Viacom, the parent company of Paramount Pictures, has purchased the Columbia Broadcasting System, famous for frumpy sitcoms and frumpier news programming.
In light of UPN's recent troubles, it seems likely that a merger between the two networks is indeed a possibility. A more stable network would be likely to support Voyager for its entire run, as well as host The Fifth Series. However, are these networks a good fit? CBS is the antithesis of UPN. Walker, Texas Ranger and Cosby don't work with 7 Days and Dilbert.
It ought to be interesting to see Berman and Co.'s reaction.
------------------ "Well, I guess we're an Ovaltine family." "MORE OVALTINE PLEASE!" -American Radio Ads... *gag*... one more reason I'm glad to be above the 49th.
posted
Voyager on CBS, huh? Up until a year ago, I might have been opposed to this idea. However, since my hometown's evil cable company took away the FOX affiliate that was running DS9/Voyager, a move to CBS might actually be a good thing. (Assuming of course that the show doesn't have to be changed to be on CBS.)
------------------ "Alright... Who wrote 'Beavis and Butthead rule' on the back of my skull?"
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek Parody, The Critic
posted
I think they would keep the networks seperate. CBS is the big time, and I think they are the ones that own ESPN. Maybe other cable channels. NBC has CNBC, without crossover programing. They will likley keep them apart.
I saw a story one the news that was talking about NBC's problems on Thursday night, and what the compitition was, they said that UPN had become a major player for Thursday night, with smackdown, or whatever they are calling their wrestling.
------------------ Outside of a dog, a book is a mans best friend. Inside of a dog, it's to dark to read. Groucho Marx
posted
Yes yes yes! Now I could get Voyager the same time as everyone else.
Uhm... *ahems* There are monoploy factors, but, frankly, the current U.S. administration has overlooked infractions almost as large, so I doubt they'll say anything this time...
------------------ Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")
[This message has been edited by Elim Garak (edited September 07, 1999).]
There are two ways to look at it: The utterly dismal belief that network television will corrupt the franchise (by possibly being forced to change to conform to the new network programming) and the belief that, by exposing Star Trek to the largest audience in years (seeing how it may be moved to CBS, the highest-rated [overall] network there is in the U.S.), Trek will prosper in film and on TV, guaranteeing a fifth series and that not waiting could almost be a good thing.
I prefer to go for the more optimistic approach.
I'm also thinking that it's highly doubtful that Voyager's sixth season will be affected, unless that stickler of a rule that someone cannot own two networks comes up (although Viacom would own all of CBS and only part of UPN). Then Voyager's future could lie in shadows of mystery...
------------------ Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")
posted
I'm not entirely clear on what Voyager's current status is: syndication or network show. I always thought it was syndicated, since it appeared on at least two networks I got down in Vancouver (Fox and UPN), in which case a merger wouldn't affect Voyager at all, unless the new merged network decided to drop it. After all, in a syndicated series, the networks, as far as I know, don't excercise much, if any, control over the series plot etc. Just because Paramount owns trek and UPN doesn't necessarily mean UPN owns Voyager.
But, if Voyager does fall under exclusive control of one network, I wouldn't be suprised to see it, and possible any other series, die a quick and painful death. After all, just look what happened to the B5/Crusade universe when TNT took it over
------------------ "But, it was so artistically done." -Grand Admiral Thrawn
posted
Voyager is surely a network show. But like many network shows, it's syndicated, mostly where there's no UPN affiliate or so that the episodes are shown after they're shown on all UPN stations. (For example, the WB has Show X that aitrs on Wednesday. Your local UPN station may choose to air Show X every Sunday, four days after it was originally shown on the WB affiliates.)
But I doubt they'd get rid of Voyager... I mean, look at the possibilities for CBS. It would be far more profitable to put it on CBS than to leave it as it is right now, on UPN...
------------------ Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")
[This message has been edited by Elim Garak (edited September 07, 1999).]
posted
The thing is, UPN is kinda, well, redundant now. Paramount is a big studio and for many years it produced a hell of a lot of programming for other networks (today it still does Becker for CBS and ET for ABC, for instance) and then syndicated the rest to individual stations(DS9 and TNG). It was hoped that with UPN, Paramount could phase out giving its stuff out to the other networks and instead stick it on its own. With CBS allied to it, UPN is rather useless.
------------------ "Well, I guess we're an Ovaltine family." "MORE OVALTINE PLEASE!" -American Radio Ads... *gag*... one more reason I'm glad to be above the 49th.
posted
Oh, and I really don't think there are any monopoly issues here. This is no different than, say, Ford buying Michelin. If Disney could grab ABC, I can't see why comparitively smaller Viacom couldn't get a network, too. It's still far smaller a juggernaut than say, News Corp (Fox and friends) or Time-Warner (the Dubyah-Bee and TBS)
------------------ "Well, I guess we're an Ovaltine family." "MORE OVALTINE PLEASE!" -American Radio Ads... *gag*... one more reason I'm glad to be above the 49th.
Viacom owns numerous, numerous major parties such as Blockbuster, MTV, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Parks, UPN, Simon & Schuster, Famous Players, Spelling TV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Showtime... The list goes on and on.
Viacom will now boast being the second largest entertainment and media company to ever exist, towering in at U.S.$80 billion dollars' worth, and dozens of renowned companies.
(Just for your information, $35 billion of that is CBS, which could, at its current outstanding rate, pay itself off in a matter of years.)
So, in Viacom assimilating CBS, this is the largest media transaction in history. There are bound to be possibilities of legal problems of hurdles.
------------------ Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")
[This message has been edited by Elim Garak (edited September 07, 1999).]
posted
Voyager on CBS??? Works for me. I found out earlier this summer that the station I have be faithfully watching Voyager on will be no longer carrying it. Another station from that city will, but I don't get it. The Fox I get with Star Trek on used to show Voyager, but now they show a TNG then a DS9. Now that DS9 is over the will show Voyager. Only problem is that it is sydicated reruns. I was left in the middle of Equinox. If Voyager goes on CBS, I'll be able to watch the new ones.
Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
I don't think Voyager could be on CBS until its seventh season begins, unless there are complications forcing it onto CBS impromtu, and at Paramount's prodding...
------------------ Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")
posted
Having given this some thought, I don't think we'll notice any change at all in CBS or any other Viacom property. It's just money shuffling, after all.
------------------ "Just because you're floating doesn't mean you haven't drowned." -- They Might Be Giants
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