New Buzzr lineup effective 9/30

[Chelsea Thrasher]

pardon my ignorance, but I gave up on Buzzr about 2 years ago and haven't watched it since, unless you count Amazon prime episodes. 

This says "Super Password" 1985.  When the network launched 4 years ago, they started with episode one.  Have they really not gone past 1985 in all this time?  For that matter, "Tattletales" is still in the second year?

Almost everything Buzzr/Fremantle has needs to be converted into a modern era format, likely into a digital archive. Even in cases where they clearly got their copies from GSN (A couple of late 90s GSN plugs even turned up in Cullen Price), that's still a DigiBeta to true digital conversion. (Why not just broadcast the digibetas?  Number one, in an era of automated network control you don't want tape on air if you can help it; Number two, Sony discontinued the production of players and recorders for the format in 2016 so getting anything off of the format that might still be on it is a process that needs to happen anyway). 

Plus beyond the conversions, the episodes are almost assuredly having to be screened for music issues, celebrity issues, contract-related problems, video and audio defects, and just about anything else you can think of.   And all of that costs money (labor costs, time costs, equipment purchases, storage costs (professional storage plus backups is $$$), resolving any legal that can be resolved).  All for a network whose carriage amounts to digital subchannels, Pluto, and Dish Network, plus limited VOD on Amazon.

GSN had the benefit of being a relatively early cable network in an era where that was still a big deal, backed by a company with even deeper pockets than Fremantle (Sony), all while being in a race to get on the air before Family Channel's planned competitor - talked about heavily in Broadcasting - could get on the air full time and claim the space.

Shriners seems more than willing to pony up for Supermarket Sweep, so it almost never cycles back - over half of the Lifetime version has run, and at least the first 40 PAX episodes have definitely been digitized and are on Amazon.

Largely though? They get to what they get to, as they get to it. 

[Sodboy13]

This explains a lot, and thank you for posting it.

[tpirfan28]

How far into the Concentration run have they gotten?  The last ones I think I saw just had the green take.

[snowpeck]

How far into the Concentration run have they gotten?  The last ones I think I saw just had the green take.

Correct. The first few days of January 1988 is as far as they got before. They're picking up with the 1/7/88 episode later this month.

[chargeradiocom]

Count me in on the positivity for this new schedule. While there are a few nitpicky things that I wish were slightly different, there’s a lot of good variety, and it looks like they really made an effort to not blatantly give any show the shaft (except maybe Temptation, but I’m not sure how many rabid fans it really has). And huge props for bringing on shows & episodes that haven’t been broadcast in 25+ years.

GSN had the benefit of being a relatively early cable network in an era where that was still a big deal, backed by a company with even deeper pockets than Fremantle (Sony), all while being in a race to get on the air before Family Channel's planned competitor - talked about heavily in Broadcasting - could get on the air full time and claim the space.

A bit off-topic, but regarding the Family Channel’s planned competitor... I remember watching a few of the Wink-hosted FAM originals, branded as Game Net, on TCI Cable’s tv! Network; and I remember reading in TV Guide about the new Game Net channel that was set to launch about the same time as GSN.

What ultimately caused it to fall through? And is there any recommended further reading on the topic?

[BillCullen1]

It seems that the new Buzzr schedule has something for everybody. So we get to see Uncle Bill host two shows, TPIR on Sundays and Blockbusters during the week. I'm also looking forward to the new eps of WML.

[calliaume]

If anybody told me even 18 months ago, "You're going to be able to watch Classic Concentration and Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour daily, and you'll be able to stream it on your computer," I'd be doing a jig around the world.  (There's an image.)

I have no complaints.  I haven't seen GSN in years (our cable system dumped it a few years back), so I don't really have a basis for comparison anyway.

[aaron sica]

I have no complaints.  I haven't seen GSN in years (our cable system dumped it a few years back), so I don't really have a basis for comparison anyway.

There really isn't one....The only show left from GSN's launch that still airs is Match Game, and that's for 3 hours a day, between 8am-10am and 1pm-2pm.

[TimK2003]

As much as I loved the Press Your Luck reboot this summer, I'm still kinda glad they are giving the Tomarken PYL a rest scaling back for now.  It always seemed that whenever I first got BUZZR thru PlutoTV, it was either PYL or MG that was on.

[chargeradiocom]

If anybody told me even 18 months ago, "You're going to be able to watch Classic Concentration and Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour daily, and you'll be able to stream it on your computer," I'd be doing a jig around the world.  (There's an image.)

I have no complaints.  I haven't seen GSN in years (our cable system dumped it a few years back), so I don't really have a basis for comparison anyway.

Similar situation for me. I had GSN at my old house, but moved in spring of last year and switched cable providers. The new provider had it in a higher tier that I didn’t want to pay for. Of course, BUZZR started streaming soon afterward.

My new cable provider moved GSN back down into my tier in January, so I have it again. I don’t think I’ve watched 10 minutes of it since.

[snowpeck]

As much as I loved the Press Your Luck reboot this summer, I'm still kinda glad they are giving the Tomarken PYL a rest for now.  It always seemed that whenever I first got BUZZR thru PlutoTV, it was either PYL or MG that was on.

PYL isn't being given a complete rest. It's still on at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

[TimK2003]

As much as I loved the Press Your Luck reboot this summer, I'm still kinda glad they are giving the Tomarken PYL a rest for now.  It always seemed that whenever I first got BUZZR thru PlutoTV, it was either PYL or MG that was on.

PYL isn't being given a complete rest. It's still on at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

Fixed.  Also saw an hour at 5am Sunday Night/Monday Morning. 

[Adam Nedeff]

A bit off-topic, but regarding the Family Channel’s planned competitor... I remember watching a few of the Wink-hosted FAM originals, branded as Game Net, on TCI Cable’s tv! Network; and I remember reading in TV Guide about the new Game Net channel that was set to launch about the same time as GSN.

What ultimately caused it to fall through? And is there any recommended further reading on the topic?

The story as it's been explained to me was that everything hinged on the Goodson-Todman library, which was considered absolutely the most crucial archive for a 24-hour game show channel. When Sony closed that deal, any other plan from any other cable programmer got called off.

[chargeradiocom]

The story as it's been explained to me was that everything hinged on the Goodson-Todman library, which was considered absolutely the most crucial archive for a 24-hour game show channel. When Sony closed that deal, any other plan from any other cable programmer got called off.

Thanks for the info. With GSN having nearly unfettered access to the Goodson-Todman and Sony libraries at the time, I can see where it would have been difficult for any competitor to gain a foothold. Especially if all FAM had was their originals and Hatos-Hall.

[MSTieScott]

We've seen examples in the past (Match Game PM, Supermarket Sweep seasons 2 and 4 but not 3), but it looks like standard operating procedure at Buzzr is now to edit out unintegrated fee and consolation plugs. Today's "new" episode of Blockbusters had all of its fees edited out, and each "new" Classic Concentration had its sole ten-second consolation plug cut off after the second bonus round.

I feel like I saw similar unfamiliar edits during some of this weekend's Lost and Found episodes, but I wasn't keeping track.