Syndicators and reruns

[JMFabiano]

In the past, we've talked about how certain versions of shows couldn't be reran because the rights issues were different, due to the shows' syndicators.  An example of this would be Pyramid.  Sony generally owns the show, but the Cullen version couldn't be seen on, say, GSN, because CBS has the rights to it (through Viacom syndicating it).  Davidson is owned by [I forget], and the $50K version Colgate-Palmolive. 

However, 20th Century Fox syndicated the Clark $100K, and no one had problems rerunning that. 

So my question is...what's the difference?  When can whoever syndicated a show block reruns, or cause reruns to be blocked?  (I mentioned CBS and Viacom above.  Lots of Goodson nighttime shows were syndicated by Viacom in the 70s and 80s, yet most still got reran) 

[golden-road]

I think Davidson is either Studiocanal or NBCUniversal.

[Adam Nedeff]

So my question is...what's the difference?  When can whoever syndicated a show block reruns, or cause reruns to be blocked?  (I mentioned CBS and Viacom above.  Lots of Goodson nighttime shows were syndicated by Viacom in the 70s and 80s, yet most still got reran)

The difference is if a game show fan doesn't know the answer, "the syndicator blocked it" sounds like a convincing explanation.

[Jimmy Owen]

A syndicator doesn't block something, but it does want someone to buy it.

[JMFabiano]

A syndicator doesn't block something, but it does want someone to buy it.

Okay I'll piggyback off one of the non-smartass replies. 

What I meant was, why is it that it certain versions of shows, usually syndicated versions, could not be rerun/seem to have different ownerships?  While others have no such problem?

[Adam Nedeff]

I actually wasn’t going for a smart-ass answer and understood what you meant. The more I learn and the more I get a chance to talk to people inside the business, a lot of the “(show) can’t be rerun because it’s blocked” strike me more and more as presumptions made and passed down over the years on message boards without anyone ever bringing a receipt to back up the claim. “Chuck Henry is blocking Now You See It” was undone by me emailing one person at GSN, and the reality was just “GSN didn’t care enough to air it, ever.” Another convo with a GSN person established that Viacom isn’t blocking Bill Cullen’s “$25,000 Pyramid” from being rerun. The tapes are missing.

[JasonA1]

Another convo with a GSN person established that Viacom isn’t blocking Bill Cullen’s “$25,000 Pyramid” from being rerun. The tapes are missing.

And I assumed this to be the answer to the OP's question in the first place. When a syndicator's involved, it's likely that whatever became of the tapes is different from what became of the same packager's network efforts. Which can be negative (in the case of $25,000 Pyramid) or positive (in the case of Marshall Squares, right?).

As for the "reason" the OP is looking for, I can't presume to know off-hand, but I imagine when two entities enter a business arrangement, they both have to participate in the profit-making, or one has to buy out the other's stake.

-Jason

[thomas_meighan]

Something I notice in the credits of the 1994 syndicated TPIR is that Mark Goodson Productions (L.P.) and Paramount Pictures Corp. are both shown as claimants in the copyright statement. Would this be an example of true co-ownership, and would it involve extra steps to clear the rights for any hypothetical reruns today?

[Ian Wallis]

I've always wondered about the status of Love Experts, which was a Bob Stewart production but was never run on GSN.  I thought it would have been a good show to use during their Lover's Lounge segments they had for a while.  Presumably GSN doesn't have it.

Does anyone know?

[JMFabiano]

Oh.  I see.  That's a shame indeed. 

Well, you are our mythbuster.

[JMFabiano]

Something I notice in the credits of the 1994 syndicated TPIR is that Mark Goodson Productions (L.P.) and Paramount Pictures Corp. are both shown as claimants in the copyright statement. Would this be an example of true co-ownership, and would it involve extra steps to clear the rights for any hypothetical reruns today?

That would mean Davidson PIR would be under CBS, no?