PAX to Abandon All Entertainment Programming

[goongas]

They will fill the schedule with infomercials.

Pax Article

[RobertSearcy]

[start extremely bad sarcasm]AAHHHHHHHHHH!  I'M GONNA MISS SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP, BALDERDASH, AND ON THE COVER!  AHHHHHHHH![/end extremely bad sarcasm]

Figured it'd happen sooner or later.  Pax is sloooooooowwwwwwly sinkin' to the bottom.

[hears loud crash in background]

I take that back, it's crashed already. :-P

For those who are having that sarcasm moment mentioned above in a more serious fashion instead of foolin' around, warm up the VCRs is all I can tell ya. :-P

[Casey Buck]

So we've now got an all-infomercial channel? Why even bother having a network in the first place?

[thgames65]

[quote name=\'goongas\' date=\'Apr 21 2005, 05:49 PM\']They will fill the schedule with infomercials.

Pax Article

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Guess I'll stop prepping for the "On The Cover" Ultimate Tournament of Champions.    

Tim H.

[sshuffield70]

Gee, that's nothing new.  Pre-PAX, Channel 68 (that's the local channel here) was.........all infomercials all the time.

[rugrats1]

Many Pax-owned stations that signed on prior to Pax's launch in 1998 carried infomercials by day (as part of Paxson's "InTV" network), and Worship in late-nights.

Pax was a great network -- until they replaced their daytime line-up with infomercials. These days (other than the games), there's no reason to watch Pax.

[TimK2003]

There may be a glimmer of hope in Cleveland....

My guess is that as long as PAX-23 is originating from the same building as WKYC-Channel 3, the NBC affiliate, they will still air their local Akron/Canton newscasts at 6:30 & 10PM.

So PAX in Cleveland will only be airing *23* hours of infomercials.  Maybe that could be their new  slogan...

"PAX-23 -- That's how many hours of their infocrap we'll air each day."


Why would PAX air straight infomercials 24/7?   If it's to make money to pay their utility bills, then why not just let the stations go dark?  You'd think it would be cheaper that way.

[tvrandywest]

You'll recall that Bud Paxson's vision for the network was all about "family friendly" programming and sensibilities. I think it was a noble experiment motivated by pure intentions.

But perhaps the next time we hear the outcry from those who clamor about "family values" on television there will be a greater understanding that in a free enterprise system, under private ownership, operating under the traditional advertiser-supported model, it's apparently not sustainable.

Until the church or the federal government subsidizes "family friendly" programming it seems that a programming service dedicated to serve that loud but apparently minority segment of the audience is doomed. Now, if all of those who are so vehemently outspoken on the matter want to pony up the $1 billion+ that it cost PAX...

Otherwise, I guess the sitcoms will have more and more sexual innuendo, the dramas will be bloodier and sexier, and more people will eat bugs and vote each other off the island.


Randy
tvrandywest.com

[DjohnsonCB]

I wonder what's going to happen to the Mrs. America and Mrs. World pageants?  

Yeah, yeah, I know..."who needs 'em when you got the internet and can download..."

Sorry, I don't go there.

[Little Big Brother]

Not to get too far off-topic, but as was asked earlier: why have a station that shows only infomercials?  Channel 38 in Detroit is mostly infomericals and is occassionally a dumping ground for shows that aren't picked up by a network affiliate (62, the current CBS affiliate used to do this as well).  Is it actually profitable, or at least a venture that breaks even?

[brianhenke]

Why would PAX air straight infomercials 24/7?   If it's to make money to pay their utility bills, then why not just let the stations go dark?  You'd think it would be cheaper that way.

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    Pax's daytime "lineup" right now consists of Beverly Hillbillies reruns whose prints have been so worn out it is completely unrecognizable, movies with equally poor print quality, etc.  

   Pax could have been a good network. But so much that could have put it on the map (remember the Millennium Live show that they promoted so much - but was yanked at the last minute after the producers ran out of funds?) was scrapped or were just abject failures. Eventually, Pax became known as the Diagnosis Murder network.


   Many long-time people from the ATGS days remember the Reel to Reel Picture Show disaster. Maybe it was a foreshadowing of what would happen to Pax.

   Brian

   Bing Crosby was named after an Allman Brothers Band song? (That was On the Cover, BTW.)

[gameshowguy2000]

I also assume that Pax will also drop re-broadcasts of NBC affiliate newscasts, too (as most Pax stations run re-broadcasts of NBC station newscasts, since Pax is owned by NBC, right?).

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'brianhenke\' date=\'Apr 22 2005, 01:27 AM\']

    Pax's daytime "lineup" right now consists of Beverly Hillbillies reruns whose prints have been so worn out it is completely unrecognizable, movies with equally poor print quality, etc.  

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Actually, that line-up of BH reruns are most likely just on your PAX station. A good deal of stations (including the one I have) air nothing but infomercials during the day. You lucked out and see something BESIDES infomercials. Even if it's worn-out Beverly Hillbillies.

And as for your foreshadowing, I agree. What's the story with that again, people won on there but never got their prizes?

[brianhenke]

[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Apr 22 2005, 12:30 AM\']
[quote name=\'brianhenke\' date=\'Apr 22 2005, 01:27 AM\']

   Pax's daytime "lineup" right now consists of Beverly Hillbillies reruns whose prints have been so worn out it is completely unrecognizable, movies with equally poor print quality, etc.  

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Actually, that line-up of BH reruns are most likely just on your PAX station. A good deal of stations (including the one I have) air nothing but infomercials during the day. You lucked out and see something BESIDES infomercials. Even if it's worn-out Beverly Hillbillies.

And as for your foreshadowing, I agree. What's the story with that again, people won on there but never got their prizes?

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   The producer of Reel to Reel went bankrupt (the show lasted six weeks despite getting the highest ratings on Pax's daytime lineup (anyone remember Great Day America or Woman's Day with Phyllis George?)), and the winning contestants had to tell Paxson Communications that they hadn't been awarded their prizes, and Pax had to pay a lot of money to get them to the winners (many of the show's celebs hadn't been paid for their appearances, as well). In addition, Peter Marshall wasn't paid a cent for hosting the show, telling Steve that "it's a shame" he was involved in it.

    I got Pax in early 1999, and by then Reel to Reel was gone.

    Brian

    The Jehovah's Witnesses distribute Mad magazine?

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'brianhenke\' date=\'Apr 22 2005, 01:56 AM\']
   The producer of Reel to Reel went bankrupt (the show lasted six weeks despite getting the highest ratings on Pax's daytime lineup (anyone remember Great Day America or Woman's Day with Phyllis George?)), and the winning contestants had to tell Paxson Communications that they hadn't been awarded their prizes, and Pax had to pay a lot of money to get them to the winners (many of the show's celebs hadn't been paid for their appearances, as well). In addition, Peter Marshall wasn't paid a cent for hosting the show, telling Steve that "it's a shame" he was involved in it.

    I got Pax in early 1999, and by then Reel to Reel was gone.

    Brian

    The Jehovah's Witnesses distribute Mad magazine?

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Oh my....I'd forgotten all about those two talk shows.....It's funny to think that the channel started its broadcast day at noon, now it starts at 5 or so. I still remember seeing the Close-Up in the TVG for PAX's debut.

I remember hearing about the contestants not being awarded their prizes, but not about Peter Marshall not being paid....That's something else.

I expect this channel to be yanked from a lot of cable systems in due time (on cable systems who carry the national feed like mine), but maybe the local affiliates will do something else instead of carry all those infomercials.