Card Sharks 1983?

[BrandonFG]

Looks like it's available for "borrowing" at the Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/syndicatedtelevi0000eric

I remember reading a copy in my college's library around 2004. Reading it again, it's cool being able to see so many of these shows on Youtube, even if it's just short clips. Same goes for the archived Broadcasting issues.

Although he found the first season of The Simpsons to be of "off-and-on quality," Erickson wrote, "By season three ... Simpsons was one the best sitcoms of any kind, live or cartoon." He did, however, sense that "the writing had slackened a bit by 1993, leaning towards recycling what had worked in past episodes and pursuing too many gags beyond their worth." In other words, he was a typical early Simpsons fan.

I do agree with the show finding its stride around season three. Would love to know what he thinks of the post-2000 episodes.

/I do think it fell off around S9 or 10
//The movie was pretty good
///As are the Treehouse of Horror eps.

[steveleb]

During the late 70s and early 80s the proliferation of affiliates pre empting 12 noon and 4 pm shows grew.  Slightly later the pre-noon slots save for Price were also often pre empted or shifted to independent stations with smaller audiences.  So these episodes had never aired in many cities and ad syndication they offered stations the chance to sell more local spots than they’d have by carrying the network.

It seems poignant that station executives at the time cared enough about the chance to sell time that this mattered.  Todays local station managers are largely indifferent and now deal with ratings so s SL that any program’s impact is deemed inconsequential.  One reason you see very little new content being offered.  Consider this: in LA today two hours of midday on KCOP are being filled by 50 year old reruns of Mary Tyler Moore and 70 year old reruns of I Love Lucy. 

Call me a sentimental old fart but I kind of miss the opportunistic types like Sandy Frank and they Firestone family who would and could exploit the marketplace to sell pre existing shows as new to you and make everybody including themselves a few bucks. 

[Jimmy Owen]

The boutiques (I'll include Jim Victory, Jack Rhodes and the King Brothers) may have only one or two properties, but they made enough to stay in the game, so to speak.  Now you have to be a biggie or become a biggie (Debmar) to compete.

[steveleb]

During the late 70s and early 80s the proliferation of affiliates pre empting 12 noon and 4 pm shows grew.  Slightly later the pre-noon slots save for Price were also often pre empted or shifted to independent stations with smaller audiences.  So these episodes had never aired in many cities and ad syndication they offered stations the chance to sell more local spots than they’d have by carrying

[steveleb]

Goodson was a master salesman who split the market to his advantage whenever possible.  He spread many of his properties across different distributors both to leverage them Against each other as well as to have inside knowledge of who did what how and how he could use that knowledge to his benefit.  Unlike for example Barry-Enright who effectively owned Dick Colbert —and Colbert essentially was in business because of Jack—the MG divide and conquer strategy was exemplary of how smart he was.

[Jimmy Owen]

During the late 70s and early 80s the proliferation of affiliates pre empting 12 noon and 4 pm shows grew.  Slightly later the pre-noon slots save for Price were also often pre empted or shifted to independent stations with smaller audiences.  So these episodes had never aired in many cities and ad syndication they offered stations the chance to sell more local spots than they’d have by carrying

That would be the case with Card Sharks
  In Detroit, channel 4 stopped airing CS when NBC moved the show to noon, so there was more than a years worth that weren't cleared initially.  When Firestone offered the off-network run in fall 82, Channel 2 picked it up and installed it at 9:30 until at least fall 84, much of that was first run in Detroit. Visiting NYC in summer 83, WABC had Card Sharks at 10:30, opposite Jim Perry's $ale on Channel 4.

 

[chris319]

Goodson was a master salesman who split the market to his advantage whenever possible.  He spread many of his properties across different distributors both to leverage them Against each other as well as to have inside knowledge of who did what how and how he could use that knowledge to his benefit.

Mark Goodson wasn't that business savvy. It was all Jerry Chester who was also instrumental in enacting the prime-access rule. Goodson had to be fairly dragged into syndication.

Before Jerry Chester it was Bud Austin and Bill Todman before him.