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One Last Programming Investment Pax May Want To Make....

J

Joseph_Gallant

Guest
There is much speculation that Pax will, perhaps as early as July 1st, drop it's entertainment programming to go 24/7 infomercials.

Original (read "first-run") programming, or even reruns, do cost money to produce and buy, respectively. And you do have to pay the producer or distributor every time they are run.

However, there is a way Pax can reduce their programming costs without going 24/7 infomercials, although they will have to make one last investment in acquiring programs.

It's old public-domain TV series and movies. Pax would have to pay once for each public-domain show they acquire, but after that, they can run the show an unlimited amount of times.

And there is a Rhode Island based company, Desert Island Films, which has a catalog of hundreds of movies and hundreds of TV shows, most in the public-domain.

Pax could make a one-time investment to buy the public-domain titles from Desert Island Films. I don't know how much they would cost, but I wouldn't be surprised if even by selling commercial spots dirt-cheap, the films and shows are paid for after one showing. After that, it wouldn't cost them anything to run these programs. Even though revenue from advertisers for public-domain programming would probably be slight, the programming is paid for. All the revenue (after the first run) goes towards operating the network and owned stations.

It might be a better alternative than to run 24/7 infomercials. When you see the Desert Island Films catalog, you'll be surprised at how many good classic movies and TV shows are in the public-domain. And it will get more viewers than infomercials.

However, this is an alternative Pax probably won't persue.
 
> However, this is an alternative Pax probably won't persue.
>
And if they did persue it, how do we know that they'll won't puck up the same shows everyone else has in the PD, like Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith, etc.?
 
> It might be a better alternative than to run 24/7
> infomercials. When you see the Desert Island Films catalog,
> you'll be surprised at how many good classic movies and TV
> shows are in the public-domain. And it will get more viewers
> than infomercials.
>
Look at it from management's point of view. Infomercials bring in money. That is good because there is a cost to running a station - electricity, equipment maintenance, salaries for the few remaining employees, etc. Public domain programming would not attact advertisers, just some viewers as a curiosity. There's no guarantee that advertisers would buy a schedule, even at dirt cheap prices. Public domain shows are often bad prints, which further drives away viewers. Pax and the Pax stations are not going to turn in their licences so they have to make the best economic choice they can.
 
> > It might be a better alternative than to run 24/7
> > infomercials. When you see the Desert Island Films
> catalog,
> > you'll be surprised at how many good classic movies and TV
>
> > shows are in the public-domain. And it will get more
> viewers
> > than infomercials.
> >
> Look at it from management's point of view. Infomercials
> bring in money. That is good because there is a cost to
> running a station - electricity, equipment maintenance,
> salaries for the few remaining employees, etc. Public domain
> programming would not attact advertisers, just some viewers
> as a curiosity. There's no guarantee that advertisers would
> buy a schedule, even at dirt cheap prices. Public domain
> shows are often bad prints, which further drives away
> viewers. Pax and the Pax stations are not going to turn in
> their licences so they have to make the best economic choice
> they can.
>

Who actually would watch 24/7 informercials? I NEVER watch them. If pax can't put real programming on it then sell it to someone who can or just fold alltogether.
 
> > However, this is an alternative Pax probably won't persue.
>
> >
> And if they did persue it, how do we know that they'll won't
> puck up the same shows everyone else has in the PD, like
> Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith, etc.?
>

Also, I note that the first season and only the first season of the two shows rugrats1 mentioned are PD. What is the reason for this? It doesn't seem to fit w/ my understanding of copyright law?

Not to mention, many tiny LPs and CAs actually program this stuff, and it'd be a shame to see PAX hog it. Let them stick to their own reruns. :)
 
> Who actually would watch 24/7 informercials? I NEVER watch
> them. If pax can't put real programming on it then sell it
> to someone who can or just fold alltogether.
>
No one expects someone to watch infomercials 24/7. The thought is that someone will be flipping through the dial and be sucked in, or having seen part of a paid program will be looking for it again because they need the 800# or web site address to order. If it didn't work we wouldn't be seeing it as much.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by MCarney on 06/02/05 03:04 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> > And if they did persue it, how do we know that they'll
> won't
> > puck up the same shows everyone else has in the PD, like
> > Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith, etc.?
> >
>
> Also, I note that the first season and only the first season
> of the two shows rugrats1 mentioned are PD. What is the
> reason for this? It doesn't seem to fit w/ my understanding
> of copyright law?
>

The production company forgot to renew the copyrights back then. <P ID="signature">______________
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.stationindex.com/>TV Station List</a></P>
 
> > > And if they did persue it, how do we know that they'll
> > won't
> > > puck up the same shows everyone else has in the PD, like
>
> > > Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith, etc.?
> > >
> >
> > Also, I note that the first season and only the first
> season
> > of the two shows rugrats1 mentioned are PD. What is the
> > reason for this? It doesn't seem to fit w/ my
> understanding
> > of copyright law?
> >
>
> The production company forgot to renew the copyrights back
> then.


Actually I like the concept.Problem being many of the shows listed by Desert Island have one, two or four episodes available..Creative scheduling would help here. I just want something watchable, that has a point to it. (except selling something)
 
> > Who actually would watch 24/7 informercials? I NEVER watch
>
> > them. If pax can't put real programming on it then sell it
>
> > to someone who can or just fold alltogether.
> >
> No one expects someone to watch infomercials 24/7. The
> thought is that someone will be flipping through the dial
> and be sucked in, or having seen part of a paid program will
> be looking for it again because they need the 800# or web
> site address to order. If it didn't work we wouldn't be
> seeing it as much.
>

There is a station in the New York City area like this...WRNN.

RNN (Regional News Network) started out with a goal of being the Hudson Valley's 24/7 news operation (like New York 1). They invested money on talent (Rolland Smith was there) as well as pushing their influence throughout the area. They even had a kiosk in the Palisades Mall.

While I don't think I can get into all of the details about the goings on at that station (since a while back, a former employee ran an anti-RNN site and management had it taken down) I think what basically KILLED it (it is now down to 3 hours a day) was the fact that cable stations, based on the "must carry" provisions didn't have any space on their channels to place the station NOR did some of the cable ops consider the station as "New York" since the operations are based in Kingston (90 miles north up the Hudson) even though they really wanted to tap into New York somehow.

Right now, WRNN has about 3 hours dedicated to news while the rest of the day you see infomercials as well as one of those "home shopping" services. That's pretty much the only way that station is existing and for the major cities that carry PAX (such as WPXN - Channel 31 in New York) that might be the way to go.

For the smaller PAX affiliates, unless they do such a service throughout the network, I could see some leaving air.

TS
 
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