Poor US syndie viewers

I noticed that they didn't air the rest of the 6th season on US syndication. Goes to show who runs the show down there in syndie land. Too bad your local channels have no control over what can be played and how it's edited (or unedited).

My local Canadian channel (a-channel) is playing the 6th season throught the end. Tonight I finished watching TOW the Engagement ring, unedited, and then tomorrow it will be TOW the proposal, which is great, because I have had the luck of recording every show and realizing that there were no scenes or parts cut and no unwanted commercial breaks at the 20th minute into the show.

I have to admit that it bothers me to see how the US (the controlling nation of a hit show) can butcher the viewing enjoyment by adding more advertising time. It's not like the US is suffering for any cash, and it's not like the show doesn't make enough money during first run network showings. But it's been a tradition of syndies showing the short versions since I can ever remember (eg. Three's Company missing its tags in every show). The only show I've noticed that they never edit is Star Trek (all 4 series). Why I wonder is that the only show to air its eppys in its entirety? Too bad that the US cities are unable to receive some Canadian stations the way Canadians can receive US networks. What happened to free trade? Well until then, the US will have to rely on the chopping and buy the videos or dvd's when they become available. Or continue to watch the first runs and hope your vcr doesn't screw up so you can't tape it.

Take care all.

Kira

In order for a show to be eligible for syndication, I think it has to be repeated twice. Not all of six has been as far as I know.

Most of the time they do play the shows in order if they have the episodes. They may show some holiday episodes around the holidays.

Yeah, but that's just how the system works. The syndicators don't make any of the money that NBC makes, so the people distributing the show naturally want to make money. They shop the show around, and find a buyer..who then make their money by selling commercials. The syndicators then realized that they were missing out on a lot of money so they offer the show at a discount price with commercials already put in the show, so the local affiliate makes less on commercials.

That is the whole purpose of syndication, to make money. Eventually the DVDs and videos will probably be released in entirety..Most people just watch the re-runs and don't tape them, so it's just not that big of a deal.

That's another thing, the end credits, did they ever actually show those on NBC, or were they created just for syndication? That's another 20 seconds that is wasted.

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I just found out something whilst watching TOW the hypnosis tape on C4. when I saw it last year they left out the scene when Joey hugs Frank Jr. and this time it was in the episode. does that always happen? cutting out scenes then bringing scenes in?

In article , [email] wrote:

That's better than syndication, but your shows are still cut.

The editor hacks out a rough edit, the director & producers order changes until they're happy, a neat edit is made, and that is timed.

This is what you can call the Director's Cut - the approved version of 601 was 25m 40s long - so then the editor & director have to grit their teeth, and start cutting out good bits until it's 21m long.

Tennant Stuart

In article ,

Actually, mine aren't cut. My station's versions are the versions shown in first run from the actual network. I confirmed this when I read the scripts online. And noticed the differences in viewing from the US versions to the version I get to see. There are quite a few differences between the two and the US versions have been significantly altered from the versions shown on my local channel. My local station has nothing to do with the syndie market at all. This channel is purely independent and pretty much has its own control as to how a show is viewed.

In article , [email] wrote:

Kira - you cut my paragraph pointing out where you're mistaken.

I will repeat it, since you obviously never read it...

• The editor hacks out a rough edit, the director & producers order
• changes until they're happy, a neat edit is made, and that is timed.
• This is what you can call the Director's Cut - the approved version
• of 601 was 25m 40s long - so then the editor & director have to grit
• their teeth, and start cutting out good bits until it's 21m long.

Check the running time of your tape of 601 "TOA Vegas", (ignoring any adverts of course). Is it about 21 minutes long? If so, you have lost almost SIX MINUTES, including such plot details as what happened to the ink on the faces of Ross & Rachel.

The transcripts only reflect the versions first aired on NBC. These are better than the US syndication, but still cut to transmission length, and they also omit some tags which were not shown on first airing.

Tennant

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Sorry, Tenant, I actually did read your original post regarding the director's cut. I guess I misunderstood what you meant. I thought you were referring to the syndie versions and not the versions originally aired on NBC when first shown. I am actually aware of director's cuts and that sometimes it looks like they've shortened scenes for time. Forgive me. Just a teensy misunderstanding.

My argument is that whenever a show, any show is shown in 2nd run syndication, the distributor has to chop of some scenes, especially really good scenes. It ruins the show by doing that.

In article , [email] wrote:

Of course, Kira. :)

Absolutely.

Let's hope that one day all the director's cuts will come out on DVD.

Tennant

I thought that only pre 1987 shows were cut for syndication. The networks show the same amount of commercials as the cable channels. Comparing the Fox Family Early Edition shows to the CBS shows the only time Fox Family does an edit is to mute the sound out for words like "damn" and "hell" which doesn't actually cut the time down this is done because they are family oriented programming. Similarly ER and Lois & Clark on TNT have exactly the same run times as when they aired on NBC and ABC respectively. Nick-at-Nite and TV Land however air almost all of their programming in some edited form. I can't be sure about Friends but I have yet to notice any cuts that were made in syndication from the NBC airings. It could be that the UK and US get completely different cuts since the UK has always had longer running times for their shows so they cut a UK edit and a US edit. Anyone know for sure?

-Mark

In article , Mark Girard wrote:

The following comments apply to "Friends"...

You are quite wrong Mark. There have been very many complaints about whole scenes or parts of scenes being deleted for US syndication, compared with the version originally aired on NBC. When these episodes are syndicated in other countries it seems that they're not cut. In this thread Kira insists it is so in Canada. I can tell you that it applies to Britain also. There have been a few cases of a 'naughty' line being cut, but not the regular deletion of more minutes from each episode to provide more commercials.

Having said that, the running times in the UK will be shorter by about one minute since we see the episodes at 25 frames per second instead of the correct speed of 24 (it's more complicated than that but never mind). This applies to movies too, a two hour feature will run 5 minutes short without anything being cut, which causes many difficulties for people who look out for evidence of censorship.

But the point of what I'm saying is that even the NBC versions are cut by several minutes. Director's Cut versions of the pilot and Ross's wedding have already been released in Europe, and you can download transcripts for these with all the extra bits in blue text. The recent documentary on making 601 "TOA Vegas" went into some detail, explaining how the final approved cut was 25 minutes 40 seconds long, and so they had to cut out enough good bits to achieve a shorter transmission length.

Tennant

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That's very interesting Tennant. Do you know if the DVD versions will have never before scenes of Friends eppys? Or will it be shown as originally aired on NBC?

In article , [email] wrote:

The DVDs currently on release are similar to the NBC versions, except for the pilot which is nearly 30 minutes long. According to the press release the DVD/VHS gift set coming out in the USA at Christmas will have 12 episodes all digitally remastered and expanded with footage that has never been seen before, so maybe there'll be a relaunch next year sometime, perhaps even in widescreen.

Tennant

On Thu, 23 Nov 2000, Tennant Stuart stated this considered view. Waking from my doze, I hastily scrawled -

But NTSC runs slower than PAL, so wouldn't that be around 22 minutes?

What *I* want to see is the missing scenes from TO After the Superbowl!

In article , Paul Hyett wrote:

Yes. You are correct. Thanks.

The famous one did go out on NBC just once, here is the transcript...

VAN DAMME: You can tell her I think her friend is cute.

[back to Chandler & Susie]

CHANDLER: No, Stephen Hurs was the kid who would eat anything for money, David Stein was the guy who had no elbows.

SUSIE: Okay, well then who was the kid that got caught masturbating?

CHANDLER: Okay that's not what he was doing, alright? He was looking for his bus money.

[a voice in the background calls for makeup]

SUSIE: Oh that's me, I gotta go.

Tennant

I think I've seen that clip! hehehehehehe

In article , [email] (Toni Perry If only) wrote:

Where?

Tennant

I honestly haven't got a clue. A couple of years ago I think. I might be thinking of another clip, but I'm pretty certain it had something to do with masturbation.

In article , [email] (Toni Perry If only) wrote:

There have been plenty of masturbation jokes in the show, but that elusive scene is the only one where the word was mentioned, AFAIK.

Tennant

then it was probably that one I saw

umm, what?

In article , [email] (Toni Perry If only) wrote:

As Far As I Know

Tennant

ohhh! thank you! :)

In article , [email] (Toni Perry If only) wrote:

Would you like me to send you a list of all these?

Tennant

That would be a MASSIVE help! :)

In article , [email] (Toni Perry If only) wrote:

If anyone else would like a list of acronyms, please say so quickly, and I will add you to the distribution of the email.

Toni, give me a reminder at the end of the week, okay? :)

Tennant

sure

Tennant Stuart wrote...

Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks a bunch! =)

me too! I'd greatly appreciate it!!

Nellie

In article , [email] (chicadcafe) wrote:

Okies, that's three. Any more?

Tennant

In article , "Adeline" wrote:

Okies, that's two. Any more?

Tennant