BUZZR "Prime Time Party" beg. February 6th

[Strikerz04]

Re $ale: this should be somewhere between all of the special weeks and that car loss.

Which car loss are we talking?  Darrell's on the third-to-last show? 

Probably Robin McKirahan, which I believe was August 1988.

I should’ve been specific. That one.

[gsfan85]

Just wondering, GSN started with True Romance Week when they aired the later NBC episodes.  How many weeks are we seeing that GSN didn't show?

Thanks.

[Bryce L.]

Just wondering, GSN started with True Romance Week when they aired the later NBC episodes.  How many weeks are we seeing that GSN didn't show?

Thanks.

No clue how much we're getting, but Buzzr is starting roughly 17 weeks ahead of where GSN did (1410 vs. 1496)

[Strikerz04]

Just wondering, GSN started with True Romance Week when they aired the later NBC episodes.  How many weeks are we seeing that GSN didn't show?

Thanks.

No clue how much we're getting, but Buzzr is starting roughly 17 weeks ahead of where GSN did (1410 vs. 1496)

1410 is Day 2 of Varisty Week.
At least we can place where these wacky weeks are on the episode guide.

[snowpeck]

Varsity Week did apparently air on USA back in the day, by the way (there's another episode circulating from that week from a USA broadcast).

[splinkynip]

Watching Sale of the Century tonight reminded me of how far from great the show became in this era. Too many themes weeks with the grand prize being a Jeep the other shows were giving at the time, and the totally out-of-place end game making it almost impossible to win the big $50,000 bonus, or even the car.
Maybe NBC should have put the show out of its misery a year or so earlier than when it did, replaced it with another game show, or even sitcom reruns or given the time slot back to affiliates.
Once a great show, this was a little shadow of its former self.

[gsfan85]

Varsity Week did apparently air on USA back in the day, by the way (there's another episode circulating from that week from a USA broadcast).

Did anyone happen to record tonight's airing and can post to a private link?
Would greatly appreciate!

[BrandonFG]

IIRC, the Winners Big Money Game was introduced because NBC wanted its game shows to have an actual bonus round. I believe the Scrabble Bonus Sprint started up around the same time. At least that was the rumor I saw here...

Problem is, the show's biggest hook went out the window. It's one thing that the show went from luxury cars to modest family sedans or the same Jeep you mention, but the show itself became a regular trivia game with a generic bonus round that you could put on nearly any daytime game show of the era and it fit better. Seeing a contestant buy an $800 washer/dryer for $12 just doesn't have the same excitement as seeing them come back day after day to win a BMW for $540.

/Not that network execs are known for good decision-making
//At least the Bonus Sprint made sense and featured excitement
///The second theme song lacked excitement as well

[splinkynip]

I remember Scrabble’s Bonus Sprint started a year before, end of 1986.

I remember enjoying the winner’s board when they first switched to it as something was won every day, but watching the first several weeks of it again recently on Buzzr, I was not so thrilled with it anymore (but still greatly beats the final format we’re seeing now). With the change from shopping, the front game lost some of its original aspect... didn’t matter anymore if you won the game with $45 or $130. Would love it if the original 2 years of daytime existed to air on Buzzr.

[WarioBarker]

IIRC, the Winners Big Money Game was introduced because NBC wanted its game shows to have an actual bonus round.

That doesn't really sound likely to me, mainly because it wasn't until around May 1989 that Win, Lose or Draw added a bonus round.

Problem is, the show's biggest hook went out the window. [...] the show itself became a regular trivia game with a generic bonus round that you could put on nearly any daytime game show of the era and it fit better.

The fact the Winner's Big Money Game was lifted from Grundy's unsold 1985 pilot Matchmates just proves that even further.

1410 is Day 2 of Varisty Week.
At least we can place where these wacky weeks are on the episode guide.

Indeed. Buzzr's schedules don't list airdates until #1420, but given that said episode is listed as July 26, 1988 it stands to reason that #1410 is the July 12 show.

[chrisholland03]

Varsity Week did apparently air on USA back in the day, by the way (there's another episode circulating from that week from a USA broadcast).

Did anyone happen to record tonight's airing and can post to a private link?
Would greatly appreciate!

If you missed it (like I did) it will reair Saturday night @ 9 et

[gsfan85]

Varsity Week did apparently air on USA back in the day, by the way (there's another episode circulating from that week from a USA broadcast).

Did anyone happen to record tonight's airing and can post to a private link?
Would greatly appreciate!

If you missed it (like I did) it will reair Saturday night @ 9 et

Someone was kind enough to send it my way, but thanks for this info too!

[chrisholland03]

Watching Sale of the Century tonight reminded me of how far from great the show became in this era. Too many themes weeks with the grand prize being a Jeep the other shows were giving at the time, and the totally out-of-place end game making it almost impossible to win the big $50,000 bonus, or even the car.
Maybe NBC should have put the show out of its misery a year or so earlier than when it did, replaced it with another game show, or even sitcom reruns or given the time slot back to affiliates.
Once a great show, this was a little shadow of its former self.

I agree with your sentiments, but the ratings show no change with the bonus game addition. 

Sale took its biggest rating hit when NBC moved it from 10:30et against Card Sharks to 10:00et against Pyramid. 
Dec'86 @ 5.3/18 to Mar'87 @ 3.3/15

That move did knock Pyramid off the schedule, though.

It creamed Blackout in '88 @ 2.3/9 vs 3.4/14

It was neck-and-neck with Feud both pulling 3.3/14 vs 3.4/14 for the time they ran against each other in 88 through Jan'89.

Holistically, from '87 - '93, every schedule change or pre-preemption NBC made in their morning lineup resulted in lower ratings. 

[splinkynip]

Interesting, how were Pyramid’s ratings when it got cancelled at the end of 87, and how we’re Scrabble’s ratings when it replaced Sale of the Century in the 10AM slot? I believe ratings were still okay when Scrabble was cancelled the next year, but NBC wanted to go in a different direction Chuck said in one of the last shows?

[tyshaun1]

how we’re Scrabble’s ratings when it replaced Sale of the Century in the 10AM slot? I believe ratings were still okay when Scrabble was cancelled the next year, but NBC wanted to go in a different direction Chuck said in one of the last shows?

I don't have the ratings point, but Scrabble was hovering around a 10 share at the time of its cancellation in 1990 compared to Feud's 13, so not really OK. By this point, if you weren't Price, your share was a 15 or less.