Is there a ray of hope for WKRP?? (1 Viewer)

[Jaime_Weinman]

This is true. Which is why I think the apparent success of the Freaks and Geeks and SCTV sets is much stronger evidence that a show with very high music licensing costs can be sold for a higher price and still find people willing to buy it. That is, as long as the show has a strong enough following, and I think WKRP does. In fact WKRP's fan base may be somewhat similar to SCTV's (the Comedy Network in Canada used to run WKRP right after SCTV on weekdays, and because they were produced around the same time -- not to mention the fact that WKRP had some Second City people as writers -- they actually went together quite well).

 

[Dan*T]

When last mentioned, it looked as if WKRP was "on the radar" according to Fox..
Now with the apparant sucesss of The Bob Newhart Show, as well as the 3rd Season announcement of MTM. Is it too optimistic to think that we will see WKRP in the near future? (Music intact of course!)
This would probably outsell both MTM & Bob Newhart.

 

[John*D]

Probably better to use the original threads rather than create a brand new one...

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=171081


http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=227894

 

[TonyD]

thqts what i was gona say.
no more hope in this thread then all the other ones.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

Dan*T wrote (in another thread that has probably been locked by the time you're reading this):


The thing is that Fox knows, and has always known, that WKRP would sell well. The trouble is that the music would cost many millions to license and it wouldn't necessarily sell on a level that could make back all those millions (few TV shows do sell at that level, even contemporary shows). Peter Staddon said, years ago: "WKRP would be a great release if we could only afford the music clearance rights." I doubt much has changed.

I recently sent Fox Home Video a partial list of songs that would need to be licensed for a season 1 release (based on a music-changes list I compiled years ago). And did get an email from someone at Fox Home Video, in response. They said that they already have complete lists of which songs are in the show (I wasn't sure, given that MTM's record-keeping was in terrible shape when they sold their properties to Fox), and that they were still trying to find a way to bring the show out. I think that probably sums it up: if there's a way to bring it out, it'll come out, but no one has as yet found a way. I wish someone could.

 

[Dan*T]

I guess all we can do now is just hope for the best..
Thanks for your insight Jaime!!

 

[GeorgePaul]

The thing I can't figure out, to this day, is that why the issue with music rights is coming up now, when WKRP played with the music intact for at least a decade in syndication.

Maybe I'm just slow on the uptake, I don't know...does anyone have an answer for this?

 

[Paul McElligott]

When the show was being produced, they knew it would be syndicated. That's where the money was. Syndication rights were built into the original deal with the music rights holders.

No one in 1979 was thinking in terms of releasing complete seasons of TV shows, not even on VHS. The first complete season package I can recall were the Laserdisc sets of seasons 1 and 2 of Twin Peaks in the early 90s and music rights was not an issue for that show.

 

[Henry Gale]

Angelo Badalamenti just gives it away?

 

[Craig S]

Badalamenti scored specifically for "Twin Peaks". That's a VERY different situation from "WKRP", where they used "source music" - i.e., songs not specifically written for the show in question.

I'm pretty sure that for scores for film (and TV) original scores are just another part of the film, and the right to include the score with any presentation of the film is held by the film's rightsholders.

 

[Paul McElligott]

Exactly. The score of a TV show like Twin Peaks would be considered a "Work-for-hire" meaning that the publisher (the producers) and not the author (Angelo Badalamenti) retain the rights to the recordings.

 

[Henry Gale]

Thanks Craig...Thanks Paul!
See what great info my stupid questions bring out?

 

[Dan*T]

What I don't get, is that Universal is managing to release Miami Vice intact with it's original music, and selling it at a resonable price. Why can't Fox do the same with WKRP??
Am I missing something here???
:frowning:

 

[WillG]

Because the music licensing issues are different in every situation. Maybe Universal got very lucky in being able to license the music for Miami Vice at reasonable costs. For a counterpoint on how different situations can be, check out the thread that is going on right now about how Led Zepplin refuses to license "Stairway to Heaven" Not even Cameron Crowe, who has enough of a relationship with Page and Plant that he can get them to allow him the use of some of their songs, could get "Stairway to Heaven" for "Almost Famous"

Also check out the threads, if you have not done so, about the "Married With Children" theme song issue.

 

[Pavan_P]

Shout! Factory has a secret '70s sitcom coming soon...could this be it? http://sitcomsonline.blogspot.com

 

[george kaplan]

Although it would be wonderful, I'd consider it highly unlikely. I hope I'm wrong though.

 

[Brian Himes]

This was just posted on TVshowsonDVD.com:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6708

Looks like this show is coming to DVD at last. Even with some music substitutions, I will still by this.

Ooops. Sorry. I didn't see the other WKRP post. This one can be deleated.