GSN January 2005 Schedule (Adlink

[Jimmy Owen]

Classic is not a synonym for old.  "What's My Line?" is a classic.  "What's Going On?" is not a classic.  It's just old.

[CaseyAbell]

Classic is not a synonym for old.

Again agreed. But what is a classic, when it comes to TV shows? Can we really be sure that any show will stand the test of time you previously mentioned? The American version of What's My Line dropped off the face of the planet in 1975, and this didn't cause massive outbreaks of, well, anything at all. It slumbered in undisturbed rest until GSN started shaking off the dust in 1994.

Even now, no network seems much inclined to revive the show, or to bid for the G-T license and show the reruns...except GSN.

For game show fans like us, sure, the show's a classic. For many TV viewers, you'd have to tell them what the show was. Again, "classic" is looking like a pretty slippery term that can be applied to just about anything anybody likes. I think WBSM is a classic game show for its humor, testing gameplay, and superb co-hosts. But the show slipped off Comedy Central to less than universal dismay, and would be slumbering in the vault if it weren't for GSN.

So I'll just say that I really like WBSM and leave it at that.

[passwordplus]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 12:17 PM\']As 2004 winds down, GSN has dropped four classic game shows from their lineup this year: LMAD, $100K Pyramid, WOF, and Win Lose or Draw. None of them are GT shows, odd as it may seem.

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Good point, Blockbusters and Card Sharks(both MG productions) are still in the lineup, even though they are on limited runs.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 08:56 AM\']This is GoodLife's web site, in case you're interested. It's a nostalgia net much like TVLand, only at the second tier. The network puts on some originals as well. Nick Clooney, late of Money Maze and a failed run for Congress, does interstitials about the old shows. Another game show reference: the network shows reruns of Let's Go Back, a Jeopardy knockoff with questions about previous decades. The host, Scott Sternberg, was later one of those responsible for inflicting Extreme Gong on a long-suffering world.

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Although his pedigree as a game show producer goes back to working with Ralph Andrews in the 70s.  His track record's not all that impressive, but he keeps working.  I will say that his most recent project, AMC's "Sunday Morning Shootout," is his most impressive, as it is the only entertainment news program in the broad sense that offers something more on show biz than "Inside the hot new Hooters Calendar!" or "'ET' goes inside the 'Survivor' finale!"  I like watching the Peters hashing out the movie biz every week.

Comcast seems to have soured on the network. It's always had very limited distribution. An interesting note: the channel is owned by the Unification Church, a.k.a. the Moonies. Never saw anything on the channel about the church, though, and I don't know if the ownership is even mentioned on the network's web site.

Now that I never knew and might doubt somewhat, since Wikipedia isn't always as accurate as it should be.  Last I heard, one Squire Rushnell, who helped create "Good Morning America" and was an ABC exec in the 70s and 80s, is the guy who's in charge and changed the focus from simply a Nostalgia Channel (its original name) to a channel for 50-plus audiences.  Interesting that its corporate name is still "Nostalgia Channel, Inc."

It started in the 80s as a poor man's American Movie Classics and went through some (relative) contemporizing before taking on the GoodLife brand.  But yeah, it's always had limited distribution, due to not being owned by one of the big guys like Time Warner or Liberty or Viacom.

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 05:56 PM\']

An interesting note: the channel is owned by the Unification Church, a.k.a. the Moonies. Never saw anything on the channel about the church, though, and I don't know if the ownership is even mentioned on the network's web site.

Now that I never knew and might doubt somewhat, since Wikipedia isn't always as accurate as it should be.

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They're right on this one... the Washington Post had a story that mentions the Church's purchase of the network, and that's just one of several links I found.  Moreover, the GoodLife TV web site says that the CEO is Douglas D.M. Joo, an executive with News World Corporation (aka the publishers of The Washington Times) -- which is owned by the Church.

Last I heard, one Squire Rushnell, who helped create "Good Morning America" and was an ABC exec in the 70s and 80s, is the guy who's in charge and changed the focus from simply a Nostalgia Channel (its original name) to a channel for 50-plus audiences.  Interesting that its corporate name is still "Nostalgia Channel, Inc."

He's no longer with the network; per the web site for his book When God Winks, he left the network a while back.  On an on-topic note, the same bio notes that Rushnell's wife is one Louise DuArt, whom we know as the host of Lifetime's Rodeo Drive.

[CaseyAbell]

As David says, there are many references to the Church's interest in the network besides the Wikipedia entry, as you can find by googling Unification Church GoodLife. Some of the returns look a little farfetched, but this one comes from what seems like a pretty sober and knowledgable business site. A more, uh, freewheeling thread quotes another WashPost story here.

Again, I've never seen any references to the church on the network, though I haven't watched zillions of hours.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 04:42 PM\']Again, I've never seen any references to the church on the network, though I haven't watched zillions of hours.

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I think they tend to be pretty laissez faire about their media holdings...you won't find a lot of references to the Church in the Washington Times, either.

[sshuffield70]

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 06:26 PM\']He's no longer with the network; per the web site for his book When God Winks, he left the network a while back.  On an on-topic note, the same bio notes that Rushnell's wife is one Louise DuArt, whom we know as the host of Lifetime's Rodeo Drive.[/quote]

Interesting comment, since Louise is now with CBN (er....what's left of it....).  I suspect that Rushnell isn't a Moonie and left the network at that time.

[Jimmy Owen]

Just checked the Goodlife TV sked.  It's obvious they are owned by the Unification Church.  How else to explain the presence of "The Honeymoonies."

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'sshuffield70\' date=\'Dec 14 2004, 12:28 AM\'][quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 06:26 PM\']He's no longer with the network; per the web site for his book When God Winks, he left the network a while back.  On an on-topic note, the same bio notes that Rushnell's wife is one Louise DuArt, whom we know as the host of Lifetime's Rodeo Drive.[/quote]

Interesting comment, since Louise is now with CBN (er....what's left of it....).  I suspect that Rushnell isn't a Moonie and left the network at that time.

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Nope -- while Rushnell did join the network before the Unification Church bought it, he didn't leave until four years afterward.

Chris Lemon is right... the Church pretty much takes a hands-off approach to its media properties.  If there's a Moonie among the reporters and columnists at the Washington Times, it's not at all clear from the content -- and I suspect that things are much the same way at Goodlife.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Dec 13 2004, 06:26 PM\'][

Last I heard, one Squire Rushnell, who helped create "Good Morning America" and was an ABC exec in the 70s and 80s, is the guy who's in charge and changed the focus from simply a Nostalgia Channel (its original name) to a channel for 50-plus audiences.  Interesting that its corporate name is still "Nostalgia Channel, Inc."

He's no longer with the network; per the web site for his book When God Winks, he left the network a while back.  On an on-topic note, the same bio notes that Rushnell's wife is one Louise DuArt, whom we know as the host of Lifetime's Rodeo Drive.

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And it seemed to me that she had a show on GoodLife when Rushnell was running the place--just like Cristina Ferrare Thomopoulos hosted FAM's "Home and Family" when her hubby was running FAM in its last days--and just like Julie Chen still has two jobs at CBS as long as *her* boy friend runs the place.

ObGameShow:  Cristina's "Home and Family" co-hosts--Chuck Woolery and Michael Burger.