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Looks like there's hope for WKRP! (1 Viewer)

Dan*T

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 4, 2004
Messages
537
Al right, I'm surprised that noone has yet started a thread regarding this one! Our buddies at TVShowsOnDVD.com
have informed us that WKRP is no longer dead in the water.

According to Fox: "It's being looked at and it's on the radar"
Which is great news for us fans. Obviously, there is still the huge music licensing issue. But if there's hope, it's better than nothing!
I personally would love to communicate with Fox to let them know that there is a huge market for both of their big music hitters : WKRP & The Wonder Years.
If anyone has an email or even snail mail address where we could let them know how much we want these shows, maybe it would up the ante!!
Dave, Gord, what do you guys think of this idea??

Sorry for the long post, but I'm real excited about this news item!!
 

MishaLauenstein

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 4, 2002
Messages
774
Location
Vancouver, BC
Real Name
Misha Lauenstein
With all of the cross-media ownership and mergers and such of the past decades, are any of the Music rights held by the same people who hold TV rights?

If so, do they give themselves a reasonable deal when licensing music for DVD?

If so, perhaps the cleverest thing for one of these huge studios to do is to BUY a Music company, then have the DVD division sign a bunch of long-term agreements with the Music division for a reasonable amount of money (not so small that the artists involved would sue) and then sell the Music Company and move on to the next one.

All of the big studios could do this in a round robin way, just swapping music companies with one another until all the Music on DVD clearances are done.
 

Eric C D

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
285
Just thinking of WKRP the other day, and wanted to give this a bump so it stays on people's minds - especially if anyone in influence gives this a read.

Please, oh please give us WKRP.
 

Jaime_Weinman

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Messages
786
I just don't expect it to happen. The music issues are huge, and Fox in its current state (with its sudden conversion to bare-bones releases, double-sided discs and other assorted examples of sloppiness) is not likely to take the time and careful planning the show would need to be cleared for DVD. The Seattle Times had something about this a month ago, and when they asked Steve Feldstein of Fox Home Video about it, here's what he said:


Not to bash Fox too much; getting the show to DVD would be very difficult and require not only money but a lot of work (to find out who owns all the songs, negotiate licensing agreements, etc). I just don't think we're likely to see Fox do that kind of work on an older show, even one that would likely sell well.
 

R. Kay

Second Unit
Joined
May 11, 1999
Messages
308
I'd rather have WKRP out with replaced music than nothing at all.

I wouldnt miss not hearing Journey & Foreigner.
 

Paul McElligott

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I'll say this again.

The music rights holders would gain considerably by being generous here. In a lot of cases, music used on these shows are now back catalog stuff that's not getting a lot of airplay anymore. The exposure gained via a DVD release might help generate new interest in largely forgotten acts and old material.

I guess I'm thinking too logically to be an expert in Intellectual Property law.
 

Anthony Hom

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 24, 1999
Messages
890
There were some good scenes with the original music,

Light My Fire - When Johnny beats the drunk test on air
Hot Blooded - When Les puts on his outfit for his date with Jennifer
Had Enough - When the bi-plane Les is on takes off
Smiling Face - When Johnny reads a letter from his daughter
Medley of Tumbling Dice, Danke Schoen, Straight On,, Star Spangled Banner - For the music contest when Johnny annouces $5000 as first prize.
 

Jaime_Weinman

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Messages
786
That's the thing -- some songs are essential to the scenes. That whole scene with Les trying on the wig was written at the last minute when Hugh Wilson (the creator) heard "Hot Blooded" on the radio and got the idea for the scene; without the song, the scene doesn't work. Same with the scene in the Thanksgiving episode with Mr. Carlson and Johnny listening to Pink Floyd's "Dogs." The scenes don't work without those songs.

Then there are other songs that are just played for ten seconds or so at the beginnings or endings of scenes, with no particular relationship to the scene other than to establish the reality of the rock-radio setting. Those songs could be replacable, if necessary. But again, this would mean having someone at Fox identify every song that was used, maybe consult with Hugh Wilson to identify which songs could be replaced if necessary, work out the rights issues, etc. They've shown no indication that they're going to do this. I'm pretty sure they haven't consulted Wilson, for example.
 

Peter McM

Screenwriter
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Nov 18, 1999
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Indianapolis, IN
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Peter
Don't forget "After The Love is Gone"--as Bailey laments being stood up by Johnny. Or, "Tiny Dancer"--from Ivan Papa-something, to Bailey, "with much love!"

Les: "Sonuvavichi":laugh:


quote: "Those songs could be replaceable."

No, they couldn't--for they would probably replace with music out of the period when the show was made--songs that didn't exist at the time.
 

Jon Martin

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A little off subject, but a few weeks ago I was at Disney World and I am pretty sure I saw Gary Sandy walking in EPCOT CENTER.

I wasn't sure at the time, but then someone else saw him and said "I know that guy, who is he?".

Loved the show and would buy it even without the music.
 

Jeffrey Nelson

Screenwriter
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Anyone know how much they had to pony up for music rights to get MIAMI VICE released properly? Would the sum for WKRP be similar?
 

Robert Cruz

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 15, 2005
Messages
78
Well...this is FOX we're talking about. We all saw how well they handled "In Living Color" on DVD. :rolleyes

Maybe FOX might get lucky and get the rights to most, maybe all of the songs used on "WKRP in Cincinnati". Though I'm willing to bet the DVDs, if released, will cost a little more than expected...at least $50 per season (retail price, of course). Still, it'd be worth the buy if everything was in tact.
 

george kaplan

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Mar 14, 2001
Messages
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I'd pay big bucks for this - assuming ALL of the music was 100% intact.

I wouldn't pay 2 cents (literally) for it with any music replacement.
 

Jon Martin

Senior HTF Member
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Sep 19, 2002
Messages
2,218


Really?

I honestly can't remember the music enough to have that be a factor.

I mean, there was no music when Les did his play by play of the turkeys.
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
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Mar 14, 2001
Messages
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Not at the moment perhaps, but there was certainly music in that episode (as in all of their episodes).

It's very simple. Complete, uncut, OAR, with all music intact is the only way I buy ANY tv show on dvd. That's why I don't own Kung Fu (non-OAR), Wiseguy (music replacement), Mary Tyler Moore Season 1 (music replacement), etc.
 

AndrewCrossett

Second Unit
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
274
This would have been a lot easier before 2002, when the Harry Fox agency discontinued their synchronization licensing service.

I would be willing to accept a certain amount of replaced music, but only under certain circumstances.

Songs mentioned by name (or artist) on the show would have to stay, of course.

Songs central to a scene (e.g. "Hot Blooded") would have to stay.

*Some* of the background songs would have to stay in order to maintain the late 70's/early 80's feel... in order to do that, some of the songs need to be recognizable.

And some of the background music could be replaced, but not with the crappy generic muzak that usually gets inserted in such cases. Commission new music from actual working bands that are able to reasonably mimic the music style of the period, with no anachronistic lyric references. Maintain the style of the song being replaced (ballad with ballad, punk with punk, metal with metal, etc.) Possibly, some expensive original songs could be replaced with similar songs *from the period* that are cheaper to license.

I didn't memorize every single background track that was used on the show, and I don't think my enjoyment would be significantly lessened if every single note of original music can't be retained.

I wouldn't buy WKRP with all replaced music, but I do have a compromise threshold.
 

Anthony Hom

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 24, 1999
Messages
890
Maybe they can do what That 70's show did. They kept music that was essential (someone singing along) and replaced when there was no actor involvement.

Example: They kept Love will keep us together and Bad Blood when Kitty was singing it, but they replaced The Lords Prayer and Don't pull your love when there was no one involved, although I would counter that Don't pull your love was essential since it is a breakup song and Jackie was crying and playing it.

So some things on WKRP that should stay:

Agree on Hot blooded
Our lips our sealed because Johnny's replacment mentioned the title
Light my fire - Johnny mentions the song title
Blue Suede shoes - Johnny mentions title
Music from Patton - Scene with Arthur Jr.
Dogs - Scene with Johnny and Carlson
After the love is gone - Venus playing it and Bailey being stood up
Fly me to the moon - Jennifer's doorbell
Scum of the earth songs,
all the songs on Dance Fever
Carlson reading the lyrics to Imagine
Thank god for the little girls - Venus holds album Gigi in his arms while playing it, which was replaced in syndication
Mrs. Carlson singing a Gershwin tune
Tiny dancer - He mentions the title
Hold the line - Skipping on Johnny's turntable
Boogie oogie ooogie - Venus mentions Taste of honey as artist
Chariots of fire - Venus mentions artist Ernie Watts
Having my baby - Mormon tabernacle choir
all the songs on the radio contest medley
and many more...
 

Rob P S

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Mar 22, 2002
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rob
In addition to the replaced music, some of the actors' voices have also been redubbed in the newer syndicated prints.
 

AndrewCrossett

Second Unit
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
274

See...although I personally hate "That 70's Show"...there's no excuse for that with a new show. Old shows like WKRP can be excused, because they had no idea that there would one day be a market for archived TV shows on tape/DVD.

But they knew all about that when they started making "That 70's Show" and should have secured all synchronization rights from the get-go.

The biggest music expense for WKRP would be trying to save all the incidental music that was playing in the background...on the station loudspeakers, in the DJ bullpen behind the show dialog, etc.

I can't be sure, because I haven't seen an unaltered episode of the show in probably 15 years, but I would guess there would be maybe 2-3 songs each episode that would have to be licensed to maintain the integrity of the show...maybe 1 or 2 more that would be on the bubble and could possibly be switched for similar, cheaper songs from the same period...and the rest could be replaced with soundalike stuff.

The Scum of the Earth songs were written specifically for the show, I assume, and so wouldn't have to be licensed.

Why did they re-dub actors' voices? What next...blurring out their faces too?
 

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