No DS for 3 weeks???!!!

[Raineypark]

I know this is infuriating for those of us who adore this 35-year-old soap opera.....but I think we have to take a deep breath and be realistic about The Sci Fi Channel's position.

It's not PBS....they aren't performing a community service here.  Like it or not, it's a for-profit enterprise, and as such, is required to do things in a way that will maximize their profit potential.

Dark Shadows is a serial production....which means it is difficult for people who have never seen it before to jump into whatever episode they happen to catch, and be right up to speed on what's going on.   Programs that have a serial structure have always been considered the least likely to be successful in syndication.  

For the Sci Fi Channel, this means that they can count on hard core fans like us, but cannot ever reasonably expect a sudden rise in the number of regular DS viewers, no matter when they air it.  We're it, from their point of view....and they can safely assume that many of us are taping it as well, and will manage to find it no matter what time slot they shift it to.  If it seems like they are taking us for granted and treating us badly....well, they are.  But the hard truth is that they CAN.  What will we do about it?  Threaten to watch the show somewhere else?  Many of us can already do that because we have the tapes/DVDs....but we watch it on Sci Fi so that we're all on the same page and can talk about it here.

The reason they pre-empt DS when it's a holiday, is because they know that more people who don't normally watch the station will be flipping round the dial on those days.  And they know that they have a better chance of getting those folks to stop and watch a marathon of "The Crypt Keeper" than an episode in the middle of the 1897 story of DS!!

Yes, it sucks.  But what, exactly, can we ask Sci Fi (which, like most of us, has to make money) to do about it?

Raineypark

[Nancy]

Very reasonable, Rainey.

I think I'm in the minority because holidays are generally very busy for me - I'm usually going somewhere - and I dont watch TV on holiday weekends.  If here is something on that I want to see, I set the timer to tape it.

Last night was Halloween and there were tons of Halloween movies on but, again, I was giving trick and treaters candy and having a party.  The night before, I was also at a party and not home watching TV.

Nancy

I know this is infuriating for those of us who adore this 35-year-old soap opera.....but I think we have to take a deep breath and be realistic about The Sci Fi Channel's position.

It's not PBS....they aren't performing a community service here.  Like it or not, it's a for-profit enterprise, and as such, is required to do things in a way that will maximize their profit potential.

Dark Shadows is a serial production....which means it is difficult for people who have never seen it before to jump into whatever episode they happen to catch, and be right up to speed on what's going on.   Programs that have a serial structure have always been considered the least likely to be successful in syndication.  

For the Sci Fi Channel, this means that they can count on hard core fans like us, but cannot ever reasonably expect a sudden rise in the number of regular DS viewers, no matter when they air it.  We're it, from their point of view....and they can safely assume that many of us are taping it as well, and will manage to find it no matter what time slot they shift it to.  If it seems like they are taking us for granted and treating us badly....well, they are.  But the hard truth is that they CAN.  What will we do about it?  Threaten to watch the show somewhere else?  Many of us can already do that because we have the tapes/DVDs....but we watch it on Sci Fi so that we're all on the same page and can talk about it here.

The reason they pre-empt DS when it's a holiday, is because they know that more people who don't normally watch the station will be flipping round the dial on those days.  And they know that they have a better chance of getting those folks to stop and watch a marathon of "The Crypt Keeper" than an episode in the middle of the 1897 story of DS!!

Yes, it sucks.  But what, exactly, can we ask Sci Fi (which, like most of us, has to make money) to do about it?

Raineypark

[onyx_treasure]

    As much as I do not like the show pre-empted, I find it impossible to watch anything when my children are off from school.  I am too busy stopping squabbles and fixing endless snacks to be able to enjoy Dark Shadows. I am very glad for Robservations on those days when my children are home and its not an official Sci-Fi holiday.

[Cassandra Blair]

They have.  Sorry to scare you!  But in a different time slot...

From ShadowGram:

--- DS will continue on Sci Fi Channel (SFC) through 2003.

--- DS' timeslot on SFC will change on Mon., Jan. 6. beginning on that date, the weekday (Mon.-Fri.) back-to-back episodes air 8:00-9:00 am (Eastern/Pacific).

Thanks for the information, Midnite!  

Pardon my ignorance, but exactly what is Shadowgram, and how can one become subscribed? Sorry, but am kinda new to organized DS fandom.

BTW, love your avatar and the saying that goes with it!  I am also a Buffy fan.

[CastleBee]

I see your point Raineypark.  It really makes sense when you look at it that way. I guess I was thinking about how, as a pre-teen and teen, I would end up watching daytime tv during vacations and kind of catchup from the summer or even get hooked on new soaps - especially during the fall/winter holidays.  I suppose you can't really expect that to happen as much with a show the age of DS. Oh, I'm sure a few drifty dreamers (and I'm very partial to these types so no insult intended ) are out there searching for the off the wall kind of thing that I myself would have relished back when (and now).  But there probably aren't as many of those as there are the ones who would prefer something more current. It's pretty easy to be blinded by personal tastes and great memories I suppose.

Yes, it sucks.

So true.  But then so does DS - just in a very different way!

[Nancy]

The world would be deadly dull without the drifty dreamers, and DS never would have existed in the first place.

Nancy

I see your point Raineypark.  It really makes sense when you look at it that way. I guess I was thinking about how, as a pre-teen and teen, I would end up watching daytime tv during vacations and kind of catchup from the summer or even get hooked on new soaps - especially during the fall/winter holidays.  I suppose you can't really expect that to happen as much with a show the age of DS. Oh, I'm sure a few drifty dreamers (and I'm very partial to these types so no insult intended ) are out there searching for the off the wall kind of thing that I myself would have relished back when (and now).  But there probably aren't as many of those as there are the ones who would prefer something more current. It's pretty easy to be blinded by personal tastes and great memories I suppose.

So true.  But then so does DS - just in a very different way!

[CastleBee]

The world would be deadly dull without the drifty dreamers, and DS never would have existed in the first place.

Couldn't agree with you more!

[Midnite]

Thanks for the information, Midnite!  

Pardon my ignorance, but exactly what is Shadowgram, and how can one become subscribed? Sorry, but am kinda new to organized DS fandom.

You're welcome, and please feel free to ask whatever question you have!  ShadowGram is DS fandom's official newsletter, and all the subscription info is included at the bottom of any of SG's email updates that Tim has on his website.  The link to the latest update is right now on page 2 of this board.

BTW, love your avatar and the saying that goes with it!  I am also a Buffy fan.

Thanks.  Speaking of Anya, I was disappointed we didn't get to learn more last week about her fear of bunnies.

[Nancy]

It's been rumored that is due to the fact that as a child "Anya" had a floppy eared bunny and in a fit of inexplicable mad twitching the bunny nearly beat her to death with the ears.

Hence Anya developed a life long fear of bunnies.  You can understand that, can't you?

Nancy

Thanks.  Speaking of Anya, I was disappointed we didn't get to learn more last week about her fear of bunnies.

[Dr. Eric Lang]

Yes, it sucks.  But what, exactly, can we ask Sci Fi (which, like most of us, has to make money) to do about it?

I, for one, wrote them a polite but firm letter letting them know of my disapproval, especially in regards to the Halloween pre-emption. This was not, after all, a day that people were off work or out of school.

I also pointed out that DS was a solid ratings performer for them, else they wouldn't have been airing it all these many years. These constant pre-emptions are likely to anger many of their loyal viewers. I expressed my frustration that in all their myriad "chain reaction" marathons they have never once had a DS marathon.

They are just as likely to gain new viewers to DS as any of their other programs. Many people remember the series from their childhood and may not even be aware that Sci Fi airs it. This would certainly account for the fact that this is the fourth time (I believe) they have run the complete series. A DS marathon would be just as good of a promotional tool as any of their other marathons.

Certainly they are aware of the show's popularity. They even attempted a late-nite run of the show for a short while (but couldn't compete with the other networks) - and when they scaled back the morning airings from an hour to a half hour enough viewers complained that they went back to the hour long format. So I believe writing to them and letting them know how you feel does help.

[Cassandra Blair]

Thanks.  Speaking of Anya, I was disappointed we didn't get to learn more last week about her fear of bunnies.

I too hoped we'd finally learn why she's so scared of bunnies.  But maybe it's best left like this so that fans can always speculate what caused this fear. It's one of the best in-jokes of that series, IMHO!  

[Bernie]

I just hope that this isn't a sign for worse things to come! :-(

Those were my thoughts exactly!!  The fact that they're changing the air time isn't a good sign either!!  

Bernie

[Raineypark]

I absolutely respect your opinion, Dr. Eric Lang, but may I disagree with you on a point or two?

I also pointed out that DS was a solid ratings performer for them, else they wouldn't have been airing it all these many years. These constant pre-emptions are likely to anger many of their loyal viewers. I expressed my frustration that in all their myriad "chain reaction" marathons they have never once had a DS marathon.

Yes, they have a solid viewing audience for DS....which, I suspect, never varies very much.  Those who love this show REALLY love it, and are VERY loyal.  But I still believe that they have already cornered the market on people who want to sit through yet another run of this series and thus, they have little to gain by marketing it any further.

Many people remember the series from their childhood and may not even be aware that Sci Fi airs it.

Almost certainly true.  But with the exceptions of DS, the original "Outer Limits" and "The Twilight Zone" virtually NONE of the Sci Fi channel's focus is on programming aimed at Baby Boomer aged viewers.  Their entire line-up grows more and more focused on younger viewers all the time.  As a perfect example, note that this year it was AMC that showed all the "old" horror movies, while Sci Fi showed nothing but newer "slasher" movies for the season.  It wasn't that way a few years ago.

Regarding a marathon of DS episodes.....I think that would be more of a problem for regular viewers than not, especially if they weren't made aware of it in time to either watch or tape....I'd be furious to find out too late that I'd missed several of the FEW episodes that Carl Collins appeared in because I didn't read the TV Guide.

Please don't misunderstand.....I'm a great believer in letting networks, or newspapers or politicians (my favorite) know what you think, and I applaud you for "expressing your frustration"!  I'm a prolific writer of angry letters myself.  I simply think that DS is what it is, from the Sci Fi Channel's point of view, and nothing it does or doesn't do is going to change the core viewership, for good or ill.

Raineypark

[Dr. Eric Lang]

Yes, they have a solid viewing audience for DS....which, I suspect, never varies very much.  Those who love this show REALLY love it, and are VERY loyal.  But I still believe that they have already cornered the market on people who want to sit through yet another run of this series and thus, they have little to gain by marketing it any further.

One wonders if that would be the case should they attempt to promote the show at all, let alone with the veracity of some of their other programming. Of course, I am not privy to their daily Nielsens, but as cable goes digital and Dish networks continue to increase in the market, potential audience growth is certainly there.

I had to suffer for years knowing Sci Fi was airing Dark Shadows while my stupid cable company didn't even carry that channel. Not until I moved to another county was I finally able to see the show. I suspect this is the case with many other viewers and potential viewers.

I know Sci Fi initially paid to air the series three times, and had to pay extra to air it this fourth time. Surely they must have been motivated to do so by more than a static rating in a morning time slot. With the advent of SoapNet they must be aware of the audience potential for old soap reruns even amongst new viewers who may have heard about the show but never seen it. I find their lack of enthusiasm puzzling for these reasons.

(Love your new avatar, BTW!)

[Nancy]

I wonder how much of the lack of promotion to a new audience has to do with the lousy production values of DS?  The programmers just don't think a younger audience reared in the days of slick (though not always good) productions would tolerate dangling mikes, bewildered actors or moving scenery?  Maybe the suits don't think it would sell beyond the crowd it has now for those reasons.

Just a thought.

Nancy

One wonders if that would be the case should they attempt to promote the show at all, let alone with the veracity of some of their other programming. Of course, I am not privy to their daily Nielsens, but as cable goes digital and Dish networks continue to increase in the market, potential audience growth is certainly there.
I know Sci Fi initially paid to air the series three times, and had to pay extra to air it this fourth time. Surely they must have been motivated to do so by more than a static rating in a morning time slot. With the advent of SoapNet they must be aware of the audience potential for old soap reruns even amongst new viewers who may have heard about the show but never seen it. I find their lack of enthusiasm puzzling for these reasons.

(Love your new avatar, BTW!)