CBS Press Release: Petticoat Junction Season 3 (1 Viewer)

[Ron1973]

...but this is CBS we're talking about. As the last 2 seasons had the double-whammy warning on the back, what were those DVDs like?

Also for the person who mentioned Fox and Green Acres, doesn't MGM have the rights to that?

So did The Beverly Hillbillies and I couldn't find any edited episodes. I believe it is Fox who has Green Acres. I posted a news article a few weeks ago that some company is going to re-release the first three seasons but no news on the other seasons.

 

[Matt Hough]

Fox distributes MGM-owned product.

 

[Everett S.]

I think Walmart is a great place to shop for lots of things.

Some of the sales people lie. I over heard one saying Plasmas did not last, that's why we don't carry them. I asked why he said that & he said that's what he
was told.

 

[John Hermes]

Some of the sales people lie. I over heard one saying Plasmas did not last, that's why we don't carry them. I asked why he said that & he said that's what he
was told.

Maybe it's not so much a lie, as people not knowing what they're talking about. Not that that's something to crow about either. There are lots of uniformed people out there in the electronics field, and not just at Wal-mart.

 

[JoeDoakes]

Some of the sales people lie. I over heard one saying Plasmas did not last, that's why we don't carry them. I asked why he said that & he said that's what he
was told.

I think it's important to distinguish "lies," which are deliberate attempts at deception, from merely erroneous statements. At one time, plasma tvs had a much shorter lifespan that other types of tvs. Walmart's policy may have been made at that time. My understanding is that the life span differences between plasmas and other tvs have largely disappeared in recent years. The salesman may have been inadequately informed.

 

[Ron1973]

I think it's important to distinguish "lies," which are deliberate attempts at deception, from merely erroneous statements. At one time, plasma tvs had a much shorter lifespan that other types of tvs. Walmart's policy may have been made at that time. My understanding is that the life span differences between plasmas and other tvs have largely disappeared in recent years. The salesman may have been inadequately informed.

No telling where THEY heard it at to begin with if it wasn't Walmart policy. I've worked at jobs where a customer comes in and gives misinformation they've heard somewhere, misinformation I know is false. On the other hand, if you don't know it's false..........

 

[Ron Lee Green]

Some of the sales people lie. I over heard one saying Plasmas did not last, that's why we don't carry them. I asked why he said that & he said that's what he was told.

I have a friend who has worked at Walmart for the past ten years, so we share stories about our jobs. She has worked in the school and office supplies deartment and is very knowledgable about the subject because she had prior experience working in an "mom-and-pop-type" office supplies specialty store before they went out of business (probably because they couldn't compete with Walmart).
Anyway, my friend said Walmart cut labor so they put her in charge of the arts and crafts aisles, too (a subject she knows nothing about). Some of her duties include measuring and cutting yards of fabric from those big bolts for customers. She says the customers are always asking sewing-related questions because people assume she is a seamstress. She says she is always honest and tells the customer she doesn't know because its not her regular department. She's looking forward to retirement next year!

 

[Frank Soyke]

It just never ceases to amaze me how the largest retail conglomorate in the world doesn't have "enough money" to adequately staff their stores, train their workers on what they sell, or pay their employees livable wages and benefits.... oh yeah, I remember now, the government is too scared to p... them off

 

[Astairefan]

The Syndication Bible doesn't show any edited episodes available at all but shows all that's available for distribution is the network versions with a running time of 25 minutes. Going with that, there shouldn't even be edited episodes at all.

Honestly, I'm hoping very much that you are right. I'm just being a bit paranoid about this one, since it is one of my favorite shows. Obviously, those that get it in stores can probably check on the case to see what the correct running time is, but for those who preorder it online, that makes it a bit more difficult (since Walmart's site is showing the running time from the press release). So is there any other way to find out, or are we waiting for the first of the month to find out?

 

[Dave Lawrence]

Honestly, I'm hoping very much that you are right. I'm just being a bit paranoid about this one, since it is one of my favorite shows. Obviously, those that get it in stores can probably check on the case to see what the correct running time is, but for those who preorder it online, that makes it a bit more difficult (since Walmart's site is showing the running time from the press release). So is there any other way to find out, or are we waiting for the first of the month to find out?

I don't think you're being paranoid. It's a very reasonable concern since this Walmart/Sam's Club deal is a brand new thing.

Unfortunately, the one TV/DVD "news" site that could have started investigating and asking some questions about the runtime concern is apparently managed by people who are figuratively taking the 5-year-old boy approach of sticking their fingers in their ears and going "I can't hear you! I can't hear you!" to try to avoid/deny the existence of these forthcoming DVD releases which many people have waited on for years.

 

[Gord Lacey]

This will be my one and only post about this, and I won't be checking back to see people slam me for what I have to say...

This policy has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Amazon. Amazon has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in their agreement that says you can't link to other retailers, or talk about other retailers. Nothing. Not a thing.

The policy started around the time studios were putting out these "bonus discs" available at certain retailers. You could get a disc with "exclusive featurettes" if you bought it at XXXX retailer. It was getting completely out of hand, with some retailers getting some featurettes, and other retailers getting other featurettes. (Sounds a lot like the recent Star Trek release, doesn't it?). The retailers were paying/exchanging services so EVERYONE wouldn't have access to that material. That's crap. Why should a fan have to pay to buy a set (and keep in mind these weren't $20 movies) at multiple stores because a retailer paid the studio for that bonus material? They shouldn't. We vowed to stop covering those bonus discs because we felt the material should be made available to everyone, not made exclusive to a single store, in a single country.

So the "new" thing (which has been going on for years) is "timed exclusive." This is where a retailer pays money/exchanging services to have an exclusive window for a product before it "goes wide." They're essentially paying to keep the product away from everyone else. That's a shitty thing to do, and doesn't benefit the people that don't shop at that stop, in the US (since they rarely make them available in Canada). This is different from Time Life getting a set (Time Life produces the sets themselves, they also ship all over Region 1). This is different from Shout! Factory (who produce the sets themselves, and only make things exclusive when no retailer wants the set). This is different from Warner Archive (who produce the sets themselves, and burn-on-demand). And yes, Warner Archive won't ship to Canada, and it's something I've repeatedly brought up with them, and I'll continue to bring up with them every chance I get (because I've yet heard a valid reason for this).

So, there you go. The expanded reason of why we don't report on these timed exclusives at a certain retailer. Agree with the policy or not, that's the reason for it. It has nothing to do with people that advertise on the site (I have NEVER had an advertiser try to influence any content on the site), or anything to do with Amazon, or any other affiliate agreements we have.

 

[Jack P]

This will be my one and only post about this, and I won't be checking back to see people slam me for what I have to say...

This policy has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Amazon. Amazon has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in their agreement that says you can't link to other retailers, or talk about other retailers. Nothing. Not a thing.

The policy started around the time studios were putting out these "bonus discs" available at certain retailers. You could get a disc with "exclusive featurettes" if you bought it at XXXX retailer. It was getting completely out of hand, with some retailers getting some featurettes, and other retailers getting other featurettes. (Sounds a lot like the recent Star Trek release, doesn't it?). The retailers were paying/exchanging services so EVERYONE wouldn't have access to that material. That's crap. Why should a fan have to pay to buy a set (and keep in mind these weren't $20 movies) at multiple stores because a retailer paid the studio for that bonus material? They shouldn't. We vowed to stop covering those bonus discs because we felt the material should be made available to everyone, not made exclusive to a single store, in a single country.

So the "new" thing (which has been going on for years) is "timed exclusive." This is where a retailer pays money/exchanging services to have an exclusive window for a product before it "goes wide." They're essentially paying to keep the product away from everyone else. That's a shitty thing to do, and doesn't benefit the people that don't shop at that stop, in the US (since they rarely make them available in Canada). This is different from Time Life getting a set (Time Life produces the sets themselves, they also ship all over Region 1). This is different from Shout! Factory (who produce the sets themselves, and only make things exclusive when no retailer wants the set). This is different from Warner Archive (who produce the sets themselves, and burn-on-demand). And yes, Warner Archive won't ship to Canada, and it's something I've repeatedly brought up with them, and I'll continue to bring up with them every chance I get (because I've yet heard a valid reason for this).

So, there you go. The expanded reason of why we don't report on these timed exclusives at a certain retailer. Agree with the policy or not, that's the reason for it. It has nothing to do with people that advertise on the site (I have NEVER had an advertiser try to influence any content on the site), or anything to do with Amazon, or any other affiliate agreements we have.

Sorry Gord, but I don't find your explanaton compelling. I find it far more "shitty" (to use your very inappropriate word) for you to deny what is *news*. *News* that is of interest to people, and with all due respect, we do not need your site to act as our nanny to decide what is in OUR best interest as far as where WE choose to spend OUR money on what WE are interested in owning. If the studio makes a deal with Walmart to make something available to the *broader* public than is done with Shout! marketing "exclusive" stuff that you have to pay *more* to get by going direct to their website, then that is *their* business and if you want to really be taken seriously as an outlet for *news* to the consumer, you should report this without comment and save your editorializing for someplace else. I for one resent your attitude, and the fact that you're not man enough to read what people think about that after you decide to boast about in this place doesn't do you any credit either. Consider yourself minus a viewer from now on, because your site is clearly not going to provide me with useful information any longer that I can more easily get here.

 

[JoeDoakes]

I appreciate Mr. Lacey posting his position here. I take him at his word for the reason for his policy, and I think it is consistent with his website's adherence to some other policies which have not been popular and which have no possible financial benefit to his website. I agree with the policy as it applies to bonus content with big releases, if only for reasons of clarity and economy (I can't see reporting on special packaging at Best Buy, a statute at Walmart and a bonus disk at Target all for the same release). However, in the case of timed exclusives for what seem to be marginal releases, I think it's different. These aren't major releases where the studios are trying to squeeze out every last bit of profit from something that will make tons of money anyway. These seem to be releases that have been shelved for years that are possibly only financially worthwhile to the studios because they can get an up front fee from a major retailer. For those fans of these shows who have been waiting and hoping years for them, a way to get them released is not "crap," it's a cause for celebration. I wish TVSHOWSONDVD would change it's policy about this. Although I will continue to enjoy and view their website, I don't expect it to change it's policy, because they never seem willing to reconsider their policies about anything. Ultimately, I think it's probably more a personality than a financially driven policy.

 

[DaveHof2]

Sorry Gord, but I don't find your explanaton compelling. I find it far more "shitty" (to use your very inappropriate word) for you to deny what is *news*. *News* that is of interest to people, and with all due respect, we do not need your site to act as our nanny to decide what is in OUR best interest as far as where WE choose to spend OUR money on what WE are interested in owning. If the studio makes a deal with Walmart to make something available to the *broader* public than is done with Shout! marketing "exclusive" stuff that you have to pay *more* to get by going direct to their website, then that is *their* business and if you want to really be taken seriously as an outlet for *news* to the consumer, you should report this without comment and save your editorializing for someplace else. I for one resent your attitude, and the fact that you're not man enough to read what people think about that after you decide to boast about in this place doesn't do you any credit either. Consider yourself minus a viewer from now on, because your site is clearly not going to provide me with useful information any longer that I can more easily get here.

Yeah, I agree with that assessment. That explanation doesn't even come close to justifying the decision. Bonus discs and extra features are nothing like full-season releases of a television series, especially one that some of us have waited years to own. It's tough to break with Gord's site - I can still remember reading the first announcements about Bewitched and The Partridge Family and so many other shows there. But now that the site can no longer be trusted to deliver news about ALL new releases of tv on dvd, I'm done.

 

[Frank Soyke]

Two words. EXCUSES,EXCUSES. Not even close to a complete explanation... I am not impressed.

 

[JoeDoakes]

One more thing, Mr. Lacey seemed offended at the suggestion that TVSHOWSONDVD's relationship with Amazon accounted for the policy, however, one reason I think people seize on it is that it at least makes sense. If someone had a client who was as important as Amazon appears to be to his website, giving the client the full Milburn Drysdale/Larry Tate degree of deference would be understandable. On the other hand, if the client was not concerned about the details of some policy, and all or nearly all of the product's readers believed the policy should be changed, one would think some serious consideration would be given to changing the policy.

 

[shoeshineboy]

I appreciate that Mr. Tvshowsondvd returned here finally to provide a rationale for not publicizing the releases of TBH and PJ... But I think it remains mostly rationalization in the face of popular opinion. The many who have waited, even given up hope that these shows would see the light of day could care less if it was distributed by Walmart timed-exclusive or an insert into a Good Housekeeping magazine. Maybe when that policy was created, the methods of distribution were more diverse; now the mortar and brick sellers are rare, and mostly it's major conglomerates like Walmart. Certainly Internet suppliers like Amazon, for example, have their own exclusive route that TVSODVD still pump, like CreateSpace ( http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Sugarfoot-Season-1/18476 )....Shout! may not be able to get shelf space in Walmart, or they've chosen to maintain a stricter control over pricing by offering those "dreaded extras" ( http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Jack-Benny-Program-The-Lost-Episodes/18323 - this I bought!)... It's neither here nor there, as his argument was based on a marketplace that is rift with exclusive and selective product offerings. Time to make a change in that policy, Gordon; otherwise you may be the next 'mom-and-pop' fighting a losing battle...

 

[TravisR]

As someone with ALOT of free time on my hands, I can't imagine wasting a second worrying about what TV Shows On DVD reports on. If you don't like their policy or see some kind of devious Amazon conspiracy afoot, don't go to their site but why waste your time engaging the owners of the site in some kind of ridiculous internet argument about something that is beyond inconsequential? We're not talking about a news channel excluding a story in order to bring about a change that they desire, it's a DVD. There's a lot more important stuff to worry about in the world.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

We have allowed open debate on this topic and both sides have spoken.

Anyone that attempts to further make an agenda about another site's policy
is going to risk having their membership removed.

 

[shoeshineboy]

I'd rather this topic avoid lockdown, so back to something truly important...While I can't argue with the eye candy of the 3 PJ siblings on the cover (especially Lori Sanders, huminahuminahumina), but funny how Kate and uncle Joe don't rate when it does to cover art. There are so many great cast members they could have included, even in a reduced clip art manner. Still, I'd be a buy in' if this and TBH came in a paper bag.