"WKRP" DVD redux...uh-oh...

I will not buy these.

 

One last question: Why can they license 5 or six songs in a freaking CHEVY COMMERCIAL, but they can't get a "door bell" of "Fly Me to the Moon" in a classic TV Sitcom.

Something does not compute.

 

Here's the imdb entry on "The Preacher" episode

Season 1, Episode 22: Preacher
Original Air Date: 4 June 1979
The Rev. Little Ed Pembrook's Sunday morning religious show is creating problems with the religious community. It seems the Rev (a former wrestler) is selling all sorts of religious oriented merchandise. Even though everyone at WKRP is frightened of him, Andy & Carlson finally get him to move his show to 6AM on Sundays, shorten it, and stop selling stuff. How'd they do it? They threatened to call the IRS.

The one with Imagine in it is from season 3: Clean Up Radio Everywhere.

 

Its going to be a train wreck. Music adds to the era of production. Whats next they are going to take out scenes that are not PC? I'll just keep my dvd's and re-read My WKRP Book.

 

I posted this before - the music was VERY important to them when this show was being produced. I understood that they chose to videotape the show instead of film it so they could afford to license the music for 'KRP, as the music rates were different (and lower) for a taped show vs. filmed.

They should have just finished the process and dubbed in all elevator music for the discs.

 

http://www.amazon.com/WKRP-Cincinnati-Complete-First-Season/dp/B000MXPE6U

Plenty of negative feedback there so far. I believe anyone who has an Amazon account can comment. Most of the recent reviews are giving it one star. I'd have to agree. This is a major downer.

 

You are correct Rudy. I do feel for those people. Can you imagine not knowing the show was "edited" and to see this mess of a show.



THINK about it... A show about a rock radio station, that cant have the music.


Blood: Punk rock is passé. We play hoodlum rock. It's several cuts below punk rock.
Venus: What's the difference?
DjBryan: We will never know the Idiots wont put it on disc, thats its for the disc than!

 

I wonder how this set is selling. The few people I know who were waiting years to get WKRP on DVD will not buy it now.

 

WKRP is a perfect example of what does not make sense. Unless it was a really bad show, why would a publisher or a record label charge so much as to remove the song from the show? Now they can't make any money off of it. I think what should happen is all shows that have music get a CD soundtrack of the show, showcasing the music so the record labels can make money, too.
I don't understand what the big fuss over music 30+ years old. With all the radio stations no longer playing oldies anymore (stuff before 1980), this is a once in a lifetme chance to earn residuals on the music through this renewed interest in TV shows. If not, most songs will fade into obscurity or worse yet, be themes for household products in commercial jingles. Oh yes, that would be much better.

 

Good point!

What's even more amazing is that during its network run, record labels used to go out of their way to provide the WKRP production company with music and all kinds of promotional items in an attempt to get them featured on the program. Apparently back then, the labels thought there was a potential financial upside to actively promoting their wares on WKRP. My how the times have changed...

 

I think we should have them do another show - have Les go up in the plane, and drop copies of all the removed songs over Cincinnati City Hall on garbage day.

 

I might as well ask in this thread - what did you think the lyrics were to that rock and roll song over the end credits? Did you have arguments with other people about them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN9JxVmIYhs

Sounded to me like:

One tooth bartender, foxy night of header
Sailed to the bar and then the rock and roll is here, uh-huh
I said, a good bar now, I had a velvet header
I said I'm gonna do it,
In the corner of the mirror, uh-huh

*meow*

Not as good as some of the imagined lyrics to 'Louie Louie' though

 

Wow! Good for you! Apparently that leaves you one up on the writers of the song, who made up gibberish for the lyrics.

"The closing theme was a hard rock number composed and performed by Jim Ellis, an Atlanta musician who recorded some of the incidental music for the show. According to people who attended the recording sessions, Ellis didn't yet have lyrics for the closing theme, so he sang nonsense words to give an idea of how it would sound. Wilson decided it would be funny to use lyrics that were deliberately gibberish, as a satire on the incomprehensibility of many rock songs.[3] Also, since CBS always had an announcer talking over the closing credits, Wilson knew that no one would actually hear the closing theme lyrics anyway. A character performs the song in the film Ready to Rumble."

 

Doesn't matter much since they had to cut it from the DVD. It was replaced with Thomas Edison reciting "Mary Had A Little Lamb" into the first Gramophone. Yes, of course I'm joking...

But to get back to two things:

1) The higher licensing fee for filmed shows vs. videotaped shows (which was news to me)

2) The fact that there seem to be no music licensing problems with a potential Miami Vice DVD set (don't know for sure)

I just refuse to believe that more people would want to watch MV as opposed to WKRP. MV, in my opinion, couldn't come close to holding up as well. AND those schmoes are paying more money for the licensing fees (since it was filmed)! What gives here? I think Fox could have pulled this off if they really wanted to. They're perfectly content with the public shelling out its hard-earned cash so long as they don't have to shell it out first. Screw them!

 

I would tend to think this wouldn't be a problem. Since Jan Hammer was contracted to compose the music specifically for the show, they own it.

As for WKRP, I tried to post a review on Barnes & Noble.com explaining the lack of music (with a 1-star rating), and they apparently refused to post it.

 

Yes, but what about all of that Phil Collins, Sheena Easton and Glen Frey, etc. music?

 

Depends on the original sync rights agreements at the time...

 

Maybe you're right, but I'd watch a first or second season Miami Vice episode any day of the week over a WKRP....unless they had bonus material of Bailey in a bikini or some such....



Those first two seasons were pretty well-done, very moody, neat story lines, excellent guest stars.

I own the first season MV DVD set, and I've been meaning to get season 2.

 

They told me they were going to keep a lot of the music.

Just when you think you've read everything! Nothing like believing what a megacorporation tells you without bothering to follow up on things. Way to go, Hugh!

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7201

 

An update to the above:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7212



Seems to me FOX has no trouble paying for licensing the music clips used in The Simpsons.

All FOX needs to do is take some of the profits from one of their smelly new movies, and they'd have plenty of $$$ for licensing music for the WKRP DVDs.

 

Yes, the ultimate irony is between WKRP and the Simpsons. Both shows have used the Patton theme (Patton is owned by FOX) but the Simpsons, they keep it in, and on WKRP, they sub it out.

 

Yeah, I definitely would believe that the sales expectations (based on similar 'vintage tv' dvds-heck that's how fox probably predicted it) - these dvds dont move until they are priced cheap and unless someone at high up in fox (not likely - I'm reminded of the quote from the cast of married with children at their shock that the show was dropped with no fanfare despite the fact it was chiefly responsible for breaking the network into the big time) was really, really keen on it getting out on dvd properly that they would green light an ignore of budget worries they are going to go the safest route.

As we all know from music forum that licensing music is a big cost (I dont have the dvd to quote, but in the commentary of Bring It On the director states the high licensing fee for the 30 seconds of an 80s hair-metal track during the tryouts) but Fox's real disaster (havent seen the WKRP DVds but I have seen the Charlies Angels - and juding from comments its the same situation) is the terrible picture quality, often varying episode to episode - looking exactly like the video dups shown on reruns but with the 'added bonus' of the grain being completely locked to the image like a digital window -- it amazes me that they even think that $30 is reasonable in the first place; for a major dvd producer to produce dvds with the image quality of a budget label (without the accompanying price!!) is amazing.

 

It's another example of the music industry not making any sense. This is why it seems to be always in trouble.

 

Im suprised a Station with WKRP call letter did not want $$$ to.
Whats next a GM car in a new movie had to be replaced, BUT wait that will increase sales.
"Can you dig it my Babies"

 

There was a WKRP-AM in Georgia at one time but isn't there now. Here's a quote from former PD Dan Hughes.....

............" Now: General Manager at WPCD-FM and teaching Broadcast Performance and Broadcast History at Parkland College, Champaign, Illinois. Dan also conducts short seminars on old-time radio and the early days of television.
Dan remembers, "There really was a WKRP, and it was in Dallas, Georgia--kind of a suburb of Atlanta. As program director, I was often interviewed by stations around the country wanting to talk to the real WKRP. Alas, the fantastic call letters did not translate into commercial success (not a lot of business in rural Georgia, and as a low-power daytimer we didn't have a lot to offer the Atlanta market), and the station is now dark. But what I time I had in the year-and-a-half I was there!"...............

I'm bothered that Fox compares this to sales of the Mary Tyler Moore show. The audiences for the two are completely different, the age groups. The MTM show was designed more for the 40's and up crowd who now are in their 70's, at least that's my take. WKRP was more for the teen thru 30's crowd. I'm 48 now and back then it was a must to see. We never watched MTM. Using the same concept in a statement, a record company could say they sold 5,000 copies of a Bill Haley disc so why should they reissue the Sex Pistols.

Everything about this smells, plain and simple. We'll probably never see another volume and certainly never see it done right.