Fandom Babbling.
Jun. 22nd, 2006 08:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teddogI need to work on Signal Loss, so this is me trying to burn off some energy.
Okay, several points of rambling today.
Point the First: Queens Park's Review of TVOntario and What it Means to You (Or At Least Me).
For those out of the loop, TVOntario is going to be restructured. The move is going to be away from television and towards "high-tech learning". The main focus will be kids, although I'm really hoping that us adults might see something worthwhile too. Nothing is final at the moment.
It means very little, given that TVO gave away the rights to PoG years ago, or that's what how the story goes. Apparently, the company that was producing the failed CD-ROM project ended up with the rights to at least the characters. Given that Mark hinted at spin off discussions several months back, that probably means that TVO isn't an issue.
The only thing I wonder about is the "missing material". The Merril collection has seasons 2 - 5. Missing are season one, commerials, bits from fundraising drives and a few specials. For example, there's references to a special Rick Green took part in back in 1993 where he was interviewing TVOntario staff on an elevator. I hold no firm hope on locating some of this material, but SOMETHING must still exist in their records.
Point the Two: The Best of the Electric Company DVD
I've been waiting to hear how this sold. Earlier this year, Shout Factory released a box set of Electric Company episodes. Electric Company was a PBS series from the 1970s and this set was to test the demand for nostalgia driven boxed set.
Well, it sold enough to put a second set into production and there's rumours of even more sets down the pipe.
We know there's a demand for PoG DVDs; recent Frantics fans have discovered that PoG is one of the more tricky productions by Frantics members to locate, compared to Puppets Who Kill, Red Green, etc. There's also some interest in the TVO fan end, because a lot of that odd fandom is focused on kid's shows, where PoG started. The Electric Company set proves that a show that came from public boardcasting and is aged can move sets. The math should be simple.
"Best Of" sets are the only solid idea I can think of at the moment, since the contract issues with people interviewed on the show blocked the earlier DVD plans.
Point the Three: Rachie's Potential DVD Recorder.
I'm thinking of getting a DVD Recorder to preserve my VHS tapes. Some episodes are in rough shape. This could make passing around episodes SO much easier. I'm going to be reading up a bit more on the topic before buying, but that is my summer goal: to dump over my episodes.
Okay, several points of rambling today.
Point the First: Queens Park's Review of TVOntario and What it Means to You (Or At Least Me).
For those out of the loop, TVOntario is going to be restructured. The move is going to be away from television and towards "high-tech learning". The main focus will be kids, although I'm really hoping that us adults might see something worthwhile too. Nothing is final at the moment.
It means very little, given that TVO gave away the rights to PoG years ago, or that's what how the story goes. Apparently, the company that was producing the failed CD-ROM project ended up with the rights to at least the characters. Given that Mark hinted at spin off discussions several months back, that probably means that TVO isn't an issue.
The only thing I wonder about is the "missing material". The Merril collection has seasons 2 - 5. Missing are season one, commerials, bits from fundraising drives and a few specials. For example, there's references to a special Rick Green took part in back in 1993 where he was interviewing TVOntario staff on an elevator. I hold no firm hope on locating some of this material, but SOMETHING must still exist in their records.
Point the Two: The Best of the Electric Company DVD
I've been waiting to hear how this sold. Earlier this year, Shout Factory released a box set of Electric Company episodes. Electric Company was a PBS series from the 1970s and this set was to test the demand for nostalgia driven boxed set.
Well, it sold enough to put a second set into production and there's rumours of even more sets down the pipe.
We know there's a demand for PoG DVDs; recent Frantics fans have discovered that PoG is one of the more tricky productions by Frantics members to locate, compared to Puppets Who Kill, Red Green, etc. There's also some interest in the TVO fan end, because a lot of that odd fandom is focused on kid's shows, where PoG started. The Electric Company set proves that a show that came from public boardcasting and is aged can move sets. The math should be simple.
"Best Of" sets are the only solid idea I can think of at the moment, since the contract issues with people interviewed on the show blocked the earlier DVD plans.
Point the Three: Rachie's Potential DVD Recorder.
I'm thinking of getting a DVD Recorder to preserve my VHS tapes. Some episodes are in rough shape. This could make passing around episodes SO much easier. I'm going to be reading up a bit more on the topic before buying, but that is my summer goal: to dump over my episodes.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-06-22 02:53 pm (UTC)I had no idea the Merril Collection was missing Season 1. Man.
You have intrigued me with the idea of a spin off, though. I mean, more than intrigued me. Waaaaaay more! Damn you! :)
I think a Best Of would be a good way to go. As you say, it could be used to sample the market for a lower cost then producing full season sets. I want full season sets, of course, but I'll take what I could get. Hell, just doing follow-up interviews with Green, Askwith and all would be great extra feature.
Von
no subject
Date: 2006-06-22 04:35 pm (UTC)Hey. When
I've got more info about what we discovered at Merril, but I plan to update the website with it. Sorta a "User's Guide" to visiting the collection, since it was... strange. Completely not what I expected.
"You have intrigued me with the idea of a spin off, though. I mean, more than intrigued me. Waaaaaay more! Damn you! :)"
All I know is what Askwith mentioned on the Space forum, which was that he was talking with Rick Green again. Also note that Green's lately revisited all of his major projects except PoG; the Frantics got back together, he came back for the last three years of Red Green and History Bites had a few recent TV speicals.
"I think a Best Of would be a good way to go. As you say, it could be used to sample the market for a lower cost then producing full season sets. I want full season sets, of course, but I'll take what I could get. Hell, just doing follow-up interviews with Green, Askwith and all would be great extra feature."
I've always thought that the coolest thing ever would be to have the season sets packaged to look like Second Nature season sets to play along with the pirate broadcasting idea. "In the late 20th century, a simple nature show on a public broadcasting station was cruelly attacked by technological terrorists who seized control of a Canadian government satellite. Contained in this package is the evidence of the terrorist attacks from the 1990-1991 broadcasting season." I'm a dork. :)
Right now, I'm in the "I'll take what I can get!" camp. I know that Askwith was looking into some form of season sets, but some cranky people blocked it. It's same thing like with what happened with the first Space Ghost Coast to Coast set; the "likeness rights" couldn't be secured for some guests. What happened there was that the episodes with the rights trouble were dropped from the set. Bleh. A Best Of would avoid this problem.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-23 06:35 pm (UTC)That would be very, very cool. Or we're both dorks. Take your pick!
Von