Q: The "Lou Grant" show was a great weekly newspaper drama that aired on CBS in the late '70s. How come it's never been available on DVD?
A: Sometimes shows are not released on DVD because rights to the program are in question or there are rights issues related to music on the program. And sometimes the owner of the rights simply doesn't think there's any financial upside to releasing a title on DVD, because the marketing research suggests there's not enough appetite among consumers.
According to the reliable TV Shows on DVD (www.tvshowsondvd.com), 20th Century Fox owns the rights to "Lou Grant." We can only surmise that the company has decided it doesn't make good business sense to release "Lou Grant" on DVD.
'Golden Boy' skews too old
Q: Why was "Golden Boy" canceled? It was a good show. Tell me again why it's bad when over-50 viewers like a show. Don't older people control some of the spending?
A: There's nothing wrong with older viewers liking a show, but in the eyes of advertisers, it's not optimal.
Advertisers covet the viewers they are less likely to have. Younger people tend to watch less TV, and advertisers are most keen to reach them because the thinking is that they are less brand-loyal and their buying habits are less established.
Older viewers watch more TV, so there's less incentive for advertisers to be interested in them because they will always reach older viewers even in younger-skewing shows.
As far as "Golden Boy," CBS was hoping it would draw more young viewers than "Vegas" and other CBS shows. It didn't, so CBS canceled it and will try again with new shows in the fall.
