
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
What other show is worthy of its own network?
News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey made news out in Los Angeles by suggesting that "The Simpsons" could get their own TV channel. Not only would it be an additional source of revenue, it would be a critical and well-watched success for men of a certain age, as well as the next step in the evolution of business, going one step past syndication. So why just stop at "The Simpsons"?
The Los Angeles Times report on Carey's comments suggested that no more new episodes would have to be produced, because of its rerun deals. But there already is one TV franchise no longer on first-run TV: "Law and Order," although its "SVU" is still on, though it will have to survive a cast change. And this could be expanded infinitely: The "MASH" Channel, the "Seinfeld" Channel, the "Gunsmoke Channel." What shows do you suggest are worthy of their own channel?
The big question that follows would be how do stations that run shows in syndication survive? New shows get added to the syndication routine once enough episodes are in the books. Witness "How I Met Your Mother," and "The Big Bang Theory" making the jump to syndication. But certainly not enough to deal with the loss of "Seinfeld" or "Everybody Loves Raymond" from syndication timeslots.
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