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"Copy that!"
The Front Page
The Epiphany network
So it came to pass that NBC suits decided, in their infinite wisdom, to wipe clean their 10 p.m. slate of scripted programming and replace it with The Tonight Show (aka The Tonight Show in Primetime). This so-called "experiment" garnered ratings (and cost savings) acceptable to the suits, but the natives, or network affiliates, came to be restless and bellow foul.
So it came to pass that NBC decided to pull the plug on the "experiment," or cost-savings befuddlement, to quell the restless affiliates who complained that the ratings for their 11 p.m. newscasts and their early-morning news shows were suffering and, in turn, affecting their bottom lines.
So it came to pass that the NBC suits announced that The Tonight Show in Primetime would be no more, pleasing the affiliates. But it also came to pass that the apple cart known as late night programming became suddenly unsteady, knocking its hosts for a loop de loop.
So it came to pass that the host of The Tonight Show in Primetime began muttering publicly about how he would have preferred being on after the local news rather than at 10 p.m. So it came to pass that the NBC suits came up with a plan to put the host of The Tonight Show in Primetime on at 11:35 for a half-hour and slide the host of the actual Tonight Show to five minutes past 12. The host of the actual Tonight Show rightly noted that the actual Tonight Show has always aired after the local news and should not begin at five minutes past 12. Standing his ground, the host of the actual Tonight Show would rather leave NBC's air than participate in such shenanigans.
And so it has come to pass that rumours allow that NBC has offered a lot of compensation to the host of the actual Tonight Show to vacate his position, which would likely go to the current host of The Tonight Show in Primetime, who would revert to being the host of the actual Tonight Show, prompting affiliates and NBC suits alike to breathe a collective sigh of relief and get back to entertaining barely-awake consumers of products produced by advertisers of both The Tonight Show in Primetime and the actual Tonight Show.
And so it has seemingly come to pass that everyone, everywhere has forgotten what all of this mishigas was about in the first place: saving lots of money and, oh yes, rendering television's creative community unemployed for five hours a week. The NBC Suit-in-Charge even suggested that he wasn't sure that scripted programming even worked any longer at 10 p.m.
When we come to the point that television programming is just a bunch of acts surrounded by commercials, and what those acts communicate is meaningless, we will have come to the end of the line and it will come to pass that creativity will no longer be needed for five, then maybe five more, television hours a week, and that will be an epiphany that neither NBC or ABC or CBS need to have. If you're going to have an epiphany, it might as well star Martin Sheen and be written by Aaron Sorkin.
I mean, have an epiphany alright, but don't let it be just about saving a buck.
Still Looking for You
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buhdge is © 2009-2010 by Alan Haber.
the latest additions
What Lovely Sounds They Make 1/18/10
Madison, Wisconsin's Justin and Tomek make some lovely sounds on their latest ep of soft-pop finery. I was thrilled to run into this, and you will be, too. buhdge review
Previously in buhdge...
There's Gold in the Kabinet! 1/10/10
Recording in breathtaking "Shadowphonic Stereo," Steve Somerset, London's fine purveyor of sweet, psychedelic sounds, unveils platter No. 2 and comes up with a masterpiece. buhdge review
Up from the Subterrain 1/10/10
Chris Earl's nom de plume, the Squires of the Subterrain, is your guarantee for pop music pleasure. For over two decades, Chris's eclectic mix has been delighting discerning ears around the world. Over the coming months, we'll be surveying each and every Squires (and related) release for you, the discerning buhdge reader. Here is installment number one of our new ongoing feature, the Squires Project.
Jamie & Steve's First Is No Aftertho't 1/10/10
Such an obvious idea, it's a wonder it's taken this long for a long player to appear from SpongeTones Jamie Hoover and Steve Stoeckel. Here it is, though, better late than never, a collection of songs that'll have you planting a big ol' wet one on your CD player. buhdge review
The SpongeTones Scramble Their Eggs 6/27/09
The follow-up to the Spongetones' fabulous Too Clever by Half shows just why the four spongey lads are a tone and a half above the rest. Read all about it. buhdge review
Pat Walsh's "Lost" EP 6/27/09
We've loved Pat's Egghead album since it came out in 2001, and now we love this EP, which dates back to golden year of 1997. buhdge review
pure pop radio takes back the airwaves on 2/02/10
On February 2nd, Pure Pop 24/7, the all-day and all-of-the-night melodic pop radio station, will once again be playing the greatest pop in the universe from the sixties, seventies and today.
From the Beatles, the Hollies and the Bee Gees to the Spongetones, Pugwash and Peter and the Penguins, Pure Pop 24/7 is your source for pure melodic pop pleasure.
From February 2nd on, listen by clicking here, and let the melody pop on!
buhdge in pictures
9/30/70
The tickets shown above, posed atop the original box office envelope they came in, were never used, and here's why that matters: I went to New York's Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center to pick them up. I was still living at home, having graduated college, and looking forward to the show, particularly because Stephen Bishop was opening for Randy Newman. And look at the price: $5.00 a ticket. A king's ransom back then, but still...
As fate would have it, I got my first professional radio job and was on my way to be on the air at Dover, Delaware station WKEN-AM before the September 30, 1977 date. I couldn't go. I've always regretted not going to see the show. My life got in the way...
If you were at that show, would you please hit the contact button above and tell me how it was?
Revisit previous buhdge in pictures entries by clicking here.