Author Topic: GSN getting a bit stale? (Read 19773 times)

gamed121683 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 18, 2010, 12:37:22 PM »

Speaking of the "Dark Period", would anyone out there have a copy of the GSN's '97-'98 "Dark Period" schedule? I can't seem to find it online.

TimK2003 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 18, 2010, 01:29:29 PM »

My prediction in the next 5-10 years, technology will be moving towards more "on-demand" programming. On-demand programming, as it is today, is equivilent to what Compact Discs were in the mid-80's: It's still in it's infancy. And for the moment, it's pretty much the most popular titles that are getting to the top of the list when it comes to On-Demand availability.

Over time, niche programming such as classic game shows of the 80's and before (G-T & otherwise) will be more available on some sort of instant-watchable mediums (Hulu, Netflix, etc...) where these programs will be made available to a pay-based or free-with-commercial-interruption audience. And as the A-listed programming gets converted into these formats, they will start to work on older, "niche" programming as the time and the money allows.

I think it will be a safe prediction that by 2035, nearly every TV program that is still in existence will be available in some sort of "on-demand" format, and those who currently keep these shows hostage for lucrative contracts will realize that this will be the better long-term strategy for making the most profit on their goods.

Until then, embrace what is out there now...It will only get better!

J.R. · « **Reply #17 on:** November 18, 2010, 02:57:02 PM »

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' post=\'251155\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 02:28 AM\']GSN was a nice escape from reality for many years.[/quote]
Apparently, you've never returned.

dale_grass · « **Reply #18 on:** November 18, 2010, 04:09:55 PM »

[quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'251184\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 02:57 PM\'][quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' post=\'251155\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 02:28 AM\']GSN was a nice escape from reality for many years.[/quote]
Apparently, you've never returned.
[/quote]
Hi-Yo!

Mr. Armadillo · « **Reply #19 on:** November 18, 2010, 04:37:24 PM »

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'251183\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 12:29 PM\']I think it will be a safe prediction that by 2035, nearly every TV program that is still in existence will be available in some sort of "on-demand" format, and those who currently keep these shows hostage for lucrative contracts will realize that this will be the better long-term strategy for making the most profit on their goods.[/quote]
It'd require one heck of a paradigm shift for most corporations to be interested in long-term anything within the next 25 years.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #20 on:** November 18, 2010, 05:52:00 PM »

[quote name=\'GrandGame1440\' post=\'251150\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 01:18 AM\']If anytime in the history of the network should be considered the "dark period" it is now. 1997-98 were heaven compared to the current state of the network.[/quote]
I never understood that term as well, considering there were still a few G-T games there, including classic TPiR. That was right around the time that I first saw GSN (early-1998), and I fell in love with even the rare obscure shows. Between 1998-99 (and parts of 2000), I loved going into department stores and sneaking around to switch to GSN. It only got better once I got my license. ;-)

/Even better when we finally got GSN on digital cable in summer 2002
//Those were the days

tpirfan28 · « **Reply #21 on:** November 18, 2010, 06:13:55 PM »

Eh. The channel is getting a bit stale, but I do enjoy Pyramid still and grabbing the occasional Regis Millionaire.

GameShowGuru · « **Reply #22 on:** November 19, 2010, 02:38:26 AM »

If I may chime in:

I first heard of GSN since its inception, and I wanted my cable system to get it soooooo badly! I got real jealous of GS fans posting clips of Match Game and other G-T and B-E shows on the internet and I could only reminisce of the good old GS days through 15-30 second audio and (sometimes) video clips.

Anyway, after several years of torture, I finally was able to get regular cable and then, digital cable which had GSN included in its package. October 15, 1999 was when I saw GSN for the first time, and I was in hog heaven, and my VCR was taping a lot of eps of various shows. Anyway, this was right before they did the split screen GSN promos and the time compression speed ups. Long story short, I had quite a few VHS tapes of various game shows (and I still have them btw). After about 9 months I temporarily gave up cable for about 2 1/2 years because I moved out of the apartment I shared with a roommate into my own home and because I later enrolled in graduate school. In the fall of '02 I got cable again and got my GSN fill. I also was a regular poster at the GSN message boards, but after about 2 years I got tired of all the whining from the posters and left there, though I did play my share of GSN playalong games which were rather cool.

The rebranding of GSN was killing my interest in the network and by the summer of 2005, I had found GSN to be MORE than a bit stale. Then again, I found television as a whole to be 90% BS and not worth watching. So on (or around) September 14, 2005, I disconnected my cable and actually retired from watching TV in favor of the internet.

By this time, Youtube was beginning to rise in popularity and with it came tv shows and game shows I had either never seen before or haven't seen in 20-30 years. So pretty much whatever game show scenarios I was interested in seeing, I saw it on Youtube. In short, my fill of game shows has been pretty much satisfied; I really don't need GSN anymore, though I had a great time watching it when I did need it.

Twentington · « **Reply #23 on:** November 19, 2010, 03:24:52 PM »

For a while, I was watching Super Password, Now You See It, 1995 episodes of Wheel, Tic Tac Dough, etc. And that was only a couple years ago. Then Charter moved GSN off basic cable and I didn't see the network for a while. Now I finally have it back and all I'm seeing is bland "modern" shows like Millionaire, DoND, Flannel Feud; banal trash like Baggage and Newlywed; the same Lingo, Match Game and $25KP episodes I've already seen 9001 times; and the tolerable-enough Catch 21.

Seriously, what the hell happened?

TLEberle · « **Reply #24 on:** November 20, 2010, 03:12:21 PM »

[quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'251143\' date=\'Nov 17 2010, 09:24 PM\']Am I the only one who wishes the term "Dark Period" be retired?

I don't think it's offensive or anything. I just think it's dated.[/quote]Not exactly retired, because I think the particular kind of person who would use such a phrase should be easy to identify. My life is not so wrapped up in game shows that I would call a time frame where the network doesn't do exactly what I want a "Dark Period," especially since we don't get to see those "off the board" shows much anymore.

If you don't like what GSN is showing anymore (and looking at the schedule, there isn't a whole lot to love) then don't watch. GSN is trying to make money by showing what regular ol' folk like, not we geeks.

The Pyramids · « **Reply #25 on:** November 20, 2010, 03:31:21 PM »

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'251293\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 03:12 PM\'][quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'251143\' date=\'Nov 17 2010, 09:24 PM\']Am I the only one who wishes the term "Dark Period" be retired?

I don't think it's offensive or anything. I just think it's dated.[/quote]Not exactly retired, because I think the particular kind of person who would use such a phrase should be easy to identify. My life is not so wrapped up in game shows that I would call a time frame where the network doesn't do exactly what I want a "Dark Period," especially since we don't get to see those "off the board" shows much anymore.

If you don't like what GSN is showing anymore (and looking at the schedule, there isn't a whole lot to love) then don't watch. GSN is trying to make money by showing what regular ol' folk like, not we geeks.
[/quote]

This thread comes at a time when GSN appears to be doing well. I don't think there has been a time when in its history when they have had more returning shows on the schedule at the same time ('Catch 21', 'Baggage' and 'Newlywed Game'). '1 vs 100' may make it four.

I don't blame the network for cutting down on the classics as much as they have in favor of programing from the last five to ten years. They are simply moving ahead with the times.

Dbacksfan12 · « **Reply #26 on:** November 20, 2010, 06:14:17 PM »

[quote name=\'PaulD\' post=\'251294\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 03:31 PM\']I don't think there has been a time when in its history when they have had more returning shows on the schedule at the same time ('Catch 21', 'Baggage' and 'Newlywed Game'). '1 vs 100' may make it four.[/quote]Not surprisingly, you would be wrong. "Friend or Foe", "Russian Roulette", "Whammy!", "Lingo" all got renewed for second seasons. 1 vs. 100 isn't a guarantee yet.

The Pyramids · « **Reply #27 on:** November 20, 2010, 06:44:59 PM »

[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'251312\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 06:14 PM\'][quote name=\'PaulD\' post=\'251294\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 03:31 PM\']I don't think there has been a time when in its history when they have had more returning shows on the schedule at the same time ('Catch 21', 'Baggage' and 'Newlywed Game'). '1 vs 100' may make it four.[/quote]Not surprisingly, you would be wrong. "Friend or Foe", "Russian Roulette", "Whammy!", "Lingo" all got renewed for second seasons. 1 vs. 100 isn't a guarantee yet.
[/quote]

I didn't know about 'Friend Or Foe'. At the time I was mainly watching the network for the classics of which there were many at the time.

Jumpondees · « **Reply #28 on:** November 21, 2010, 12:36:27 AM »

I don't watch as much as I used to. I had watched to flashback to my youth, and catch episodes I have missed of some of my favorite shows due to my educational commitments. Now that many of those shows are gone, so have I.

I will admit that I am giving the new 1v100 a try and am enjoying it, but the show may not last more that 40 episodes if they don't take first run eps out of the 7pm Wheel/J! slot.

Now I can always hope the old shows come back, but in reality that is not going to happen. What would bring me back more is if they would get the rights to air some of the good international versions of shows we have to resort to watching on Youtube.

saussage · « **Reply #29 on:** November 21, 2010, 07:33:47 PM »

[quote name=\'PaulD\' post=\'251294\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 03:31 PM\']This thread comes at a time when GSN appears to be doing well. I don't think there has been a time when in its history when they have had more returning shows on the schedule at the same time ('Catch 21', 'Baggage' and 'Newlywed Game'). '1 vs 100' may make it four.

I don't blame the network for cutting down on the classics as much as they have in favor of programing from the last five to ten years. They are simply moving ahead with the times.[/quote]
I don't mind new shows (the last Newlywed imo was better to watch then this re-incarnation) and Lingo, Inquisition, and High Stakes poker were all GSN branded shows that don't seem to be bland at all and seem to be moving ahead with the times. Catch 21 is weak and would need a bit of a format change before I get interested in a regular basis (since I believe the host is not the weak spot). However, the new Newlywed, and Baggage seem to be moving GSN into an area where ratings may be high but it's hovering towards trash TV (or more like raunchy which drives up the ratings). I'm just waiting for a Maury Povich commercial stating his new game show on GSN: "Who is the father".

Certain classics have high ratings no matter what since the show's content is of good quality. However, run them down to the ground and even good classics don't have a chance to last. I see classics leaving GSN for one reason: GSN doesn't want to fork over $$ to show them. Why pay for shows if you can create them yourself? They wanted to remove classics ever since the name change. If GSN had enough of their own home grown content in their library to run 24/7 without running those series down to the ground, they would and all the other shows they could air from other libraries would gather dust.

GSN wants to be "The Network for their Games". Maybe one if these days, GSN could also have a view on demand feature. I think that requires serious $$ so even if it's a good idea and it would make everyone happy, I think it wouldn't fly.