Rudolph - public domain?

[MarcB]

Is that Rudolph movie they air on CBS every year a public domain movie? The reason I ask is because it's currently airing on COX Public Access 15 out of Meriden, Connecticut.

Something else they also aired a few times recently is a Christmas episode of the kids show Caillou in French. I know it's a Canadian import that was originally done in Feench, but I still found it odd that it was airing on the Public Access TV station.

They've also been showing really old movies in off hours a lot under the branding

"PATV15.COM/meriden at the movies."

 

[crainbebo]

The old Max Fleischer cartoon is in the public domain. The 1964 version definitely isn't. Classic Media holds the rights for CBS and (in the last few years) Freeform.

 

[genius]

There are still cable public access channels? 🤣

In all seriousness seems every year the story about CBS and Freeform not having streaming rights to Rudolph for users of YouTube TV, Fubo, Philo etc. resulting in those viewers getting blacked out.

In this instance of airing Rudolph on a cable public access channel they most likely obtained a public performance movie license or having some type of umbrella license for airing items outside of the public domain.

 

[Don CT]

Is that Rudolph movie they air on CBS every year a public domain movie? The reason I ask is because it's currently airing on COX Public Access 15 out of Meriden, Connecticut.

Something else they also aired a few times recently is a Christmas episode of the kids show Caillou in French. I know it's a Canadian import that was originally done in Feench, but I still found it odd that it was airing on the Public Access TV station.

They've also been showing really old movies in off hours a lot under the branding

"PATV15.COM/meriden at the movies."

I'm going to ask some folks about this and find out if they had clearance for it.

 

[Don CT]

There are still cable public access channels? 🤣

FCC mandates they still exist.

 

[KeithE4]

FCC mandates they still exist.

When I dropped Cox Cable in Phoenix at the end of 2009, there was a City Government channel, but public access was long gone. Nobody noticed, let alone cared.

 

[genius]

I'm going to ask some folks about this and find out if they had clearance for it.

Okay Karen.

But like I said, they most likely would have had a public performance license similar to what schools, churches, nursing homes, towns/cities doing summer movie community events in the park etc have to obtain before showing it. Unless someone running that COX office is totally incompetent they wouldn’t have dared aired it.

When I dropped Cox Cable in Phoenix at the end of 2009, there was a City Government channel, but public access was long gone. Nobody noticed, let alone cared.

The last time I had a public access channel was with Comcast in Albuquerque in 2010 and it was actually mostly repeating Current TV stuff, airing Democracy Now! 3-4 times a day, and occasional advertisements and city council meetings. When I moved to SC that same year, Comcast had no public access channels whatsoever in the entire state.

 

[Don CT]

Okay Karen.

But like I said, they most likely would have had a public performance license similar to what schools, churches, nursing homes, towns/cities doing summer movie community events in the park etc have to obtain before showing it. Unless someone running that COX office is totally incompetent they wouldn’t have dared aired it.



The last time I had a public access channel was with Comcast in Albuquerque in 2010 and it was actually mostly repeating Current TV stuff, airing Democracy Now! 3-4 times a day, and occasional advertisements and city council meetings. When I moved to SC that same year, Comcast had no public access channels whatsoever in the entire state.

Most likely nobody cared or even noticed it. In Connecticut at least a percentage of every cable bill goes to funding public access. It's not what was years ago with YouTube taking over but it still serves a purpose. Mostly local government.

 

[genius]

Most likely nobody cared or even noticed it.

Except for the OP who’s been around the block enough to know how this stuff works. They also posted an incorrect link for that day to begin with.

COX Apple Valley Community Television

 

[Don CT]

Except for the OP who’s been around the block enough to know how this stuff works. They also posted an incorrect link for that day to begin with.

COX Apple Valley Community Television

I know engineers at the head end so I could easily find out. Most likely it's someone who submitted programming to air, not that Cox employees themselves decided to air it.

 

[JeeperOne]

There are still cable public access channels? 🤣

FCC mandates they still exist.

That will soon become moot as all they have to do is develop a Smart TV app (Some organizations already have Roku apps)

 

[JeeperOne]

In all seriousness seems every year the story about CBS and Freeform not having streaming rights to Rudolph for users of YouTube TV, Fubo, Philo etc. resulting in those viewers getting blacked out.

Nope because if that was the case, there WOULD NOT BE ANY streaming TV as SOMEONE has to hold the rights to everything aired on TV

It's just the way the world goes 'round

 

[MarcB]

I don't usually watch COX PATV 15, but two weeks ago they were airing some show taped locally where a bunch of elderly people were singing popular songs from the 50s. It was like a really bad episode of Star Search. 😂

We also have Channel 14 which is the town of Southington channel, but it's been inoperative since at least 2019 when we switched back to COX after having DirecTV for several years. Back in the day Channel 14 used to air the town meetings (not live), the weekly Music on the Green Concerts (again not live)during the summer, and various events from. the annual Apple Harvest Festival. I emailed someone at Southington Town Hall and was told they don't have the money to "fix" Channel 14. So Channel 14 just sits with a message on the screen with a message warning about scammers pretending to be town emoyees doing re-evaluations.

Channel 16 has also been down since at least 2019. It's been alternating between a blank screen with a loud hum in the background (like something isn't grounded properly), a screen with the DVD logo bouncing around the screen, the background of someone's Android phone (no apps can be aeen), and as of late a message that says "Southington Public Schools Channel 16 is unavailable due to Technicianal Difficulties. "

 

[Don CT]

Ok back on topic, I thought all of the animated Christmas classics were produced by the same company.

 

[kevtronics]

The copyright for the Rudolph character will expire in 2034:

Who Owns Rudolph’s Nose?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was a work for hire, but the department store employer returned the copyright to the author. This is how copyright registration turned Rudolph into a gold mine for the writer's family.

creativelawcenter.com

Meanwhile, the copyright for the original version of Mickey Mouse will expire on January 1st, 2024:

Is Disney Losing Mickey Mouse Because of Copyright Law?

When I first read the headline to this New York Times article, “Mickey’s Copyright Adventure: Early Disney Creation Will Soon Be Public Property,” I thought that Mickey Mouse would soon lose its co…

blogs.luc.edu

 

[Don CT]

The copyright for the Rudolph character will expire in 2034:

Who Owns Rudolph’s Nose?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was a work for hire, but the department store employer returned the copyright to the author. This is how copyright registration turned Rudolph into a gold mine for the writer's family.

creativelawcenter.com

Meanwhile, the copyright for the original version of Mickey Mouse will expire on January 1st, 2024:

Is Disney Losing Mickey Mouse Because of Copyright Law?

When I first read the headline to this New York Times article, “Mickey’s Copyright Adventure: Early Disney Creation Will Soon Be Public Property,” I thought that Mickey Mouse would soon lose its co…

blogs.luc.edu

Disney really screwed up copyright laws.

 

[genius]

Nope because if that was the case, there WOULD NOT BE ANY streaming TV as SOMEONE has to hold the rights to everything aired on TV

It's just the way the world goes 'round

Try try again:

'Rudolph,' 'Frosty the Snowman' showings to be blacked out on CBS streaming platforms

wwmt.com

Here's why you — still — can't stream "Rudolph" or "Frosty" on CBS in 2023

The digital distribution rights are held by Freeform, leaving streamers who want to watch on CBS and Paramount Plus in the dark.

thedesk.net

 

[Don CT]

Try try again:

'Rudolph,' 'Frosty the Snowman' showings to be blacked out on CBS streaming platforms

wwmt.com

Here's why you — still — can't stream "Rudolph" or "Frosty" on CBS in 2023

The digital distribution rights are held by Freeform, leaving streamers who want to watch on CBS and Paramount Plus in the dark.

thedesk.net

Isn’t Freeform a Disney company. Why not put it on HULU.

 

[Mikey Radio]

There are still cable public access channels? 🤣

When I dropped Cox Cable in Phoenix at the end of 2009, there was a City Government channel, but public access was long gone. Nobody noticed, let alone cared.

Yeah, but one has to admit that waaaaayyyy back when public access channels were still a "thing", they made great fodder for Howard Stern when his lackies would spend hours calling them and trying to rile up the hosts and use language that wasn't permitted on the air, to see how hosts would react or how quickly they'd drop their calls. A few of the folks who were conspiracy theorists or on the fringe and had regular time on public access appeared to be popular among callers who were drunk, high or just bored. Lots of compilation videos of those were posted on YouTube, at least at one point a few years back.

 

[radiofan2023]

Yeah, but one has to admit that waaaaayyyy back when public access channels were still a "thing", they made great fodder for Howard Stern when his lackies would spend hours calling them and trying to rile up the hosts and use language that wasn't permitted on the air, to see how hosts would react or how quickly they'd drop their calls. A few of the folks who were conspiracy theorists or on the fringe and had regular time on public access appeared to be popular among callers who were drunk, high or just bored. Lots of compilation videos of those were posted on YouTube, at least at one point a few years back.

I enjoy watching John Kilduff/Mr. Let's Paint on youtube. He used to be on Eagle Rock public access and now he's on Youtube. He'd get a bunch of prank calls, but he'd usually just laugh and rarely got rattled. When he had this actress on playing Olga the Swedish milkmaid, those were fantastic episodes.

This is one of the best episodes, the guests DJ Omar Khan and his punk band pull a prank on John/Mr. Let's Paint and "Olga" is on it too: