Balderdash and On The Cover Downgraded

[adamjk]

Now that I am thinking about it, you're probably right. One would think Pax gets crushed by the major networks anyway in primetime, so if the show airs in the early evening, they have less competiton to worry about.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Oct 12 2004, 07:02 PM\']Just to update, this week Balderdash and On the Cover are still relegated to 5 and 5:30 respectively. Maybe this change is permanent after all.

[snapback]60580[/snapback]

[/quote]

I am surprised that noone has come up with the most probable reason why they "temporarily" moved Balderdash & On The Cover from the 8-9PM slot....

...PAX is currently doing that "$1,000 Birthday Game" contest which could happen anytime between 8PM & 10PM each weeknight.  And what is PAX airing between said timeslots?  The first run eps of their new Fall Prime Time shows that they have invested a ton of money on (at least by PAX's definition)!!!

<WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!!!>

Though I cannot read the fine print on my TV which states when the PAX contest will end, I would bet 10 dozen Krispy Kremes that once the contest is over, the game shows will, as if by magic, reappear in the 8-9PM hour once again.

Tim

[FeudDude]

Quite frankly I think Balderdash and OTC should remain in the 5 pm hour, because they're just not primetime shows.  I'm not saying that to bash the shows (in fact, I think they're quality shows, especially considering PAX's budget), but only the biggest game show fans are going to choose those shows over what the Big Six have to offer.  Put OTC and Balderdash at 5 pm, when people are more likely to be channel-surfing, and the show might have a chance to gain some kind of fanbase outside of us game show nuts.

[CaseyAbell]

FWIW, the Pax schedule shows On the Cover and Balderdash in the 5:00 hour for the rest of October. Really made no sense, even by Pax's inscrutable standards, to shuffle the shows back and forth between a couple timeslots.

Frankly, a downgrade from prime time, even on Pax, is just that...a downgrade. I don't know if the shows are doomed, but this ain't a good sign, folks. I'll try to catch the shows before, well, whatever happens.

[TimK2003]

Upon reviewing the official rules of said Million Dollar Birthday Game on the PAX website, the contest is slated to run through November 24th.

I would not be surprised to see the games staying in the 5-6P slot until then.  And of course, by then the ratings may dictate at that time whether they remain as late afternoon shows or if they return to their regular 8-9P slots, or somewhere else altogether.

Tim

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Oct 13 2004, 08:26 AM\']I don't know if the shows are doomed, but this ain't a good sign, folks. I'll try to catch the shows before, well, whatever happens.[/quote]

Casey,

As has been mentioned in the not too distant past, 130 episodes of Balderdash are in the can.  How many have aired--about 50?  IIRC, OtC has 130 eps. as well.  About 45 have aired, not counting the "old set" eps. which aired in the summer.  PAX isn't going to pull the plug either show with so many episodes unaired.  The worst case scenario is that the 130 eps. of each show go through one run, which means each show should be on PAX through February.  The best case (if there is truly one) is that those episodes go in perpetual reruns.

If you're PAX, you're looking at airing inexpensive programming now and probably for as long as the network's around.  Besides paid programming or a test pattern, what's less expensive than airing an out-of-production game show?  PAX just has to pay residuals to the celebrities and Elayne, no?

[CaseyAbell]

They could have made 1,300 eps, but if the shows really are getting creamed in the ratings as badly as the Prof and the downgrade indicate, wouldn't any network be tempted to try something else? For Pax it might just be another hour of infomercials to bring in more revenue than ads on a couple Nielsen losers could fetch. They've pushed the shows back to what, for Pax, is almost infomercial territory, anyway.

It's called sunk costs. Just because a business has spent some money doesn't mean it has to keep using what it bought...especially if there's an easy and cheap alternative that would produce more revenue going forward. (See "LMAD revival" under "NBC.")

I don't know, maybe the shows will find an audience at 5:00 and produce enough ad dollars to keep Pax from just selling more infomercial time. We'll see, but the outlook doesn't seem real encouraging.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Oct 13 2004, 03:06 PM\']If you're PAX, you're looking at airing inexpensive programming now and probably for as long as the network's around.  Besides paid programming or a test pattern, what's less expensive than airing an out-of-production game show?  PAX just has to pay residuals to the celebrities and Elayne, no?

[snapback]60702[/snapback]

[/quote]

Residuals also go out to John Moschitta, director Bob Loudin (?) and WGA member writers, if any.  The guy who wrote the music also gets a royalty.  Still relatively cheap.

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Oct 13 2004, 03:50 PM\']It's called sunk costs. Just because a business has spent some money doesn't mean it has to keep using what it bought...especially if there's an easy and cheap alternative that would produce more revenue going forward. (See "LMAD revival" under "NBC.")

[snapback]60713[/snapback]

[/quote]
Thanks much for the lesson in Economics, Professor Abell.
Regardless; even if PAX spent, for the sake of argument, $200,000 on these shows; wouldn't it be worthwhile to finish their commitment, and make up for it in the advertising time? Surely that brings in more than an infomercial.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Oct 14 2004, 02:09 PM\']Surely that brings in more than an infomercial.

[snapback]60829[/snapback]

[/quote]
and _there_ is the flaw in your reasoning. It's entirely possible that it DOESN'T.

[CaseyAbell]

Thanks much for the lesson in Economics, Professor Abell.

Does this mean I'm the...Prof?

Anyhoo, we'll see soon enough about the two shows. Pax may grind through all the eps, but there's no law that they have to. Besides the LMAD example I already mentioned, NBC left a number of Weakest Link and Dog Eat Dog episodes on the shelf, before making a few bucks on the GSN license.