Does anyone work at these studios over the age of 40?

Mark To · 05-14-2004, 01:28 PM

I think part of the problem with getting older shows out is that the people making the decisions don't know them. If these bigwigs grew up in the 80s or even the 70s for that matter, they would have no concept as to how popular shows like Man from UNCLE, Mission Impossible, Get Smart, The Fugitive and many more were in their era. Even a show like Here Come the Brides, which made Bobby Sherman a teen idol. Are you telling me that all of the millions of girls who went crazy for him (and the show) wouldn't go nuts if they saw the show on DVD? There's a whole world of people out there that are just not being catered to, either by the DVD market, which is still being geared 95% to recent shows or by channels like TV Land, who think there are about 10 old shows worth running or by Nick at Nite which has abandoned their original audience in favor of gen-x. There are other great comedies from the 50s besides I Love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver. There was more to the 60s than Star Trek and Batman. Unfortunately no one in charge seems to realize it.

Scott_F_S · 05-14-2004, 01:37 PM

Mostly marketing and targeting the audience who has money to spend and is willing to spend it. Do you really think there are that many people out there who grew up watching the Man from UNCLE who would now spend $50 to have it in a DVD set? I doubt it. Yes, many of us remember it fondly, but not many of us would line up to buy it. I might -- not certainly but might -- but looking around at friends in my age group, I would be in a very small minority by just even thinking about it.

Mark To · 05-14-2004, 03:40 PM

Its funny but when I was in my 20s and trying to get a career going, I didn't have money to spend on hobbies and the like. Its only in the last 15 years that I've made enough that I can afford to indulge myself and I alot about a grand a month to buying what I want, including records, CDs and DVDs. I just find it amusing that now that I have more disposable income than at any time in my life, I'm looked upon as being someone who shouldn't be marketed to and someone who won't buy products targeted at me. Strange.

Scott_F_S · 05-14-2004, 03:46 PM

Seems to me that most 40somethings with all that disposable income, though, don't spend it on TV shows on DVD. They're buying minivans and SUVs and remodeling their kitchens.

Deb Walsh · 05-14-2004, 03:58 PM

Actually, I'm a convention-going type who grew up in the '60s. Man from UNCLE is still a huge fandom, and there are probably a lot more people who would buy this on DVD than you'd expect. I'd be curious to know how the DVD release of the UNCLE compilation movies did in the UK.

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Gord Lacey · 05-14-2004, 06:21 PM

Mark, please don't take this as being rude (it's not meant to be) but how many threads do we need compaining about where all the classics are? I think many of us have outlined why we feel the new shows outnumber the classic ones; do we need to do it again?

Gord

Mark To · 05-14-2004, 06:37 PM

"Mark, please don't take this as being rude (it's not meant to be) but how many threads do we need compaining about where all the classics are? I think many of us have outlined why we feel the new shows outnumber the classic ones; do we need to do it again?"

Actually, as many as need be to get the studios off their asses and to start releasing the shows I want to buy. It's the baby boomers that created the TV collecting hobby 25 years ago. While the 20-somethings were still in their playpens, we were the ones buying VCRs for $1000 and blank tapes for $20. And, sorry, but people in the last 20 or so years have had the option (until recently) to record perfect quality off-air network masters of any shows they liked, maybe not as good as DVD quality, but still nice. For shows from pre-1978, that option didn't exist.
I actually don't mind that now that I'm over the 18-34 demographic nothing is targeted at me. What I do mind is that when I was young, no one gave a shit about targeting young viewers. The Monkees (cancelled) would have had huge ratings among young viewers, had anyone even cared about young viewers then. Star Trek (cancelled) was in the same boat. Probably two dozen more shows were in that category. I don't know anyone who was in elementary school thru High School who didn't watch Camp Runamuck and Hank on Friday nights on NBC. Needless to say, adults didn't, shows got cancelled.

Jeff_HR · 05-14-2004, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Mostly marketing and targeting the audience who has money to spend and is willing to spend it. Do you really think there are that many people out there who grew up watching the Man from UNCLE who would now spend $50 to have it in a DVD set? I doubt it.

I believe that my age group has more than enough more to afford $50 for an old TV show. I grew up watching "Man from UNCLE". Please provide evidence that we don't have the money & the willingness to spend it on old TV shows.

Quote:

Actually, as many as need be to get the studios off their asses and to start releasing the shows I want to buy.

I agree completely.

Paul Miller · 05-14-2004, 07:24 PM

Quote:

I actually don't mind that now that I'm over the 18-34 demographic nothing is targeted at me. What I do mind is that when I was young, no one gave a shit about targeting young viewers. The Monkees (cancelled) would have had huge ratings among young viewers, had anyone even cared about young viewers then. Star Trek (cancelled) was in the same boat. Probably two dozen more shows were in that category. I don't know anyone who was in elementary school thru High School who didn't watch Camp Runamuck and Hank on Friday nights on NBC. Needless to say, adults didn't, shows got cancelled.

I'm sorry you had a rough childhood ;-> But a lot of shows got canceled with good ratings at the whim of the network because there were only four networks and they controled television.

All I can say is that the people who actually spend the money has changed. In this day and age, those shows wouldn't have been canceled. You were just unfortunately born in the wrong age.

But I think you are missing something, a lot of the older shows which aren't on DVD right now are because they didn't do a good job of syndicating their product after the program went off the air.

Dick Van Dyke, Mr. Ed, Munsters, I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, Honeymooners, Columbo, Batman, Dallas, Barney Miller, and Green Acres are all out there or are scheduled to be put on DVD in the near future.

If you notice something, they all did a great job with syndication. While a Man Called Uncle was a great show, they did not.

Give the studios time, this TV on DVD thing is still rather new, they have been putting a lot of TV out on DVD and if they believe there is a market for it, they will sell it.

Paul