Cnn article by atomicblonde

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Cnn article

POSTED BY: ATOMICBLONDE
UPDATED: Saturday, January 4, 2003 07:41
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Thursday, December 26, 2002 5:09 PM

you guys probly already saw this but.... i copied this from cnn site today
HOLLYWOOD, California (Variety) -- Rabid fans of canceled series "Firefly" and "Birds of Prey" are pushing for a Christmas miracle.

Never mind that neither show pulled much of a Nielsen rating during its short life this fall. Supporters of the two shows are hammering email boxes at Fox, which recently doused the flame on "Firefly," and the WB, where "Birds" flew the coop.

Hoping to convince network Scrooges to reconsider, the well-organized fan groups also are taking a page from past "Save Our Show" campaigns and asking viewers to mail quirky packages to the networks.

Fans of the superhero-themed "Birds of Prey," for example, have been egged on by the webmasters at http://www.birdsofpreyonline.com to send in Batman comic books.

As for "Firefly" devotees, organizers of that show's campaign have asked viewers to send e-mails that include their demographic information. One e-mailer specified that she was a 33-year-old female and homeowner in central Ontario whose annual household income ranges between $50,000 and $60,000.

Fans have plenty of precedent on their side. Networks have been known to give a series another shot after an overwhelming response from viewers. The WB, for example, decided to pick up a second season of "Roswell" after drowning in an avalanche of Tabasco bottles sent by fans trying to make a point. (The aliens on that show loved the spicy condiment.)

Still, even as they pony up another couple thousand dollars to buy an ad in the Hollywood trade papers, fans behind these campaigns know the odds of success are thin.

"It's gratifying that so many fans are speaking up for these shows," said one network executive. "But where were they in October?"

Grrrrr where was the dam advertising in october??? jerk face!!!!

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Thursday, December 26, 2002 6:46 PM

KOBAYASHI

"It's gratifying that so many fans are speaking up for these shows," said one network executive. "But where were they in October?"

Man, that line gets me fired up!!! Where were we in October? We were watching the show, you jerk! We were in online message forums trying to piece together the plot because what we had seen so far was OUT OF ORDER!!! We were spreading the word and trying to convince our friends to give the show a chance and coming up against the same response every time, "Isn't that the show that they had to re-do the pilot? I thought it would suck..."

Geez, you idiotic network execs want INSTANT GRATIFICATION and are willing to take NO RESPONSIBILITY when you screw up!

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Thursday, December 26, 2002 8:30 PM

UFO

Had no idea someone was actually trying to save Birds of Prey.

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Thursday, December 26, 2002 10:57 PM

DELVO

Quote:
I'm sort of concerned that the Firefly campaign is being paired with the Birds of Prey one... It just seems like the media might start to think that a postcard campaign is just a knee-jerk reaction of sci-fi fans when their shows are cancelled, regardless of the show's quality.

That is very true. There are even people in deep, sick denial still trying to "save" Dark Angel. It happens EVERY SINGLE TIME now. There's nothing special about it anymore. They all shout the war cry "Remember Star Trek!" but that was long ago, before Star Trek had given fans of low-rated shows the weird idea that they matter. The article gave the only example in recent times that it's worked. There's a litanny longer than I could ever write of cases in which the fans' efforts accomplished nothing. It just gets ignored because it's so common now it's mundane. They go right on their merry way cancelling (Farscape) or destroying (Andromeda, Earth: Final Conflict). And the fans of even the crappiest, sorriest shows always insist that their show is just unique and too clever for the masses and misunderstood.

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Friday, December 27, 2002 4:21 AM

JOHNNYREB

Yes, but on the bright side, CNN has recognized our efforts. I just hope the dinks over at FUX do too and reconsider they're mistake--OR--Firefly is picked up by another Network that doesn't suck as bad as FUX. What can we do to make our campaign original?

Viva Firefly!

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Friday, December 27, 2002 4:21 AM

JOHNNYREB

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Friday, December 27, 2002 8:42 AM

BOBKNAPTOR

I'm with you, johnnyreb.... how do we make our campaign original? What cool thing can we do to stand out from the other campaigners out there? I don't like the idea of being lumped in with Birds of Prey supporters. I haven't watched anything after the pilot. I didn't hate the show, it just didn't hold my interest. Firefly is special. We have to let them know it. I had no idea that they saved Roswell by sending in tabasco bottles. that's hysterical. Makes you wonder what they did with all the tabasco.

______________
RIVER: Permission to come aboard?
MAL: You know, you ain't quite right.
RIVER: It's the popular theory.
MAL: Go on. Get in there. Give your brother
a thrashing for messing up your plan.
RIVER: He takes so much looking after.

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Friday, December 27, 2002 10:55 AM

ZERO

Quote:
Originally posted by bobknaptor:
I'm with you, johnnyreb.... how do we make our campaign original?

I agree. I say we all send in a pair of blue gloves ;)

------------------------------------------
-=ZERO=-
Check me out on WinMX, I have all the episodes in SVCD format. Any Firefly fans get free starts, just msg me.

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Friday, December 27, 2002 11:50 AM

JOHNNYREB

I LIKE IT! I'm sending blue gloves to everyone I've already written letters to. (I hope they don't take it as a threat.) I'll have to be extra nice in my next round of letters--except FOX. Who cares what they think? They don't care what the fans think.

Viva Firefly

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Friday, December 27, 2002 3:18 PM

ATOMICBLONDE

Well you have to remmeber Fox the network and Fox the production company are 2 different entities...
Fox the network only has Firefly currently on Hiatus... They still havent said cancelled, on all their sites its still listed as airing at 8pm... The yare undecided.. and say they will air the last 3 episodes...

FOx the production company is willing to work with any network that does buy the show if it is going to be for sale...
So Fox in general doesnt suck....

AS written here from the Joss yahoo group today

From Kiba:

> The show is officially on hiatus.
> FOX (the network) paid for 3 episodes which have not yet aired.
> FOX (the network) is currently holding on to the rights to air those
> episodes and has told Mutant Enemy that they intend to do so, but when
they
> do is quite uncertain.
> FOX (the network) has ordered no new episodes, but 20th Century Fox
> Television (the production company) is willing to go back to work on the
> show with new episodes if another network wants to license the show.
>
> That is all.

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Saturday, December 28, 2002 6:21 PM

JOHNNYREB

Don't get me wrong. FOX has put out a lot of good stuff. But I still won't watch the FOX network ever again, unless it's to catch whatever Firefly I can.

Viva Firefly

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Friday, January 3, 2003 8:11 PM

RIANNA5

Quote:
Originally posted by JOHNNYREB:
Don't get me wrong. FOX has put out a lot of good stuff. But I still won't watch the FOX network ever again, unless it's to catch whatever Firefly I can.

Viva Firefly

I'm with you here. The only thing on FOX *is* Firefly. From what I saw tonight, they're putting Fastlane on in place of Firefly! Has anyone at FOX even seen Fastlane?! What a waste of flim that show is! Nothing but flashy guns, cars, eyecandy and no real storylines.

Like I said, I'm with you on not watching FOX except for what (if any) Firefly I can find on it!

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Friday, January 3, 2003 9:13 PM

RAGNAROKGS

Unfortunately, the people who really matter, the nielson families, are going to watch FOX again. Some good news, though, FOX seems to be killing John Doe the same way that they killed FireFly... instead of actually airing the show they're airing movies or a special... deja vu.

I take some comfort in the fact that another show I thought had potential (not as much as FF, but hey) may be slowly but surely heading towards the same fate as FireFly. Then again, I actually kind of hope it stays on the air... its way better than most of the other trash on the air, especially on FOX.

And if I am ever hit by a truck and given brain damage, causing me to actually want to watch Fastlane, I'll just pop in my Fast and the Furious DVD... its the same damn thing!

-----
RagNaRoK *gs*
"Ich kodiere, folglich bin ich."

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Saturday, January 4, 2003 7:41 AM

CARDIE

With the internet, every show that is cancelled generates a fan campaign. A lousy show, derided by critics and cancelled after three episodes, will have some fans who sincerely believe it to be unique and special. Very few fan campaigns have ever brought back a show from cancellation. Campaigns that get started early enough can sometimes sway undecided execs who haven't made up their minds. UPN was looking for a reason to keep Roswell, and they hoped that the publicity about the tabasco bottles would boost ratings. Cagney and Lacey was brought back because the publicity about its campaign, plus personal appearances in local markets by Gless and Daly, caused the ratings for the reruns of its supposedly last season to sky-rocket.

Because fan campaigns are now expected, fans keep raising the stakes, such as sending tabasco bottles--we sent plastic eggs in the unsuccesful "Save Now and Again" campaign--or buying ads. But every other campaign soon picks up these tricks and they become ho-hum as well. The only reason to have a fan campaign in my opinion is that they are so common that a show would certainly seem unloved if it couldn't generate one. However, fan outcry alone does nothing. It's at best one card that the show creators and producers have to play in their negotiations with networks, and in those negotiations, the bottom line is a lot more persuasive than your postcard or mine.

Cardie

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