the eventual addition of Cullen and Kennedy TPIR on Sunday afternoons.
The schedule itself wasn't "dark" so much; the bigger concern was when/whether GSN could get the G-T library back. Around March 1998, when the little promos started airing with teases like "What's in the cards at Game Show Network?...", I was certainly happy, but the 1997-98 schedule was a good game show education in itself.
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I was mostly referring to "dark period" in the sense of "the classics most casual viewers would be familiar with going off the schedule", which isn't as much of an issue these days due to the abundance of GSN originals on the schedule. In fact, on the off-chance that Fremantle decides to leave GSN hanging in terms of classics, maybe GSN will start negotiating with Sony and get some of their properties back in reruns.
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Maybe, despite the cross-ownership, Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour could finally be shown for the first time in over 30 years on that new diginet!
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Would they possibly air anything from the ABC game shows of the 70's and 80's?
And also would this channel be available in Phoenix AZ?
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Probably not, and if they did they would skip over the episode of $20,000 Pyramid with Jamie Lee Curtis.
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I am really sorry for that HONEST i need to contribute before i can ask i apologize.
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Would they possibly air anything from the ABC game shows of the 70's and 80's?
And also would this channel be available in Phoenix AZ?
1. The ones Fremantle owns, perhaps. "Feud" is pretty likely for that reason
2. Yes. If you go earlier in the thread, you'll see a list of Fox O&Os. Phoenix is on the list.
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Do you know exactly when the channel will launch?
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Do you know exactly when the channel will launch?
This summer. An exact date has not been given yet.
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Is there a list anywhere of all the titles that Fremantle owns? I know there are some we wouldn't necessarily think of right away (i.e.-Truth or Consequences).
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Is there a list anywhere of all the titles that Fremantle owns? I know there are some we wouldn't necessarily think of right away (i.e.-Truth or Consequences).
For starters, the G-T shows (natch), the Grundy and Carruthers libraries, plus LMAD. I didn't know about T or C.
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As far as I know, Truth or Consequences is still owned by Ralph Edwards Productions.
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Is there a list anywhere of all the titles that Fremantle owns? I know there are some we wouldn't necessarily think of right away (i.e.-Truth or Consequences).
For starters, the G-T shows (natch), the Grundy and Carruthers libraries, plus LMAD. I didn't know about T or C.
Does Fremantle own LMAD? I was under the impression that Monty Hall licensed out the franchise to them.
Tyshaun
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As far as I know, Truth or Consequences is still owned by Ralph Edwards Productions.
According to a friend at a major LA agency, Truth or Consequences is a Fremantle property.
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Does Fremantle own LMAD? I was under the impression that Monty Hall licensed out the franchise to them.
Tyshaun
According to Wiki, Hatos and Hall are credited as a co-production company with FremantleMedia on the current version of LMAD. Hall is also listed as a "creative consultant."
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As far as I know, Truth or Consequences is still owned by Ralph Edwards Productions.
According to a friend at a major LA agency, Truth or Consequences is a Fremantle property.
Let the Bob Barker Fan Club rejoice.
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Do you know exactly when the channel will launch?
This summer. An exact date has not been given yet.
However, August 3 has been pinpointed as the date of the first fan complaint about "Concentration" not being on the schedule.
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Is there a list anywhere of all the titles that Fremantle owns? I know there are some we wouldn't necessarily think of right away (i.e.-Truth or Consequences).
For starters, the G-T shows (natch), the Grundy and Carruthers libraries, plus LMAD. I didn't know about T or C.
Does Fremantle own LMAD? I was under the impression that Monty Hall licensed out the franchise to them.
Tyshaun
Fremantle owns LMAD and only LMAD. Hatos-Hall owns the rest of their library.
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Fremantle owns LMAD and only LMAD.
Oh, I'm pretty sure Fremantle owns more than Let's Make a Deal.
Hatos-Hall owns the rest of their library.
Oh wait, never mind. I guess the rest of Fremantle's holdings were acquired by Hatos-Hall.
I'll read more carefully in the future before asking silly questions.
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Fremantle owns LMAD and only LMAD.
Oh, I'm pretty sure Fremantle owns more than Let's Make a Deal.
Hatos-Hall owns the rest of their library.
Oh wait, never mind. I guess the rest of Fremantle's holdings were acquired by Hatos-Hall.
I'll read more carefully in the future before asking silly questions.
I think most of us knew what Jaimal meant...
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I think most of us knew what Jaimal meant...
If it means Dale asks fewer silly questions is that so bad?
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I think most of us knew what Jaimal meant...
If it means Dale asks fewer silly questions is that so bad?
I think the approach was a misfire is all. I would rather not see sarcasm wasted on something that didn't need it.
My opinion, YMMV.
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I think the approach was a misfire is all.
It was a misfire. I meant to poke fun but it came out too clunky. I'll blame the late hour.
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I think the approach was a misfire is all.
It was a misfire. I meant to poke fun but it came out too clunky. I'll blame the late hour.
But was it necessary in the first place? A question was asked and I had the info to answer. I don't think I did anything to warrant that unless I missed something.
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But was it necessary in the first place? I don't think I did anything to warrant that unless I missed something.
Poking fun is never necessary.
I don't think I did anything to warrant that unless I missed something.
I have no problem with you or what you said, just that the first sentence was technically wrong and the second was written with an ambiguous pronoun that sounded funny when taken in tandem with the first sentence.
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I'll give you that.
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I could be mistaken, but I was under the impression that FremantleMedia owns, among the Carruthers properties, only Press Your Luck and that the rest are held by co-producer Warner Bros. TV (not that the other Carruthers titles are, as obscure as they are, likely to be exploited now or in the future).
As for the subchannel itself: even if a Huntsville station picks it up, it's highly-unlikely-to-impossible that I'll ever get to see it, due to the house location's RF reception problems (in a valley, with a tree-covered hill between us and the towers on Monte Sano; CW affil WHDF has its tower in a different, less-obscured location), the lack of a working antenna, the lack of cable on our street, and Dish (likely for capacity reasons) not carrying subchannels at all. Oh well...
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Wow, way to think real positive. ::)
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I know it probably won't happen, but I love it if Fremantle were to add a new version of Password (using the current Jimmy Fallon motif) to their diginet lineup, but use the original rules, be a little more serious on the game play and have slightly more modest cash payouts. NBC and Fremantle could cross-promote their late night show and Buzzr properties respectively (although with Fox O&Os as part of the initial startup stations carrying the subchannel, that may not fly to well).
I'm sure NBC has a few favors they owe to Fremantle in exchange for the use of their Password property on Fallon's shows over the years.
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You can take the word "probably" out of that sentence and still be correct.
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Here's a new article on the project: http://www.tvinsider.com/article/212/retro-game-shows-find-a-new-network-home
Some relevant passages:
The only costs to FremantleMedia are residual paychecks for the game shows’ hosts and the fees to convert the episodes to digital. “Since we own all the product, the cost of programming is next to nothing,” says Thom Beers, CEO of FremantleMedia North America. “It’s a beautiful model. We only have one competitor [GSN]. That’s not a bad place to be.”
GSN licenses roughly 1,500 episodes from FremantleMedia, which leaves the rest for Buzzr. “Why not monetize it all?” Beers says. At launch, shows will include Family Feud with former hosts Richard Dawson, Ray Combs, Louie Anderson, Richard Karn and John O’Hurley; Let’s Make a Deal with Monty Hall, and episodes of To Tell the Truth, Password, Match Game, Beat the Clock, What’s My Line and Card Sharks. FremantleMedia may also program reality shows with a competition element. But don’t expect to see old episodes of American Idol on the channel; clearing the music on that show would be too expensive.
In order to introduce a younger generation to some of these titles, FremantleMedia will also produce online versions of games such as Password, featuring YouTube talent. Those episodes might later become an on-air Buzzr programming block. “We walk in with a very clear programming strategy,” Beers says of Buzzr’s 100% game lineup.
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I love and hate this part...
In order to introduce a younger generation to some of these titles, FremantleMedia will also produce online versions of games such as Password, featuring YouTube talent. Those episodes might later become an on-air Buzzr programming block. “We walk in with a very clear programming strategy,” Beers says of Buzzr’s 100% game lineup.
Love the idea of introducing younger viewers to older shows. Hate the way they're going about doing so (see Youtube episodes for reference). That said, I'd love to see a daytime block of original shows, or even an hour-long show that has contestants playing a variety of classic shows (similar to Game Show Marathon or Sabado Gigante), but minus the 70s kitsch. Air it from, say, from 10-11 or 12...would be a nice alternative, esp. if Fremantle revives anything else for syndication but some markets don't clear the show (e.g. Celebrity Name Game).
/Longshot, but would love for the obscure Canadian LMAD to make it into the mix
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If they're smart, they offer a Roku channel (or other online feed) for people who aren't in the Fox O&O markets.
/pleasebesmartpleasebesmartpleasebesmartpleasebesmart
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I love and hate this part...
In order to introduce a younger generation to some of these titles, FremantleMedia will also produce online versions of games such as Password, featuring YouTube talent. Those episodes might later become an on-air Buzzr programming block. “We walk in with a very clear programming strategy,” Beers says of Buzzr’s 100% game lineup.
Love the idea of introducing younger viewers to older shows. Hate the way they're going about doing so (see Youtube episodes for reference). That said, I'd love to see a daytime block of original shows, or even an hour-long show that has contestants playing a variety of classic shows (similar to Game Show Marathon or Sabado Gigante), but minus the 70s kitsch. Air it from, say, from 10-11 or 12...would be a nice alternative, esp. if Fremantle revives anything else for syndication but some markets don't clear the show (e.g. Celebrity Name Game).
/Longshot, but would love for the obscure Canadian LMAD to make it into the mix
Excluding one of the biggest titles in their library (Price) makes me think they aren't going to bother at all or are trying to figure out which episodes they can and cannot air.
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I wouldn't be surprised if they at least start off with the Carey episodes, since they now have seven years and change to work with. I'm sure they could still find enough Barker episodes without furs, should they decide to do so.
Hard to believe it's been 15 years...
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Got an email from a Fremantle rep about Price airing..
The Price is Right won’t be one of the titles featured when the channel launches, but it may be programmed at a future date.
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I think the most interesting thing from that passage is the mention of Louie Anderson Feud. I don't think that's ever been reran anywhere, certainly not on GSN. Right? I'd love to see broadcast quality episodes again.
I wonder how far back they're going to go. With the format and set of Buzzr Password, and the inclusion of What's My Line?, which I don't believe has any series past 1975 (correct me if I'm wrong), they're probably going back to the 50s/60s. If so, I wonder what, at all, are they going to do about shows with cigarette sponsorship. Air them intact, edit them in someway, or not air them at all. It's been a while since I've seen Winston-era IGAS, which, in my opinion, features some of the best episodes of the series.
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Louie's Feud was on PAX for a while (airing 1 year behind the then-current season... including the first season of the Karn years) and once again on Thanksgiving 2013 on GSN.
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Louie's Feud was on PAX for a while (airing 1 year behind the then-current season... including the first season of the Karn years) and once again on Thanksgiving 2013 on GSN.
Be good to your families!
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Be good to your families!
...and come back and see our families on the Family Feud. **tosses Fast Money mini clipboard to the ground**
// Yes...send me to the TTD'90 "YOU WIN!" punishment room.
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Here's a new article on the project: http://www.tvinsider.com/article/212/retro-game-shows-find-a-new-network-home
Some relevant passages:
The only costs to FremantleMedia are residual paychecks for the game shows’ hosts and the fees to convert the episodes to digital. “Since we own all the product, the cost of programming is next to nothing,” says Thom Beers, CEO of FremantleMedia North America. “It’s a beautiful model. We only have one competitor [GSN]. That’s not a bad place to be.”
I find the above statement interesting. A fortune was spent (by someone) converting the media to DigiBeta for air on GSN beginning in 1992. Does this imply that Freemantle does not own that physical media and is having to do their own conversion? Does this imply that DigiBeta is not really digital? I'm out of the loop on the current relationship between Sony/Freemantle/GSN/who owns what/licenses what/etc. It used to be pretty simple.
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What they are referring to is this: DigiBeta is on a physical tape (albeit digital). The conversion process this time is to get it from tape to a server of some kind. There isn't any restorative work going on here, just transferring from one to the other. There is still cost involved, obviously.
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**tosses Fast Money mini clipboard to the ground**
Predecessor to the mic drop, perhaps?
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What they are referring to is this: DigiBeta is on a physical tape (albeit digital). The conversion process this time is to get it from tape to a server of some kind. There isn't any restorative work going on here, just transferring from one of the other. There is still cost involved, obviously.
Mucho gracias, kind sir :)
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My only problem with this is, it's not going to be a dedicated cable channel, but a subchannel attached to existing Fox stations. While San Francisco is (presumably) one of the cities included, I have AT&T U-Verse, which makes it a point not to include subchannels except when they are broadcasting one of the four major networks (they won't even include CW stations that are subchannels), and I live too far away, with nearby hills blocking any direct LOS to Sutro Tower, to get reception from an OTA antenna, especially as I live in a townhouse and can't install anything on the roof.
I am under the impression that DirecTV also has this "problem" involving lack of subchannels. Looks like something to add to the list of "reasons to consider crawling back to Xfinity"...
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Louie isa go but I wonder about 'Feud '94'. That would a big reason I would want the channel (and also to see WML? on more than two weeks out of the year).
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My only problem with this is, it's not going to be a dedicated cable channel, but a subchannel attached to existing Fox stations.
Everybody seems to be hung up on the "FOX stations" thing. The small handful of owned FOX stations (a little more than a dozen, I think) are the only ones who are guaranteed to be offering Buzzr, but Fremantle will try to make it available throughout the country. This is precisely the sort of thing people could be lobbying your local stations to pick up -- if, of course, you can receive their subchannels.
I am under the impression that DirecTV also has this "problem" involving lack of subchannels.
It does. Locally, Comcast customers DO get the subchannels, so I'm told, but I've heard of cable systems where they're not offered. So it's a bit of a crapshoot at the local cable level. I'm fortunate that I invested in a decent antenna in addition to my satellite package, so subchannels aren't a problem. Still way too early to know whether I'll get Buzzr or not.
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This is precisely the sort of thing people could be lobbying your local stations to pick up -- if, of course, you can receive their subchannels.
I feel like it's worth pointing out there's ~50 affiliates that will need content when they get around to closing down LiveWell.
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This is precisely the sort of thing people could be lobbying your local stations to pick up -- if, of course, you can receive their subchannels.
I feel like it's worth pointing out there's ~50 affiliates that will need content when they get around to closing down LiveWell.
If they haven't already done so. Our local LWN affiliate already switched over to the "Justice Network". Seems to be a Gannett trend for its former LWN stations.
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Locally, Comcast customers DO get the subchannels, so I'm told, but I've heard of cable systems where they're not offered. So it's a bit of a crapshoot at the local cable level. I'm fortunate that I invested in a decent antenna in addition to my satellite package, so subchannels aren't a problem. Still way too early to know whether I'll get Buzzr or not.
Verizon offers subchannels in Pittsburgh. They're all in the upper 400's, but they aren't all represented, and certainly not the FOX ones. It almost makes me wonder if it'd be worth it to find an antenna.
/Do modern TV's even take coaxial?
//Recently remembered that retroTV had classic Doctor Who
/// <3 Pertwee
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This is precisely the sort of thing people could be lobbying your local stations to pick up -- if, of course, you can receive their subchannels.
I feel like it's worth pointing out there's ~50 affiliates that will need content when they get around to closing down LiveWell.
A big chunk of them have already made plans. The ABC O&Os are going with Laff TV (and keeping LiveWell around indefinitely with a loop of repeats.) And some of the other station groups have made announcements too.
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Locally, Comcast customers DO get the subchannels, so I'm told, but I've heard of cable systems where they're not offered. So it's a bit of a crapshoot at the local cable level. I'm fortunate that I invested in a decent antenna in addition to my satellite package, so subchannels aren't a problem. Still way too early to know whether I'll get Buzzr or not.
Verizon offers subchannels in Pittsburgh. They're all in the upper 400's, but they aren't all represented, and certainly not the FOX ones.
They are in New York, to the best of my knowledge. Our Fox affiliate's only digital subchannel is the Movies! channel and that's there (the other two are SD feeds of the duopoly stations, and Verizon already offers those as is, so I don't quite see the point). We also have Cozi TV from our NBC, two LiveWell feeds from our ABC (for now), Antenna and This from our CW, and Bounce from our MNTV (which also has MundoFox, but I believe we have that as an over the air affiliate anyway so there's no need).
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Locally, Comcast customers DO get the subchannels, so I'm told
They do - at least, I did when I had Comcast up until about three years ago (including things like the ABC station's 24/7 weather channel).
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This is most likely a pipe dream, but WZME in the NYC market is an OTA channel, not a subchannel, that carries MeTV programming. IIRC, aren't they losing the MeTV affiliation to that new channel 3? I wonder if they would pick up BuzzR to replace MeTV when they lose it..
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This is most likely a pipe dream, but WZME in the NYC market is an OTA channel, not a subchannel, that carries MeTV programming. IIRC, aren't they losing the MeTV affiliation to that new channel 3? I wonder if they would pick up BuzzR to replace MeTV when they lose it..
Presumably, WNYW's contract to broadcast Buzzr (as one of the Fox O&O's) would not allow that.
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This is most likely a pipe dream, but WZME in the NYC market is an OTA channel, not a subchannel, that carries MeTV programming. IIRC, aren't they losing the MeTV affiliation to that new channel 3? I wonder if they would pick up BuzzR to replace MeTV when they lose it..
They're not going to lose the affiliation, from what I gathered. WZME only served New York's need for a Me affiliate (and before that a RetroTV affiliate) because they didn't have one. WZME is based in Connecticut and no station in its market area (southern CT) has Me as even a digital subchannel, so they're going to become MeTV Connecticut at some point. WJLP brands itself as MeTV New Jersey/New York, FTR.
Sidenote: WZME and WJLP do not carry the same schedule. For instance, WJLP carries part of the network's early morning lineup (6-9am). WZME doesn't carry any of it.
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Good points, Chris and Jim. At this point I'm hoping one of the stations in my home market (Harrisburg) will get it, then. WGAL *just* replaced ThisTV with MeTV around the new year. WLYH had LiveWell on their subchannel and replaced it with GRIT, so that's out. WHP has MyTV on one subchannel, WHTM has RetroTV on one and Weather on the other, and WPMT has news on one and AntennaTV on the other. The only other commercial station is WGCB, which doesn't get much carriage, subchannel or otherwise.
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It could be worse. Albany's Fox station recently replaced its subchannel, a country music channel, with Off-Track Betting.
Of course, I live at the edge of the broadcast area, so it's often hit or miss whether I get anything but the NBC channel over the air.
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It could be worse. Albany's Fox station recently replaced its subchannel, a country music channel, with Off-Track Betting.
For various definitions of worse, sure.
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It could be worse. Albany's Fox station recently replaced its subchannel, a country music channel, with Off-Track Betting.
For various definitions of worse, sure.
Horse Racing in that area in Serious Business because Saratoga. And the options for subs in that market are wide open.
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Saratoga is seven weeks (I think) a year.
Although I do remember my uncle taking me to an OTB once when I was a kid (this would have been the late 1970s) and finding it a creepy place.
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According to this article in Variety, Buzzr TV's expected launch date is May 31st.
http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/fremantlemedia-hits-on-buzzr-youtube-channel-with-classic-game-show-reboots-1201429965/
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One of the screengrabs in that article showed a guy without a beard. I'm crying foul.
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All told, on YouTube in 2014, FremantleMedia content was viewed about 9 billion times. About half of that was of content uploaded by users, without the company’s permission; FremantleMedia used YouTube’s Content ID system to generate ad revenue from that.
Quoted for discussion.
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Using the PSY Metric (approx 1/3 of a cent per view), FremantleMedia earned in the neighborhood of $30 million.
For doing nothing. (aside from keeping their lawyers at bay)
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For doing nothing.
Producing the content (unless you aren't counting that because Goodson/Todman, but hey, they got bought up) isn't "nothing."
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I think Jay is referring to the fact that Fremantle still pulls 30M just off of the illegally uploaded content. Yes, it's their material, but in a way, they still inadvertently make bank without even having to distribute anything.
Almost icing on the cake for them, with this network coming up.
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I think Jay is referring to the fact that Fremantle still pulls 30M just off of the illegally uploaded content.
He may be, and I'm pointing out that the reason they are the ones getting paid is because they (in whatever incarnation of "they" did it at the time) are the ones who made it in the first place.
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The YouTube channel will include a new version of “Celebrity Name Game”
Well thank goodness -- I was wondering when they'd get around to updating that show, it had been on the air for so long...
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The YouTube channel will include a new version of “Celebrity Name Game”
Well thank goodness -- I was wondering when they'd get around to updating that show, it had been on the air for so long...
I saw that too, and I wonder if there's a mistake somehow. Name Game isn't even a Fremantle property, is it?
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but we have all of those G/T YouTube super fans that put "no copyright infringement intended" on their vids to thank for Buzzr?
As for "Celebrity Name Game" being a Fremantle property, this headline should answer your query: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/01/08/celebrity-name-game-renewed-for-season-2-by-fremantle-debmar-mercury/347801/
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As for "Celebrity Name Game" being a Fremantle property, this headline should answer your query: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/01/08/celebrity-name-game-renewed-for-season-2-by-fremantle-debmar-mercury/347801/
OK, that gets us back to Scott's amused point. What purpose is served by a second, internet-only version featuring YouTube "celebrities" anybody over forty has never heard of?
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My question is this: if they're making millions of dollars on old product because a few thousand of us are watching thirty-year-old game show episodes, why are they making new ones that are just annoying?
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My question is this: if they're making millions of dollars on old product because a few thousand of us are watching thirty-year-old game show episodes, why are they making new ones that are just annoying?
In fairness to Fremantle, episode one of Buzzr Password has about 90,000 views in about a month, many of them presumably that young, hip crowd they're trying to find. The most hits I could find for a classic Password was a Betty White/Jack Paar segment that had about 68,000 and had been up for six years.
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My question is this: if they're making millions of dollars on old product because a few thousand of us are watching thirty-year-old game show episodes, why are they making new ones that are just annoying?
I'd just chalk it up to a generational divide (I'm not too far from 40 myself). Based on that, I would think that the classic G-T (or Grundy or Hatos-Hall or what-have-you) style of production may be as foreign/strange/off-putting to most under-30s as today's production style of game shows (both TV and online) is to most of us.
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A list (which hopefully in time will grow) of the stations carrying Buzzr:
http://rabbitears.info/search.php?request=network_search&network=Buzzr+TV
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A list (which hopefully in time will grow) of the stations carrying Buzzr:
http://rabbitears.info/search.php?request=network_search&network=Buzzr+TV
No Boston and Memphis on there; they sold WFXT and WHBQ to Cox -- making them sister stations to WSB here in Atlanta -- in exchange for KTVU.