|
*Cover Story: Jim Lange *Ratings Up for Password *Anyone Can Play Ends Season *Kristen Out of The Mole *Crosswords Unlikely to Return *CBS Renews Password *Last Word: Future Cover Stories *Last Word: More on Crosswords *Last Word: GSN Live Expands *NEW! Classic TV Theme Singalong 2  Most Affluent Viewers Broadcasting and Cable is reporting Sony will tell advertisers its U.S. programs and related online properties draw people with a collective $346 billion in annual buying power. The figure was derived from a Nielsen survey. The prospectus indicates people watching Sony shows spend an average of $4,200 a year per household on packaged goods. Wheel and Jeopardy! continue in the 1-2 rankings in U.S. syndication. Sony recently purchased the company which owns the rights to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.  Sold to U.K. Group The deal was announced Wednesday night by Variety in a story by Michael Schneider. The sale comes at a time when a variety of deals are reported in play for several independent game show and game opera producers. Burnett is reported on the verge of selling his own company to International Management Group (IMG), which packages sports programming and handles management of a number of pro athletes, including Tiger Woods. Earlier, Variety reported NBC Universal may be considering a purchase of All3Media. The deal is not expected to have any impact on 5th Grader, which returns as a Friday night offering in the fall on Fox and is reported to be a strong candidate for daily syndication in the fall of 2009.  Recap of First 5 Episodes of Mole &nsbp; July 14, the network will offer a one-hour recap of the first five episodes of the mystery game from 9-10 p.m. (EDT/PDT). The sixth installment follows at 10 (the show is pre-empted July 7). Monday night, Victoria Garza of Bishop, Tx., whom many online viewers had pegged as The Mole, was executed. In her weekly analysis, first season contestant Kate Pahls recaps key moments during Monday night's game and offers insight into who the top suspects are now that Garza is gone. Kate Pahls (.wav)  It Was Like When They First Began Monty Hall and Stephanie Edwards (who was only two weeks away from leaving ABC's A.M. America) co-hosted the event May 15, 1975, on ABC. In the opening sequences, audience shots pick up Bob Stewart and his Pyramid staff, along with Bob (Captain Kangaroo) Keeshan. The event aired from 1:30-3 p.m. (EST) on ABC, pre-empting Hall's Let's Make a Deal, The $10,000 Pyramid and The Big Showdown. A You Tube sequence takes you back to the opening introductions from Hall and Edwards, as well as Tattletales host Bert Convy belting out a country song. A second link takes you to a brief address on the telecast from Academy chairman John Cannon, whose voice introduced Garry Moore and Steve Allen for all 15 years of I've Got a Secret.  Strong Sales for Syndie Daytime Deal The distributor is expected to have all of its upfront inventory in the series and Access Hollywood sold out by the end of this week. NBCU's senior vice president of ad sales Bo Argentino told Television Week a number of advertisers wanted to be in on the ground floor of Deal as a daily show. The premiere of the daytime Deal, which boasts a $250,000 top jackpot, is September 22. On the network, the season finale of the Howie Mandel-hosted game is next Wednesday night.  Think Like a Cat Game Show for GSN The show debuts Nov. 15. Auditions will continue through Aug. 3 for the game which promises up to $1 million in cash and prizes. Upcoming locales for tryouts: Tampa: Grand Hyatt, Tampa Bay, 2900 Bayport Drive, June 28 (10 to 4), June 29 (noon to 6)Full audition information is available at: MeowMix.com.  Family Trust Game, Fitzsimmons Emcees Broadcasting and Cable reported Monday the pilot has been shot in Santiago, Chile, for economic reasons. The game is being pitched to all networks and is not guaranteed as a lock to go on Fox. In the format, families of five are offered a $1 million trust. They can keep or lose the trust by winning a quiz. Each wrong answer costs them money but a final bonus question provides an opportunity to double whatever amount is left. The show was created by Tom Brunelle and Matt Gaven. FTVS is also looking for international sales for the game.  with Robert Q. Returns July 13 Name replaces I've Got a Secret nightly in the 3:30 a.m. (EDT/PDT) slot after What's My Line?. Robert Q. Lewis hosted the game for three years that was actually, along with It's News to Me on CBS, an earlier answer show to Line than was Secret (premiering in 1952). In the show's final year, Lewis left to concentrate on a CBS variety show and was replaced by a rotation of Dennis James, comedians Bob and Ray and linguist Clifton Fadiman. Name may have had a longer run had it not been an ABC property at a time when the network had approximately 40 percent of the affiliates of CBS and NBC. Lewis, who later took over for Merv Griffin on Play Your Hunch and was a frequent substitute host for Bud Collyer on To Tell the Truth in the 1960s, died of emphysema in 1991 at the age of 71. TUESDAY, JULY 1 Cash Cab, Discovery, 6-7 (E) Bingo America, GSN, 7-7:30 (E) Family Feud, ION, 7-8 (E) Lingo, GSN, 7:30-8 and 11:30-12m (E) Celebrity Family Feud, NBC, 8-9 Wipeout, ABC, 8-9 Moment of Truth, FOX, 8-9 America's Got Talent, NBC, 9-11 I Survived a Japanese Game Show, ABC, 9-10 Deal or No Deal, CNBC, 9-10 (E) I Love Money: All-Stars, VH1, 9-10 Chain Reaction, GSN, 11-11:30 (E) (D) Debut (R) Return (S) Special (E) Encore In many cities, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! air in prime time access between 7 and 8 p.m. (ET/PT). In selected cities, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire airs in the same evening slots in syndication. Stu Shostak Show (E) 7-9 p.m. (ET), 4-6 p.m. (PT) 1-888-SHOKUS-5 shokusradio.com (and you better sing along) |
 AT THE WHEEL The seven-figure jump is the biggest quantum leap for the show since moving from $25,000 to $100,000 as the premium cash total. Wheel executive producer Harry Friedman told TVgameshows.net via e-mail: "Season 26 on Wheel Of Fortune will feature the Million Dollar Bonus Round. This week's 'sneak peek' announcement will be followed by a formal press release next week to coincide with the start of production." The series begins its 26th syndicated season and 35th overall (including the NBC daytime years pre-syndication) in September. For the 24th consecutive year, Wheel finished as the top-rated series of any kind in syndication, a streak unprecedented in television history. Sister show Jeopardy! has staged two tournaments with $1 million and $2 million payoffs and its main Tournament of Champions, held during most seasons, increased its top prize to $250,000 five years ago. Only Who Wants to Be a Millionaire currently offers contestants the option of a daily $1 million payoff but the show has not had its top jackpot captured since Oklahoma schoolteacher Nancy Christy in 2003.  JIM LANGE: TV's FIRST MILLION DOLLAR EMCEE More than a decade before Who Wants to Be a Millionaire took ABC by storm, the former Dating Game host was presiding over The $1 Million Chance of a Lifetime. A word game that sent married couples into competition, Chance of a Lifetime resulted in nine winners over its year-and-a-half tenure. Based on a 25-year annuity, some of those couples who took the full value are still being paid today. The show, distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures, had a short shelf life largely because of four words: Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!. Tossed head-on against the two toughies in most markets, Lifetime never gained traction with viewers. In fact, in some of the nation's biggest markets, station managers would not even take a chance of Lange's biggest-money game. In this week's TVgameshows.net Audio Cover Story, Lange recalls the ups and downs with Chance of a Lifetime, the show that cemented him in television---ABC's The Dating Game, his year in 1984-85 with The $100,000 Name That Tune and his pre-game show career as the announcer for Tennessee Ernie Ford's ABC daytime show.  FOR PASSWORD SUNDAY NIGHT Despite arguably the poorest gameplay of the summer series from both celebrities and conventional contestants, Password drew 8.5 million viewers, up four percent from the previous week. The 1.7/5 rating in 18-49 age viewers was up 13 percent from the 1.5 of last Sunday. In 25-54 age demos, the game shot up to 2.5. Online fans have been relentless in their commentary on former Sopranos regular Steve Schirripa's bonus game play as the episode led to the poorest end game result of the series. In other ratings news, Variety reported an encore of the premiere of ABC's Wipeout (airing 7-8 p.m. Sunday) scored a 1.7/6 in 18-49s while attracting five million viewers (despite a 2.9/6 rating overall). Friday night, the premiere of ABC's Dance Machine laid an egg with a 1.0/4 in 18-49s, matching the number of a first-run edition of the canceled Duel in the following hour.  SEEKS NEW PLAYERS The show's executive producer, Stu Shostak, says changes are in store for the game for next season but more players are needed. For the 2008-09 season, the game is tentatively targeted to air live. Series creator Ron Greenberg is reformatting the show to open up the format. Shostak is placing an all-points call for contestant registration for the fall season. To register, go to the Shokus Internet Radio official website and following the links to Anyone Can Play contestant registration. Shostak is specifically recruiting new competitors who have not previously played the game.  INSIDERS SAY CROSSWORDS UNLIKELY TO RETURN In the spring, Crosswords was surprisingly given the nod to come back by at least 150 stations. The Ty Treadway-hosted half-hour would have been the lowest-rated game show in television history to earn a renewal. The game, created by Griffin months before his death in 2007, only managed an 0.8 average rating for the 2007-08 season. A number of media analysts were stunned at the pickup despite the game's cheap economics. Two weeks ago, three major trade publications reported Program Partners, supervising producer for the game, was giving local stations three options for the fall: airing repeats of Crosswords or taking either of two replacement series. A key source close to the show, speaking on anonymity, told TVgameshows.net the game was on shaky financial ground at the end of its first season of production and the low ratings are making a return unlikely even at midseason. Crosswords provided a perilously weak lead-in for WNBC's early evening local news block in the fall of 2007 and registered no time period wins in the 50 largest markets.  MOLE PREPARES FOR RECAP IN TWO WEEKS Good thing. Monday night, the 35-year-old neuroscientist became the fifth player executed from the game. Host Jon Kelley said the quiz resulted in a tie. Kristen was eliminated after completing the quiz one second after her deadlocked competitor. The game is pre-empted next week. In two weeks, ABC attempts to bring more viewers to the show with a one-hour recap of the first five episodes (9-10 p.m., EDT/PDT). A new episode follows. The Mole, which was ABC's top-rated new show in 2000-01, has failed to gain traction in this revival. To date, the show has averaged barely four million viewers.  CBS WANTS MORE EPISODES The network is ordering six additional episodes of the classic game remake. Unspecified is whether the shows will continue this summer or be used in the traditional sacrificial lamb Wednesday night slot against American Idol next January. Password is averaging 9.5 million viewers for its four telecasts and consistently has won its time slot in 25-54 age adults (2.6/8). The June 22 episode with Steven Weber and former Miss USA Shanna Moakler, easily the least-prominent celebrities to date, fell to 8.3 million viewers but still finished 12th for the week in the Nielsens. This Sunday night, country singer Sara Evans and former Sopranos star Steve Schirripa are the celebrity players. An embedded preview of the episode is offered above. CBS airs an encore of the second Million Dollar Password Thursday at 8 p.m. (EDT/PDT).  NEW GAME SHOW FOR ABC The show's associate contestant producer Kristina Hauser is looking for couples with children between the ages of seven and 21 to compete. A flyer touts the show as seeking "outgoing and fun families with a lot of personality." Promotional material indicates "we bring the game to you." To be considered as contestants, send your name, contact information, a picture of your family and your home, a brief biographical sketch of each family member and their ages, what home improvements you could use and a brief description of why you want to be on the show. Interested families are asked to call Ms. Hauser at (310) 727-3337 and ask for Katrina. Please mention TVgameshows.net if you saw the information here. You can also e-mail the picture and information to tvshowcasting@yahoo.com. A website is available at: 3ballcproductions.com/casting.  THE LAST LINE: DALY'S SURPRISE AND WHY A CLASSIC FINALLY ENDED An odyssey of nearly 18 years was over for television's most enduring panel game show. Line committed the cardinal sin of losing too much audience. Too many of those who remained loyal were considered too old to sell premium products. John Daly's career began and would end in news but he would forever be known to America as the host of What's My Line?, even though he preferred the term panel moderator. More than 1,600 occupations had been trotted before assorted quartets on Sunday nights at 10:30. More than a 1,000 mystery guests had challenged the panel, including evenings where two mystery contenders were introduced. Mission: Impossible would be in the slot the following week but for one final time, with the class of an elegant parlor, Daly and his fabulous four would engage in their traditional fun and games. In Part 7 of TVgameshows.net's series on the history of the classic panel game, the last episode is recalled and perspective offered on whether changes may have prolonged the veteran half-hour. Part 2: Moving to Sunday Nights Part 3: Line Through the Fifties Part 4: The Voices, the Stars & the '60s Part 5: Daly & Kilgallen.....Stalwart and Tragedy Part 6: After Dorothy: Sinking Slowly in the Nielsens  Our Cover Story interviews upcoming: Jim Lange (Sunday, June 29) and sportscaster Tim Brando (Sunday, July 6). Brando will talk about the 20th anniversary of his audition to host Wheel of Fortune. He'll tell about how he learned Merv Griffin had selected retired San Diego Chargers kicker Rolf Benirschke for the job.....We can tell you in a few words why the audience dropped for Password Sunday night: bad game play and lightly-known celebrities, including one who had no business even being out there.....TVgameshows.net has learned a financial issue is also behind the extremely late decision for the suspension of production on Merv Griffin's Crosswords. We would be very surprised if season two becomes a reality.....Details are forthcoming but GSN Live is about to expand to six hours (3 to 6 p.m. Eastern and Pacific will be added) and the second three hours will have a different co-host team. For legal reasons, TVgameshows.net and its webmaster cannot examine or listen to any personal proposals or portfolios for new game shows of any kind. Creators or developers are encouraged to seek out entertainment agents in New York, Los Angeles or Nashville to consider their ideas. Producers or distributors will not look at proposals without agency representation. Unsolicited pitches will usually be returned unopened, for legal reasons. TVgameshows.net cannot be responsible for providing information or recommendations on specific agents or agencies for legal and journalistic reasons, based on the professional advice of an entertainment attorney. You must do such research on your own. TVgameshows.net is a non-incorporated news website. The material used is the creation of the webmaster, unless otherwise noted. Use of stillframes from broadcasts is part of fair use news arrangements. Any reproduction or other use of the accounts published here without the expressed written consent of TVgameshows.net is strictly prohibited. At no time has TVgameshows.net ever been offered for public sale, such as in a stock offering or any financial transaction. Any attempt to engage in such practice without the written consent of the website owner is illegal and strictly forbidden.   Miss Francis' gowns by Bonwit Teller (c) 2008 TVgameshows.net. All Rights Reserved. |
 June 30-July 6 July 7-13 July 14-20 June 12: Betty White vs. Susie Essman June 8: Rosie O'Donnell vs. Tony Hawk   to Women as Remake Hosts Former Living Single star Kim Coles has been tapped to host a pilot for a remake of Dating Game. Standup comedienne Judy Gold will preside over a new pilot of Newlywed Game. The two shows, with roots dating back to 1965 and 1966, have only had one woman host over the years, Elaine Joyce---who emceed The All-New Dating Game in its 1986 revival in syndication. GSN has not set a start date for the shows if the pilots are successful. Michael Davies' Embassy Row is supervising production of the new versions. The last attempt at the two shows were from 1996-2000 (though the final season was all repeats). Sony's shot at dramatically retooling the shows with younger hosts and significantly altered formats bombed in 1996-97. Despite low ratings, both games were renewed for 1997-98 with the promise to stations of returning to the original formats. Original host Bob Eubanks was brought back as host and executive consultant for Newlywed Game and Chuck Woolery, with 11 years of experience as host of Love Connection, was ushered in as emcee of Dating Game.  On Walk of Fame Burnett and several other network stars and producers will be presented their spot on the Walk next year. Survivor, debuting as a Wednesday night summer series in 2000, promptly took American television by storm and temporarily made household names of its original cast of contestants, including convicted tax felon Richard Hatch and his archnemesis Sue Hawk. In the last two seasons, Burnett has migrated into conventional game show production with mixed success. His Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? has been a solid performer for Fox opposite his own Survivor and may be headed for syndication in 2009. However, Burnett's Amnesia and My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad were quick casualties as replacement shows during this year's writers' strike.  Traffic, Now Owns Millionaire Variety reported SPT has closed the deal to buy 2waytraffic, the Dutch production company which owns Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and a number of other international game show, reality and variety show properties. The cash deal was for an estimated $223.5 million. Millionaire is the crown jewel in the purchase but Sony now controls more than 8,000 of annual programming in 40 countries. 2waytraffic bought Millionaire originator Celador two years ago for more than $200 million. In an ironic twist, the buyout brings producer Michael Davies full circle. Davies has a development deal with Sony Pictures Television, which has produced Chain Reaction, Grand Slam, CBS's Power of 10 and the forthcoming revivals of The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game for GSN. Davies developed Millionaire for ABC in its big splash that dominated network television from 1999 to 2001. The purchase gives Sony production control of the three most popular game shows in U.S. syndication. However, Millionaire will continue to be distributed by Disney.  Beachum's Saving His Cash from Jeopardy! His strategy worked. Three weeks ago, the Mississippi State University senior came away with the title, adding another national laurel for the Southeastern Conference. While life in Starkville is not terribly spectacular except during last fall's bowl season football weekends, Beachum has a big future ahead of him. He leaves in two weeks to begin his service as an Air Force officer. Beachum is a walking, talking recruiter for the Armed Services after his time in Air Force ROTC at MSU. In this week's Up Close interview, Beachum tells TVgameshows.net listeners about his journey to qualify for the college tournament and his plans for the $100,000 prize.  for a Day Pitched to Nets, Syndicators Thousands of women did over the show's nine-year television history and ten years prior on radio. Now, the ultimate sob story game show appears primed for a comeback. RDF USA is pitching a revival to broadcast and cable networks after obtaining the rights from the family of show creator Ray Morgan. The game began on radio in 1945 and moved to television on NBC in 1955. Within a year, the show's ratings soared to the point NBC expanded Queen to 45 minutes in order to accommodate more sponsors. By 1960, after a bitter contract dispute, Queen moved to ABC but with fewer affiliates in the lineup, the game never recaptured its old dominance, though it continued for four more years. The format featured four or five women telling hard-luck stories, often of husbands or other family members with physical afflictions, and audience applause determining the winner. The daily honoree received "prizes fit for a queen" which were typically items the show could plug. Michael Wortsman and RDF USA's Chris Coelen and Greg Goldman will be executive producers. Coelen says the format is being revamped for a contemporary audience. : A short-lived revival in 1970 was hosted by Dick Curtis. Earlier in this decade, Lifetime Television offered a one-night, two-hour Queen special with Mo'Nique as emcee. The special was universally panned, as was Mo'Nique's performance.  Favorite, Tapes Revival for BET Lineup Taping is underway at Tribune Studios in Hollywood for the new version. The new edition is promising a "cast of well-known comedians." Miguel A. Nunez Jr. is the host. A premiere date has not been announced by BET programmers. Keep Talking premiered in the summer of 1958 as a summer replacement for the canceled Eve Arden Show on CBS. A young Monty Hall was its first host. The game moved to Sunday nights with Carl Reiner as host in November 1958 as the replacement for The $64,000 Question after the latter's cancellation amidst the quiz scandals. ABC picked up the show in 1959-60 with Merv Griffin as emcee. Among the popular comics who were regulars on the original: game show legends Pat Carroll, Morey Amsterdam, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean and Joey Bishop.  on Whammy!, Outcome of Price Is Right Competition The entertainment trivia remake of Jackpot! paved the way for the St. Louis native to emcee another sequel, GSN's Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck. Mother's Day, a GSN marathon reprised several favorite episodes of the series, including one with three of classic TV's all-time favorite moms. Newton went on to host Powerball Instant Millionaire in syndication and Performing As.... on Fox and had a supporting role on CBS's Game Show Marathon. In the last five years, Newton was a finalist for both NBC's Let's Make a Deal and to succeed Bob Barker on The Price Is Right. However, that breakthrough game show continues to elude him. Now a host on Home Shopping Network (HSN), Newton is plowing into his new role as the next chapter of his broadcast life. In a special TVgameshows.net Up Close interview, Newton discusses the experience of coming close in the Price competition and offers TVgameshows.net readers a free sample of his new occupation as a personal life coach.  Still Enjoys Being Remembered by Fans "Thanks for remembering," he said after a Cover Story interview with TVgameshows.net The comedian had just stepped off the set of GSN Live. Told a frequently asked question was what happened to him after his game show career ended, Rafferty was flattered and also denied he had morphed into CBS/ESPN basketball commentator Bill Raftery. Now a regular on Retirement Living TV, Rafferty---whose career took off after four years with NBC's Real People---has no regrets on not continuing as a game show emcee after his shots with Sharks and a remake of Blockbusters ended. "The television business was changing and it was getting harder to clear time slots for game shows. A lot of general managers just didn't want them," Rafferty said of the era of the late 1980s. In this interview, Rafferty brings up memories of his first game show, Every Second Counts, and his years of working for game show legend Mark Goodson. to TVgameshows.net |