Boston Pops July 4th Concert Will Not Air Nationwide

[bostonmediaguy]

CBS will not be airing the annual Boston POPS fireworks concert this year. Their Boston O&O, however, will continue to broadcast the full concert.

I'm surprised that they will not at least air the local feed on newly acquired TVGN.

 

[WMC2006]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...DJVRnru6Acdd5Hxl8gUP/story.html?event=event12

Good news for attendees and viewers is that the show will now start an hour earlier as they won't be subjected to CBS's tv times and people can get home earlier before the MBTA shuts down for the night.

 

[TheBigA]

For the last few years, they've tried to make this show appeal to younger viewers with special guests. It hasn't worked. NBC's NYC concert attracts bigger stars and larger audiences. I've noticed the NBC show isn't always 100% live either. They incorporate concert performances recorded earlier in the week in order to boost star value. CBS can't do that with the Pops, because it's a live event.

The fact is that the Boston Pops show would be a bigger success on public television. Perhaps next year, they could do a double concert, incorporating Boston and Washington DC. The traditional DC show has become a little stale, and a partnership with Boston could breathe new life into the show, and take some pressure off the DC production team.

 

[mescutia]

As someone who has watched the concert on WBZ for the past several years, I've always been struck by how much slicker and over-produced the nationally-televised hour felt compared to the coverage presented beforehand by WBZ. It's a difference I wouldn't have seen if I'd been watching on another CBS station.

It was also easy to tell when the network was using pre-recorded segments. Last year, for example, a thunderstorm showed up shortly before 10:00pm (the start of CBS's hour) and forced the Esplanade crowds to be evacuated into the Storrow Drive tunnels... but you wouldn't know it from CBS, because they filmed the host's intro at a location that was clearly far from the stage, followed it with a montage of shots from earlier that night (and, I think, the night before)... and then jumped to the first commercial break at 10:05.

If I recall correctly, WBZ had to use the previous night's footage of one piece earlier in the evening for similar weather-related reasons... but they were honest about it with viewers.

 

[ercjncpr]

PBS' A Capitol Fourth was always better

 

[Joe_Capitano]

Here in Western Washington we once had quite the competition for fireworks buffs - Ivar's on KOMO, Family Fourth on KING (which still exists), and Boston on KIRO. This year, KING gets to corner the market, though they almost had to resort to their backup - the Macy*s replay from the Peacock - when the local show's organizer screwed up bigtime on fundraising.

Seems to me the Boston show has gone downhill since it left A&E. They aired the full three hours - twice (If I recall). Much better show then.

 

[Morgan Wick]

Here in Western Washington we once had quite the competition for fireworks buffs - Ivar's on KOMO, Family Fourth on KING (which still exists), and Boston on KIRO. This year, KING gets to corner the market, though they almost had to resort to their backup - the Macy*s replay from the Peacock - when the local show's organizer screwed up bigtime on fundraising.

Seems to me the Boston show has gone downhill since it left A&E. They aired the full three hours - twice (If I recall). Much better show then.

But A&E would rather air stupid reality shows instead...

 

[markwats]

The A & E broadcast was a simulcast of WCVB's production when Channel 5 had the rights to the 4th of July Boston Pops concert. The WCVB production was better than the CBS national production IMHO.

And mescutia you're correct, when last year's July 4th concert was interrupted by the severe thunderstorm during the WBZ local telecast, they cut to taped footage of the rehearsal concert from the previous night. (WBZ taped the entire rehearsal concert, a good backup plan) they did tell viewers that they were seeing performances taped the previous night. We'll see if the concert ends earlier this year now that they don't have to work around CBS' scheduling demands.

 

[TheBigA]

The A & E broadcast was a simulcast of WCVB's production when Channel 5 had the rights to the 4th of July Boston Pops concert. The WCVB production was better than the CBS national production IMHO.

Keep in mind that CBS didn't produce the special. It was produced by David Mugar for CBS-TV, and has been for the past few years. He has the rights, and will continue to produce it for WBZ this year.

 

[Joe_Capitano]

The A & E broadcast was a simulcast of WCVB's production when Channel 5 had the rights to the 4th of July Boston Pops concert. The WCVB production was better than the CBS national production IMHO.

Much better.

We'll see if the concert ends earlier this year now that they don't have to work around CBS' scheduling demands.

According to the schedule on the Boston 4th of July website (http://www.july4th.org/2013_Program/Event_Schedule"]july4th.org[/url], interestingly enough), it will. The fireworks are now scheduled exactly opposite Macy*s. Pyrotechnic War has been declared.

 

[Bill_W]

As a former New Englander, I always enjoyed watching Boston's Channel 5's broadcast on A&E down here in Philly. CBS should just simulcast WBZ channel 4's broadcast on one of their cable channels.

 

[TheBigA]

As a former New Englander, I always enjoyed watching Boston's Channel 5's broadcast on A&E down here in Philly. CBS should just simulcast WBZ channel 4's broadcast on one of their cable channels.

Ummm....like which one? I think CBS only owns two cable channels: CBS Sports and half of TV Guide.

Yes they also own Showtime, but that's behind the paywall.

 

[Bill_W]

As a former New Englander, I always enjoyed watching Boston's Channel 5's broadcast on A&E down here in Philly. CBS should just simulcast WBZ channel 4's broadcast on one of their cable channels.

Ummm....like which one? I think CBS only owns two cable channels: CBS Sports and half of TV Guide.

Yes they also own Showtime, but that's behind the paywall.

Maybe one of their former sister cable networks that Viacom owns.

 

[TheBigA]

Maybe one of their former sister cable networks that Viacom owns.

Those are separate companies. I've not noticed any co-operation between them.

 

[crainbebo]

KOMO's Ivar's has been gone for YEARS now. Only KING remains. KCPQ used to broadcast the Bellevue fireworks c. 6-7 years ago, but not now. Just 10pm news.

Maybe all of the recent fireworks bans have to do with it. Or money problems.

-crainbebo

 

[Joe_Capitano]

More likely the latter than the former. Q13 is a Tribune station, remotes cost money, 'nuff said. Meanwhile, legend has it that Ivar Haglund (the Ivar in Ivar's for the unfamiliar) left a nice dowry behind to fund the show for some years...and then the cash ran out.

Personally, I'll be watching the local display in Anacortes, then try to get a glance at the Lopez Island show from the Guemes Ferry Terminal. Lots more intimate and more room to roam than the sardine can that is Gasworks. One year someone brought a bike and the jerk behind me complained about me having to stop for about 3 seconds (not that I had a choice) while he and it wormed its way through. Jerk.

 

[mescutia]

The A & E broadcast was a simulcast of WCVB's production when Channel 5 had the rights to the 4th of July Boston Pops concert. The WCVB production was better than the CBS national production IMHO.

Keep in mind that CBS didn't produce the special. It was produced by David Mugar for CBS-TV, and has been for the past few years. He has the rights, and will continue to produce it for WBZ this year.

Aha. That makes sense, since the same cameras and lighting equipment are being used the entire night. But how come the nationally-televised hour felt slicker and more "produced" than the WBZ-only portions?

 

[TheBigA]

Aha. That makes sense, since the same cameras and lighting equipment are being used the entire night. But how come the nationally-televised hour felt slicker and more "produced" than the WBZ-only portions?

Probably bigger budget. They had more money to spend.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

I presume Macy's next move will be to try to lure the Boston Pops to New York on a future July 4th to perform "1812 Overture" and "Stars And Stripes Forever" to begin the fireworks display (since at the Boston concert, both are accompanied with fireworks) and to also make a major financial gift to the Pops' parent organization, the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The idea of making a big $$$ gift to the Boston Symphony/Boston Pops might be an offer that the organization couldn't refuse, which Macy's might hope would end the almost four-decade tradition of a Boston Pops' July 4th concert and fireworks show in their hometown.

If that happens, some July 4th in the near future, the area around Boston's Hatch Shell might be empty and the skies over the Charles River would be quiet.

Don't bet against Macy's trying to lure the Boston Pops to New York for the 4th in the near future, as it may be the only way for the Pops to get back on national TV on the Fourth, even if it means the Pops "screwing" their home town (that's where the big-money gift would come in, so the Pops can't refuse the dollars).

By the way, I do recall that for the centennial of the Statue Of Liberty in the 1980's, the Boston Pops did play in New York on the 4th, but came back to Boston to do their traditional concert and fireworks show the next evening.

 

[TheBigA]

I presume Macy's next move will be to try to lure the Boston Pops to New York on a future July 4th to perform "1812 Overture" and "Stars And Stripes Forever"

They have their own orchestra in NYC...a dandy little group called the New York Philharmonic. I hear they're pretty good.