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Author Topic: FOX In Trouble.  (Read 911 times)
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Eyedol7513

Liquid Emperor
**
« on: 12-22-2004 04:09 »
« Last Edit on: 12-22-2004 04:09 »

Trust me, this article (even though it's long) is worth a read. This proves FOX is going downhill now. But what sucks is that however small the chances were of 'Futurama' coming back soon, have now gone to the microscopic level. (At least for me.)

[credit to L.A. Times]

The Fox network, which drew complaints earlier this year for reality shows about gay impostors and a dwarf looking for his bride, has provoked an organized campaign against its newest reality-show creation, "Who's Your Daddy?"

Angered over a reality show they say trivializes the complex feelings surrounding adoption, a loose coalition of adoptees, adoptive parents and birth parents has launched a nationwide effort to force Fox to cancel the show's Jan. 3 broadcast.

In the show, an adult woman adopted as an infant has a chance to win $100,000 if she can correctly choose her biological father from among eight men, including seven impostors. If she chooses a fake, he will win the money. Five other father-and-child reunions have been taped but not scheduled.

Critics have deluged the network with e-mails and have requested a sit-down meeting with Fox executives. They say they are contacting advertisers and the show's producers, Hallock & Healy Productions.

A San Francisco adoptee, Ron Morgan, also is organizing a Jan. 2 protest — "Honk if You're My Daddy" — outside Fox Television Studios in Century City.

"This is a new low for the Fox network," said David Youtz, president of Families With Children From China, in a letter sent to Fox president Peter Chernin on Tuesday. "It's hard to imagine a more callous kind of exploitation than the treatment of this most private moment as a crude entertainment."

Youtz said the "circus-like atmosphere" of televised reunions "can only be painful for the many adopted persons searching or considering searching for birth parents," as well as birth parents and adoptive parents.

Without having seen the show, most protesters lashed out against the title, the use of the phrase "real dad" in a Fox news release (implying, they say, an adoptive father is not real) and the concept of rewarding adoptees with large amounts of cash for selecting the correct birth parent.

"It takes a deeply intimate, important personal experience and trivializes it, turning it into a money-grubbing game show," said Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a New York research, policy and education organization, which first alerted media and other groups about the show last week.

As of Tuesday, an estimated 5,000 e-mails had been sent to the cable network, most using a formatted protest letter provided by As Simple As That, an adoption advocacy group.

One adoptive mother in Northern California, who asked not to be identified, said in an interview, "We just want to get the damn show off the air. We will stop at nothing less than that."

She said she did not want her school-age daughter exposed to the idea that their family was not a normal family.

Fox executives in Los Angeles on Tuesday issued a statement:

"It is not the producers' or network's intention to offend anyone, but clearly the title of this special is attention-grabbing — possibly contributing to controversy. It is not indicative, however, of the special's actual content. The willing and informed participants are some of the tens of millions of adopted Americans unable to reunite with their biological parent(s). They seized the opportunity to participate, and the result is compelling.

"It is also important to note that this special, in no way, detracts from the relationship between adoptive parents and their children. In fact, most participants clearly state that they consider their adoptive par-ent(s) to be their 'real parents,' but they are curious about their family of origin."

Fox executives declined to say whether they would be willing to meet with representatives of the adoptive community, or reconsider the scheduled Jan. 3 airing of "Who's Your Daddy?"

Earlier this year, gay and lesbian activists protested two Fox reality shows, "Playing It Straight" — in which contestants were offered $1 million if they picked a straight man or straight woman from among gay and straight suitors — and "Seriously Dude, I'm Gay," in which two straight men competed for $50,000 by trying to pass as homosexuals.

According to a Fox spokesman, the first was canceled due to poor ratings, while the second never aired as a result of "creative concerns."

The two-part special, "The Littlest Groom," aired despite complaints earlier this year.

Fox isn't alone in drawing complaints about programming themes. Nearly two years ago CBS stirred up controversy among people in the South, particularly those living in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky, with a reality-based remake of "The Beverly Hillbillies." Critics complained that the network intended to humiliate people simply because they were poor and uneducated by moving them into a Beverly Hills mansion, and then filming them trying to adapt. CBS executives decided to indefinitely delay production.

Also this year, a birth parents group demonstrated against an ABC Barbara Walters' Special, "Be My Baby," which aired April 30. A pregnant teenager chose her child's adoptive parents from among several hopeful couples.

The teenager "wanted to keep her baby. Not a single adult stepped up to the plate to help her," said Barbara Shaw, media coordinator for Concerned United Birthparents. "People found that repugnant."

Television has produced many positive informative programs about adoption, including the 1995 TV movie, "The Other Mother," which told the story of a birth mother who had given up her baby, Shaw said. But she acknowledged there's also an audience for more melodramatic treatments, judging by the long-running segment on daytime's "Maury Povich Show" in which men undergo DNA testing to determine which one fathered a woman's baby.

"It saddens me to see this issue isn't taken seriously enough," said Shaw. She has located but not reunited with the son she gave up for adoption 37 years ago. "There's terrible grief and loss that lasts a lifetime."

The irony in protesting a new show is that an uproar may only increase viewer interest. "But it's important for us to take a stand on things we care deeply about," Shaw said.
Nurdbot

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #1 on: 12-22-2004 04:22 »

Reality Television is rubbish.
airbagfailure

Space Pope
****
« Reply #2 on: 12-22-2004 04:51 »

you have GOT to be kidding?... Reality tv cannot possibly sink THAT low?? those stupid 'guess if i'm gay' shows are so stupid...who WATCHES that stuff?? and how could it possibly be entertaining?
Nurdbot

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #3 on: 12-22-2004 06:17 »

Hopefully, this is a sign that Reality Television will finaly dry up a little and maybe stop so I won't have to fear turning on the TV in the spring or summer in case a Big Brother or Survivor clones leap out at me after forcing all the decent programming off the air.

Col. Klink

Professor
*
« Reply #4 on: 12-22-2004 06:50 »

Reading that list of atrocities makes me wonder If the Simpsons saw the way FOX was headed, or If FOX just got the jokes and decided it would be funny to become one of the most distasteful institutions on the planet. And to think an Australian is responsible for it all  :(

But no eyedol, this doesnt mean FOX is about to collapse. The ratings are simply too high. And they wont change as long as FOX news keeps acting as a mouthpiece for extreme conservative America.
Campaigns against the Media in the U.S like that are quite common.
You do know what the FCC's been upto right?
Teral

Helpy McHelphelp
DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #5 on: 12-22-2004 09:42 »

You will never go bankrupt by appealing to the lowest common denominator. Simply, yet incredible sad, fact about human nature.

Why else would Jerry Springer be raking in millions?
kiffan

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #6 on: 12-22-2004 12:09 »

sadly, I like the Maury Povich Show, so I can't play holier than thou, but when I saw an ad for the littlest groom, my first thought was, "who would volentaraly sign up for ths show?"
Nasty Pasty

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #7 on: 12-22-2004 12:39 »

BURN BABY BURN!!!!!

 :evillaugh: :evillaugh:
TheLampIncident

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #8 on: 12-22-2004 15:05 »

When I saw this commercial, even I thought this was going too far. And I'm usually the one doing the offending.

So go ahead you almighty protesters. Please, get this show cancelled. It's too much.
airbagfailure

Space Pope
****
« Reply #9 on: 12-22-2004 21:31 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by kiffan:
sadly, I like the Maury Povich Show, so I can't play holier than thou, but when I saw an ad for the littlest groom, my first thought was, "who would volentaraly sign up for ths show?"


Yeah i'm guilty of the maury povich crime.. but these shows are tame compared to that "Who's your daddy" show..

At least maury povitch indirectly does sometimes, sorta help people sort their shit out, by MAKING them confess to what they've been up to.

But making someone chose their biological parents from a line up is something that just shouldn't happen.. what a horrible way to fuck around with people's emotions...
Venus

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #10 on: 12-22-2004 22:26 »

my god, that's horrible.
Lrrr_2004
Starship Captain
****
« Reply #11 on: 12-22-2004 22:48 »
« Last Edit on: 12-22-2004 22:48 »

Does Fox have a limit to how far they'll go?

I hope the reality tv trend is over by 4004.

*Gets in a Cryogenic Freezer set for 2 thousand years*

P.S. Fox is far from being in trouble, it will take more than a few failed reality shows for this ship to sink.
Eyedol7513

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #12 on: 12-22-2004 23:25 »

Just a quick question. What if FOX really went out of business? What would happen to all the shows that it owns the rights to? (ex. 'Futurama') Would they go to other networks, or die along with the company? (Although I doubt that.)
And no Col.Klink, I don't know what the FCC is up to. What are they trying to do now?
winna

Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
**
« Reply #13 on: 12-23-2004 03:07 »

I think he's just talking about how the FCC is trying to weed out indecent material from any type of public broadcasting.

Fox has always taken television and twisted them in some perverse way; they did it with the gameshows (like those Who Wants to be a Millionaire rip-offs), they did it with the dating shows, and now they do it with reality tv.  It's all cheap utter crap, and they do it to make money.  Why?  Because it's cheap to produce and even if it gets ok ratings, there's profit.  What's really sad is, FOX has been capable of delivering seriously good television programming, including Futurama, Simpsons, X-files, and a countless (maybe you could count them) number of other television series.  FOX really needs to re-consider their marketing strategy, and instead of going for the quick dollar, make the kind of stuff they can be proud of again.  Proud to be that off-beat television station that says yes to television other stations say no to, but is somehow good anyways... think Married with Children  ;)
LaVaLaDy

Starship Captain
****
« Reply #14 on: 12-23-2004 03:28 »

I wonder if adopted kids enjoy being exploited by FOX. We should ask. I have to admit to waching those Maury shows though, what can I say, im addicted.
Pitt Clemens

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #15 on: 12-23-2004 03:35 »
« Last Edit on: 12-23-2004 03:35 »

HOLY SHIT!   LaVaLaDy!

I know nobody really liked "the truman show" but can we please bring back the moral:

"Lying to people for ratings is wrong."

Blesst.
Idan_Aharoni

Professor
*
« Reply #16 on: 12-23-2004 04:39 »

I think FOX is just going for the ol' "contraversy equals interest" marketing path that Rockstar enterteinment took as well. GTA and Manhunt were VERY successful because they got alot of attention and contraversy, and that what made people buy even more of these games.
The only difference is that Rockstar actually makes good games, while FOX is just making trash TV.
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #17 on: 12-23-2004 05:03 »

Believe me, reality television began its process of self-implosion long ago.  The recent drops in ratings only proves that.  Its not going to completely go away (nothing ever does, see game shows for proof) but its going to finally tone down and take a backseat to other programs again soon enough.  The networks have been riding this thing for a while, and at this point the wheels have been in danger of falling off for some time.

However, I would not signify this as the death of Fox, no where near that.  For one thing, 20th Century Fox is a much bigger entity then just the Fox network itself; remember they were already a giant coproration when they started the network in the late 80's.  And the network itself will live on too.  Remember that Fox's situation with reality television hasn't really been any worse then the other networks' in terms of ratings and all that (although one could accuse Fox of being the most disgusting and exploitive with their reality shows, and I wouldn't really disagree).

I also agree with the intention of these protests, but at the same time their methods might be bad; as noted by the article they're really just bringing more attention and potential ratings to those shows.  However, I hope that that particular show flops regardless and that the public will start to show some taste.
Nurdbot

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #18 on: 12-23-2004 08:31 »

Remember that episode of the Simpsons with the 1895 house? remember seeing the mock adverts for Reality TV shows (Tied to a Bear, Mystery Injection etc) well we'll be seeing them real soon...
Nerd-o-rama

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #19 on: 12-23-2004 12:10 »

Hopefully, FOX will kill this new bullshit (and a couple other offenses to human decency like Trading Spouses.  ABC should ditch their copy too) when they realize that the novelty has worn off and relaity TV is no longer a guaranteed moneymaker.

What are the two highest-rated new shows this year?  A scripted drama (Lost) and a scripted comedy (Desperate Housewives.)  FOX should stick to the only thing I've ever seen them do well: scripted comedy. 
Examples of good programming:
That 70's Show (while not as cool as it used to be,)
the O.C. (just shut the hell up; I think it's funny,)
and The Simpsons.

Futurama doesn't count because I define programming as both selecting and promoting and positioning shows.

I really want to see Fox Network tweist in the legal wind on this show, though...
Eyedol7513

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #20 on: 12-23-2004 15:37 »

Does anyone know the answer to my question though?

What if FOX really went out of business? What would happen to all the shows that it owns the rights to? (ex. 'Futurama') Would they go to other networks, or die along with the company? (Although I doubt that.)
User_names_suck
Professor
*
« Reply #21 on: 12-23-2004 17:10 »

They'll be fine they've still got the chemical weapons plants.

Fox won't go out of buisness its owned by Rupert Murdoch.
If it actually did (which won't happen) then I reckon the shows could go along to other networks that are willing to buy them.
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #22 on: 12-23-2004 18:53 »
« Last Edit on: 12-23-2004 18:53 »

When a company goes bankrupt, typically other companies will bid for their intellectual property.  Though certain intellectual property might never even get bought depending.  Some of the things that are bought up in the frenzy may also never be used.

But there's no way 20th Century Fox as an entire entity will go bankrupt anytime soon, so its a moot point.  Even if the network itself somehow faltered and died, the company itself would still live on.  And they would still own Futurama.
Eyedol7513

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #23 on: 12-23-2004 19:16 »

So speaking hypothetically, even if FOX went totally bankrupt (the entire company), there would be a possibility that they wouldn't sell the rights to the shows they own? That would suck. (But like you said, it's not likely to happen, so I won't worry about that. I'm just a little curious.)
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #24 on: 12-23-2004 19:23 »

Well their property would all be automatically auctioned off I think (as is my understanding anwyway), but what I meant is that its always a possibility that certain property would never be purchased by anyone (for instance perhaps no other companies would find "Normal Ohio" to be worth purchasing).  I think Futurama would be purchased since its genuinely a cash cow, but I'm just saying not every single thing in the catalog would neccesarily be purchased. 
Eyedol7513

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #25 on: 12-24-2004 04:08 »

^Ah, now I understand. Thanks for the clarification.
Col. Klink

Professor
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« Reply #26 on: 12-25-2004 23:30 »
« Last Edit on: 12-25-2004 23:30 »

As long as there are College Students there will be reality television. By definition it will never tone down. It will always be looking to expand, to grow more shocking. Because if it doesnt then people get tired of it pretty quick.

Technically reality TV is dying though. Because its spawned its succesors. Things like Event TV. Its reality TV by reasonable standards. But noone really cares. Stuff like American Idol and The Apprentice.

This is the new Reality TV. But Immature College students will always go for the oldschool distasteful shock stuff.
NoAPOlogies

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #27 on: 12-25-2004 23:38 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by DotheBartman:
Well their property would all be automatically auctioned off

And if that happens, us PEELers better save our pennies.   :laff:

Man, it's good to see Reality TV sink this low this fast. Eventually, they will hit rock bottom and someone will be killed live on Worldwide TV. Then Reality TV will end. By the looks of it, no one would sign up for these shows unless large amounts of money are offered.

But, i've said it before and i'll say it again. I'm glad Futurama is off FOX. Otherwise it may be placed in a timeslot between some of these shows. People make a lot of judegements about the company you keep, and I think it works the same way with television shows.
Eyedol7513

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #28 on: 12-26-2004 02:18 »

How much would it cost to buy production rights to 'Futurama'?
Idan_Aharoni

Professor
*
« Reply #29 on: 12-26-2004 13:00 »

A few millions, probably, give or take... and not including revenues... Nothing you can afford, really.
Eyedol7513

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #30 on: 12-26-2004 21:57 »
« Last Edit on: 12-26-2004 21:57 »

I wasn't going to buy the rights. I know I don't have that kind of money. (Believe me, if I did, I would.)
Whoopwhoopwhoop

Professor
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« Reply #31 on: 12-29-2004 19:48 »

Complaints are just that, we complain about FOX. I am sure they wont take a huge hit...
Col. Klink

Professor
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« Reply #32 on: 12-30-2004 06:14 »

Dont count Reality TV out yet. The reason they make it isnt because it makes so much money. Its because they cost so little to produce. They have really high profit margins. Im sure it'll die off, just no time soon.
Shadowstar

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #33 on: 12-30-2004 10:06 »

Yeah, it's weird. Everyone everywhere seems to complain and bitch about reality TV, but they still do get fairly good ratings. ...it's kind of like drugs in a way.
These complaints won't shake FOX. They'll just shake a stick at those people and they'll scurry away.
DotheBartman

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #34 on: 12-30-2004 23:08 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by Shadowstar:
Yeah, it's weird. Everyone everywhere seems to complain and bitch about reality TV, but they still do get fairly good ratings. ...it's kind of like drugs in a way.

Well, you also have to remember that many (not all) of the people who complain about reality television are precisely the people that don't watch it, while the people that don't complain are the primary viewers of it.  I'd say not "everyone" is complaining about reality tv.....just a more sizable amount then the networks initially realized, and the declining (finally) ratings reflect that.  The audience for reality tv, as I've said before, is I think just a lot smaller then the networks realized, and they can't hang on to that whole audience for every show when over 50 percent of the lineup is reality tv.  I think I heard the Fox fall lineup this year was about 57 percent reality tv.....it shouldn't be any suprise that many of those shows have failed.

DogDoo8

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #35 on: 12-31-2004 00:46 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by Col. Klink:
Dont count Reality TV out yet. The reason they make it isnt because it makes so much money. Its because they cost so little to produce.

Lets see, it costs Futurama around a million $ per episode and it costs around 2 and a half million per episode of American Idol.

Dosen't seem cheap to me.
ShortRoundMcfly

Starship Captain
****
« Reply #36 on: 12-31-2004 01:58 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by Shadowstar:
Yeah, it's weird. Everyone everywhere seems to complain and bitch about reality TV, but they still do get fairly good ratings. ...it's kind of like drugs in a way.
These complaints won't shake FOX. They'll just shake a stick at those people and they'll scurry away.

That leads me to wonder what demographic they appeal to. Most people complain about their distaste. I think it's mostly stupid teens and house wives. I also wonder if a few of the internet nerds who claim they hate reality TV secretly enjoy it.
hobojobo

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #37 on: 01-11-2005 22:59 »

I think that a lot of people bitch and moan about reality TV, because they know that it's horrible, but can't help watching it. I think that especially with college students and such, people need to spice up their lives with other people's experiences, and what better way to do that then watch people have insane, hrrible, once in a life time experiences on "reality" TV. As enticing as it is, the fact still remains that it's disgusting. Not only in the "eww, gross" way, but also with the "my faith in humanity has just been completely crushed" feeling you get after watching a fat, beer-drinking American do a horrible job at being steriotypically gay for cash. I really hope that reality TV does collapse soon, and I really can't see why it won't. After reading this article, I don't really see how it could become any more shocking or distasteful than it already is, and as Col. Klink said, people will lose interest. I just hope to god that they cancel the show.

Well, there you have it, all of my hatred summed up into one paragraph.
NoAPOlogies

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #38 on: 01-12-2005 02:07 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by hobojobo:
I think that a lot of people bitch and moan about reality TV, because they know that it's horrible, but can't help watching it. I think that especially with college students and such, people need to spice up their lives with other people's experiences, and what better way to do that then watch people have insane, hrrible, once in a life time experiences on "reality" TV. As enticing as it is, the fact still remains that it's disgusting. Not only in the "eww, gross" way, but also with the "my faith in humanity has just been completely crushed" feeling you get after watching a fat, beer-drinking American do a horrible job at being steriotypically gay for cash. I really hope that reality TV does collapse soon, and I really can't see why it won't. After reading this article, I don't really see how it could become any more shocking or distasteful than it already is, and as Col. Klink said, people will lose interest. I just hope to god that they cancel the show.

Well, there you have it, all of my hatred summed up into one paragraph.


Agreed. I am a college student and as unbearable as it is, I do glance at reality shows from time to time. Particularly reality shows featuring people in my demographic (Real World, Fraternity/Sorority Life, despite my often negative attitudes toward fraternities even though I am in one). I watch these reality shows though so that I can feel better about myself. These people are slime and belong at the bottom rung on society's ladder. It is amazing to see what people will do for attention.

I am not exempt from my last statement. However, when I want attention I do not degrade myself (at least not on worldwide television). Yet, attention alone does not encompass the reasons for the amount of people willing to embarrass themselves, money plays a huge role in their decision to apply for a spot on a reality TV show.

Notice how every commercial for a reality TV show always includes the amount of money the "winner" gets. I reckon that many people on reality TV shows are broke/unemployed and instead of using whatever talents they have and make money the honest way (or play the lottery), they go on a show that involves no skill, no luck and the ability to become a completely different person.

I am not sure which is worse... the depths to which reality TV has sank... or the fact that it can and will sink deeper.
Col. Klink

Professor
*
« Reply #39 on: 01-13-2005 04:12 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by DogDoo8:
 Lets see, it costs Futurama around a million $ per episode and it costs around 2 and a half million per episode of American Idol.

Dosen't seem cheap to me.

Are you nuts? You picked a terrible example. Do you know how much they rake in in advertising revenues? And the charges incurred for people to vote week after week? Its almost as if people are paying to watch the show.

Its "Event TV" Every episode is like the superbowl.
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