Author Topic: Ratings for Funny Money & Naturally Stoned Debuts (Read 19351 times)

Chelsea Thrasher · « **on:** June 21, 2003, 11:10:37 PM »

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Game Show's Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned, which bowed June 15 at 9:30 p.m., was the network's second highest-rated original series premiere with a 0.7 household average, trailing only Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck, which scored a 0.8 rating on April 15. National Lampoon's Funny Money followed the reality series at 10 p.m. and registered a 0.6 rating.

clemon79 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 22, 2003, 12:33:53 AM »

[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' date=\'Jun 21 2003, 08:10 PM\'] Game Show's Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned, which bowed June 15 at 9:30 p.m., was the network's second highest-rated original series premiere with a 0.7 household average, trailing only Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck, which scored a 0.8 rating on April 15. National Lampoon's Funny Money followed the reality series at 10 p.m. and registered a 0.6 rating. [/quote]
All fine and good, but let's remember that the XFL did great numbers its first week on the air as well...

Monarx · « **Reply #2 on:** June 22, 2003, 03:17:34 AM »

That's good, because I like both shows...

BTW: Is the XFL a sport, or a game show with football elements? I'm sure at least a couple will say a game show, and I sort of consider it to be.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #3 on:** June 22, 2003, 10:50:38 AM »

While I can almost see the several leaps of logic that it would take for a rational human being to consider the XFL to be a game show, that would have to be about the most liberal definition of the genre I've heard yet. At that point, you're not very far from considering ANY televised sport to be a game show.

And as for Chris' comments about how the XFL ratings tanked, I think a better analogy would be GSN's own programming. After Whammy! debuted to record ratings, didn't its numbers slide south pretty quickly too? That's probably not as big a deal with Naturally Stoned, which will only be around for a few first-run weeks, but the real test will be to see how Funny Money holds up.

And since this is our new home, I'll pretend I'm saying this for the first time. Reality programming doesn't repeat well at all. Biography programming is pretty much evergreen. Five weeks from now, GSN will have three hours of product that, short of a weekend marathon or two, will be worthless to them. But a highly publicized BIOGRAPHY of Chuck would have been easier and cheaper to make, would have been less invasive (word is getting out that Chuck did NOT have a good time) and could still have shown what a fun and happy guy he is without ignoring certain aspects of his life (troubled kids, Scrabble) that the \"reality\" series doesn't want to share.

GS Warehouse · « **Reply #4 on:** June 22, 2003, 10:57:12 AM »

[quote name=\'Monarx\' date=\'Jun 22 2003, 02:17 AM\'] BTW: Is the XFL a sport, or a game show with football elements? I'm sure at least a couple will say a game show, and I sort of consider it to be. [/quote]
No, the XFL wasn't a game show, it was just football with the trashy flash of the WWE. However, there was one game show-ish element to the XFL: players were paid by the win. OT rant: in sports today, players in all sports in the last season of their contract pump up their stats, hit the jackpot in the offseason, then never perform at that level again. Some of today's contracts, particularly in the NFL, have incentive clauses which pay players to forego helping the team.

My point is, the major pro leagues could learn something from the XFL's pay-per-win rule. For some, it's already too late. The NFL has nothing to worry about because of parity and prosperity, but even though MLB averted a strike, the Yankees still have enough revenue streams to beat the system. Far too many young basketball phenoms are skipping college and following the dollar signs to the NBA, contributing to the league's declining quality of play. And the NHL is waiting until the last minute for labor negotiations when both sides know a strike could kill the league. And just think, the only league to do it right folded after one year.

clemon79 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 22, 2003, 01:59:57 PM »

[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Jun 22 2003, 07:57 AM\'] However, there was one game show-ish element to the XFL: players were paid by the win. [/quote]
Not quite. All XFL players received a stock salary. However, there was a bonus paid out to the winning team of each game (I think it was something in the realm of $1000 per player, it could easily have been less), and then, of course, the winners of the championship game (it ended up being Tommy Maddux's Los Angeles team, I think) split a one-million-dollar jackpot.

Quote

And just think, the only league to do it right folded after one year.

This concept wasn't unique to the XFL, either. Roller Hockey International paid their players according to a \"prize money\" format when they operated in the 1990's as well. I don't remember if they got per-win money (I think they may have), but I know that players were awarded a bonus based on end-of-season standings and playoff performance.