So When Does "The Daily Show" Move To Broadcast TV? (FOX?)

[LibertyNT]

I wonder if President Nixon's cameo on "Laugh-In" was hyped some 35 years ago as "the first time a sitting President appeared on a sketch comedy show".

Sock it to me?

 

[LKellerIII]

I wonder if President Nixon's cameo on "Laugh-In" was hyped some 35 years ago as "the first time a sitting President appeared on a sketch comedy show".

I don't think he was president at the time, just a candidate in 1968.

That's correct. Nixon appeared during the '68 campaign. He didn't take office until January 1969. Laugh-In invited both Nixon and his Democratic opponent - Vice President Hubert Humphrey - to appear. Nixon accepted because his advisers thought it would loosen up his stodgy image, and help his image with young voters. Humphrey declined the invitation.

 

[BRNout]

Brief answer to the hypothetical question posed by the OP: never.

At the very minimum, the Daily Show would lose it's edge due to increased levels of censorship that are necessary for broadcast TV. They'd have to sell ads which break up the flow of the show. Basically, the Daily Show (as it is now) would cease to exist on a broadcast network. And Jon Stewart isn't THAT big of a draw anyway. Wildly popular amongst a small group, he's not so popular at large. And that group values the relative freedom of expression that a service such as HBO can provide. In addition, a subscription service like HBO can make a lot of money under such economic conditions: a relatively small, yet fiercely loyal, group of viewers.

Toss a neutered version of this show on a commercial network and you'll see anemic ratings that quickly fade as fans note the show's loss of energy. FOX (or whoever) loses - or doesn't make much - money on it and Stewart loses cultural relevance.

No way, forget it.

 

[DToTheJ]

... The Daily Show would lose it's edge due to increased levels of censorship that are necessary for broadcast TV...

There are unedited F-bombs on "The Daily Show"? From the clips that I've seen, whenever Stewart chooses to use the F-word, it's usually bleeped. Anyway, bleeps or not, I always thought that it would be an edgy enough show for Fox to carry, and the perfect opportunity for them to cure their late-night doldrums.

(And yes, I am aware that Comedy Central sometimes runs programs unedited with the cusswords intact, but that's usually in the very late hours, from what I have observed.)

 

[LKellerIII]

Brief answer to the hypothetical question posed by the OP: never.

At the very minimum, the Daily Show would lose it's edge due to increased levels of censorship that are necessary for broadcast TV. They'd have to sell ads which break up the flow of the show. Basically, the Daily Show (as it is now) would cease to exist on a broadcast network. And Jon Stewart isn't THAT big of a draw anyway. Wildly popular amongst a small group, he's not so popular at large. And that group values the relative freedom of expression that a service such as HBO can provide. In addition, a subscription service like HBO can make a lot of money under such economic conditions: a relatively small, yet fiercely loyal, group of viewers.

Toss a neutered version of this show on a commercial network and you'll see anemic ratings that quickly fade as fans note the show's loss of energy. FOX (or whoever) loses - or doesn't make much - money on it and Stewart loses cultural relevance.

No way, forget it.

BRNout - you probably know this, and it's just a typo - The Daily Show is on Comedy Central, not HBO. And there are no uncensored swear words. Yes - Stewart uses swear words and sexual references frequently, but everything from the F word to the term b__w job is bleeped.

You are probably correct, though, that the show would lose its edge under major network pressure to be more careful with the more extreme material. Ironically enough, I'd speculate that the show would probably fare better on Fox (which already runs edgier material), than it would on CBS, NBC, or ABC.

 

[BRNout]

Brief answer to the hypothetical question posed by the OP: never.

At the very minimum, the Daily Show would lose it's edge due to increased levels of censorship that are necessary for broadcast TV. They'd have to sell ads which break up the flow of the show. Basically, the Daily Show (as it is now) would cease to exist on a broadcast network. And Jon Stewart isn't THAT big of a draw anyway. Wildly popular amongst a small group, he's not so popular at large. And that group values the relative freedom of expression that a service such as HBO can provide. In addition, a subscription service like HBO can make a lot of money under such economic conditions: a relatively small, yet fiercely loyal, group of viewers.

Toss a neutered version of this show on a commercial network and you'll see anemic ratings that quickly fade as fans note the show's loss of energy. FOX (or whoever) loses - or doesn't make much - money on it and Stewart loses cultural relevance.

No way, forget it.

BRNout - you probably know this, and it's just a typo - The Daily Show is on Comedy Central, not HBO.

Yeah, I did know better but thanks for pointing out my error. :-[

I maintain that the show being on Comedy Central still has them freer to go off in the way that he would like. A network atmosphere would be confining. Not to mention that a huge hit on CC still equates to a relative failure on the likes of CBS or FOX. They'd have to draw in a lot more viewers and that would be a tough assignment.