Enough already Fox. Are we EVER going to see WKRP released? - Page 8

chas speed · 04-01-2007, 12:44 AM

I think it's really strange that shows that were less popular and would probably make less money on dvd like Crime Story (Anchor Bay) or SCTV (Shout Factory) have a almost 95% correct music ratio. These shows had as much music (or more) to clear then WKRP and were released by smaller studios that you would assume had less money to clear the music. You have to wonder why they waited so long to release these dvd's when there was clearly no attempt clear the music rights to begin with. It's not like it took them 10 years to clear nothing.

Katherine_K · 04-01-2007, 06:55 AM

Music rights are not simply a matter of volume. The problem with clearing music in the current system is that it is done by song and it's impossible for us to know how much the particular songs in WKRP were, or if they were even available at any price.

I have a lot of sympathy for studeos on music rights, but I think there is a line at which point I wouldn't buy a set. I admittedly was never going to buy this set, but I think the combination of music replacement, double sided discs, and edited episodes would have been a killer for me.

The key words in that statement though is... for me. I'm not about to demonize Fox when I don't know the details of the music clearance in this case. And I dare say, neither do most of you. The fact that X other show from X other studeo got a lot of music cleared is irrelevent unless it was the exact same songs.

Scott Merryfield · 04-01-2007, 09:47 AM

I'm disappointed, but not surprised, by this news. Fox just saved me some money, since there is no way I will purchase this abomination.

Robert Crawford · 04-01-2007, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katherine_K

Music rights are not simply a matter of volume. The problem with clearing music in the current system is that it is done by song and it's impossible for us to know how much the particular songs in WKRP were, or if they were even available at any price.

I have a lot of sympathy for studeos on music rights, but I think there is a line at which point I wouldn't buy a set. I admittedly was never going to buy this set, but I think the combination of music replacement, double sided discs, and edited episodes would have been a killer for me.

The key words in that statement though is... for me. I'm not about to demonize Fox when I don't know the details of the music clearance in this case. And I dare say, neither do most of you. The fact that X other show from X other studeo got a lot of music cleared is irrelevent unless it was the exact same songs.

An excellent post that really expresses my thoughts on this issue. However, I won't purchase this release moreso because of the edited cuts than the music substitution issue.

Crawdaddy

pitchman · 04-01-2007, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford

An excellent post that really expresses my thoughts on this issue. However, I won't purchase this release moreso because of the edited cuts than the music substitution issue.
Crawdaddy

I agree completely, Robert. I was perfectly willing to accept (and expecting) WKRP to contain music substitutions if they were tastefully done. Since it was rumored that Hugh Wilson was involved in the process, I naively hoped it would turn out okay. But when you start by sourcing from syndicated versions of the program, then making further cuts before mastering to DVD, and you have have the audacity to label the whole thing as "The COMPLETE First Season," you are simply asking for trouble!

People here are suggesting that we contact Fox about our disappointment with the set. In all honesty, I can't imagine it doing any good. This decision was made a long time ago. It is NOT a little production error on their part. It is a calculated business ploy and one that I hope backfires spectacularly.

Lastly, where is Hugh Wilson in all of this?? He was so passionate about WKRP during its network run, I can't imagine him being happy with his creation getting such shoddy treatment.

chas speed · 04-01-2007, 01:29 PM

Wow, thank you Katherine K. for clearing that up. I now know it is not a matter of volume when it comes to clearing music rights and that they worked just as hard to clear nothing on WKRP as they did to clear hundreds of songs for SCTV and Crime Story. I'm guessing they worked so hard to clear nothing that they released some 22 min syndicated WKRP episodes by mistake. I now know that the people who put WKRP together did there best and weren't simply hacks who didn't give a damn about the show. This amazing set was 10 years in the making and I think we should really just step back in awe at what they accomplished.

Jaime_Weinman · 04-01-2007, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katherine_K

Music rights are not simply a matter of volume. The problem with clearing music in the current system is that it is done by song and it's impossible for us to know how much the particular songs in WKRP were, or if they were even available at any price.

I think given how little music is left in this set, it's fair to assume that Fox wasn't going on a song-by-song basis, trying to license the songs they could -- it was just wholesale slash n' burn. Or, to put this another way, it's a case of trying to produce a WKRP DVD set on a very small budget (which is, unfortunately, the only kind of budget the company will probably approve for a 1978 show). I can think of some shows where certain songs just weren't available or were too expensive. This isn't like that. After all, "Hot Blooded" has already appeared in two Fox TV DVDs (King of the Hill and The Simpsons have both used it).

I remember when I heard the rumor that Pink Floyd wasn't in this set, I was disappointed but assumed that this was a particular case where Fox had tried to get the song and found it was unavailable or too expensive. But given the state of the music in the set, I now have to assume that they just didn't have the budget to pay for almost any music at all -- and if that was the case, I don't think they should have been doing this set. I don't think any of us fans understood how cheaply this was being done.

As for cutting dialogue, the reason this is done is that the original elements are lost or unavailable, so they can't separate the dialogue track from the music. If the music is changed, the dialogue can't be included. But again, this is evidence of why they shouldn't have done the set if they couldn't pay for these songs.

Also, as I said earlier, even without the original elements, the original songs could still be put back because the original soundtracks are all over the place -- master tapes of the '80s syndication version, which kept most of the music, are very easy to find. (They're the basis for all those bootlegs with the original music but syndication cuts.) So either Fox didn't know where to find the original soundtracks or, much more likely, they weren't interested in putting back any of the original music. Again, if fans had known about this stuff we'd have been pretty clear that this would not be a good way to release the show.

Quote:

I think the combination of music replacement, double sided discs, and edited episodes would have been a killer for me.

Turns out the discs are single-sided, though. That makes everything OK.

Jeff*H · 04-01-2007, 04:54 PM

Another thing that upsets me about this $hitty release is that, in addition to not giving a crap what the die-hard fans think and not spending a dime to make this set worthwhile, Fox is counting on the mom-and-pop Wal-mart shoppers who watched the show way back when to see this on shelves and think "We used to love that show, let's get it". They will bring it home, pop it in and as they watch the episodes it will become very clear that there is no real music in the thing like they remembered. Fox gets away with this by their crappy little disclaimer on the set, when in fact it is misleading. It says "SOME musical content has been changed..." when in fact it should say "All the music you loved in this show has been changed, enjoy!"

mannix · 04-01-2007, 05:45 PM

with what i've heard about certain songs being replaced I will not be adding
WKRP to my collection

HenryDuBrow · 04-01-2007, 06:06 PM

It's sad that music cost so much, when these WKRP songs are not even played in full but in very short bits only. Instead of catering to the 'moms & pops' casuals, Fox should've realized the incredible cult following this show has, if you consider yourself a hardcore WKRP fan you wouldn't mind paying what it would've cost to do it right. I wonder if they will release sets beyond the first season now, what do you think?

Mark Cappelletty · 04-01-2007, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chas speed

Wow, thank you Katherine K. for clearing that up. I now know it is not a matter of volume when it comes to clearing music rights and that they worked just as hard to clear nothing on WKRP as they did to clear hundreds of songs for SCTV and Crime Story. I'm guessing they worked so hard to clear nothing that they released some 22 min syndicated WKRP episodes by mistake. I now know that the people who put WKRP together did there best and weren't simply hacks who didn't give a damn about the show. This amazing set was 10 years in the making and I think we should really just step back in awe at what they accomplished.

Either you're very naive or this is an amusing April Fool's Day joke.