Maybe, But Probably Not (1 Viewer)

[Frank Soyke]

I just wanted to piggyback on a post I put on a previous thread. I really shake my head when I hear folks say that most of the stuff left unreleased will come out eventually. I have a lot of trouble buying this. Sorry for the repitition but I DO think there is a good chance a lot of the more popular or stalled series will come out sometime ( Wonder Years, Love Boat, Batman, Ozzie, Hennings), but many of the other things will stay vaulted. Let's take a good look at my rationale. Let me take an arbitrary example. I'm going to make some educated assumptions here as well. Let's take Ben Casey as an arbitrary subject. First, to my knowledge Ben Casey is owned by CBS so any company that wanted to put it out would have to pay the extensive licensing fees to them. I'm assuming that based on what they appear to be releasing and their minimal output in their MOD program, CBS doesn't have much of an interest in putting something like that out in house. Next, we have to look at who realistically would put it out. Let's face facts, Warners and Sony aren't going to license a CBS product and Fox flat doesnt care, so let's take them out of the equation. Of the second tier distributors, Shout/Timeless appear to be putting out primarily westerns (Timeless) and sitcoms (Shout). Most dramas (save Kojak) Shout has begun, they have eventually stalled. That would leave it primarily to an indie to put it out. Now what we are saying here is, with a very limited advertising budget and buying public, a small company would have to pay the aforementioned licensing fees, restore the program, press the discs, and then distribute the disc will very minimal visibility to the buying public at large. My question is simple. How can a small company realistically make any money in this scenario? Keep in mind too that I chose Ben Casey as an example. This is a once popular multi season show with some consumer interest and name recognition. Now imagine my scenario with a substantially less popular and less remembered show like Judd For the Defense, I do think a few smaller indies who want the collectors niche market will put a thing or two out in the future (like the upcoming Rifleman set), and their will be a company or two license some stuff from the biggies (like The Mod Squad) but by and large, other than contining series, we pretty much "got what we got."

 

[Ron1973]

I wouldn't call "The Rifleman" part of "niche market." It's been pretty well represented in syndication, still airing on AMC and before that, was airing on the Christian station, WHT. It isn't owned by a biggie like CBS or Fox but still owned by its original production company.

 

[jimmyjet]

ben and judd will both come out

 

[Frank Soyke]

I wouldn't call "The Rifleman" part of "niche market." It's been pretty well represented in syndication, still airing on AMC and before that, was airing on the Christian station, WHT. It isn't owned by a biggie like CBS or Fox but still owned by its original production company.

You are right on this one. The Rifleman was (and is) a very popular show and has been well represented in syndication over the years. I am mainly responding to the folks that insist that "everything will come out." A lot of the stuff left unreleased have nowhere near the stature and potential market that the Rifleman does. I gave one example in Judd. Many many others would fall into that category rather than Rifleman.

 

[Professor Echo]

Frank, might I politely suggest you come up with thread titles that are a little less obscure? They are clever, but I think you would get more traffic to your thread if they were more clear as to what you wish to discuss. Just a friendly suggestion.