[78-L] For old timey TV fans..slight 78RPM connection

[Michael Biel]

From: Julian Vein <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk>
> Can anyone explain when a filmed, rather than live, series is sold to a 
> TV company, what happens to the film after the airing? Have the company 
> the rights to show it in perpetuity or do what they will with it?
> Julian Vein

Originally in the U.S. the networks did not air "repeats" of even filmed
programs, but they maintained their own syndication companies.  It
usually was part of the "deal" that the programs would be syndicated by
the network's company, both to themselves for daytime airing, and to
other stations.  This was made illegal and the syndication companies
were spun off.  (CBS Films became Viacom, which later bought CBS!!)  At
that point the original production company usually were now syndicating
their own shows.  By the 60s, prime time shows usually only filmed 21
episodes a year instead of 39, so there were prime-time network re-runs
at maybe 75% of payment to the producing company.  Additional re-runs
were done at decreasing payments.  It became known that a show could not
pay for itself with the initial airing, and re-runs were necessary to
make money.  Usually the program hit profit on the 4th airing.  

Syndication to local stations is usually paid on a per-episode basis for
a time period of a year or two, and the station can play the episodes as
many times as they want during that time period.  For example, if there
are 100 episodes and a station pays $5000 per episode, they run those
episodes and make their money by selling local ads which might only
bring in $2000 each airing.  So they don't make money until the third
airing on their station.  When the contract is up, the tapes of the
films go back (nobody syndicates the actual films anymore).  

There are many other types of contracts (usually secret) but this is the
general business model.  

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com