The Future of Smackdown

[BruiserKC 0]

I have this conspiracy theory running around in my head. I wanted to wait a couple of days until after everything settled down though to throw it out.

 

What if UPN had the chance to edit the show on Smackdown and take out the jihad assault but didn't deliberately? Here's my line of thinking...RAW is already on its way to USA this fall. USA is owned by Universal, they own NBC. I could very easily see Viacom not willing, even though they only have one more year...having Vince running shows on their networks while another one runs on a rival company's. So...they let the bit air.

 

In the next few weeks, UPN and Viacom are flooded with complaints, especially if they keep the Hassan angles going. A couple major advertisers drop the show. I know Vince has a certain amount of control over the content of his shows per his contract with Viacom. However...that changes when Viacom starts voicing concerns. Vince and Viacom go head to head over control. Finally, Viacom leaves him a choice...they'll buy out the final year of SD and call it good. If he won't accept that, they'll cancel his show outright.

 

UPN then makes the announcement that they want to take their network in a new direction without the low-brow that is wrestling. (Similar to the speech that Time Warner made dumping WCW or when USA dumped WWF in 2000). Vince takes Smackdown to USA for a year and then moves to NBC on Thursday nights to make up for a weakening schedule.

 

Long shot, I know...but I think it would be interesting to see. We haven't felt the full effects of the fall-out from last week's episode yet.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

Thursday night is reserved for NBC's best (most marketable) shows. Wrestling will never fit that criteria, nor would it ever serve as a lead-in to ER.

[claydude14 0]

NBC owns UPN anyways right?

[bob_barron 0]

No, CBS does

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Thursday night is reserved for NBC's best (most marketable) shows. Wrestling will never fit that criteria, nor would it ever serve as a lead-in to ER.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Oh come on. Wrestling followed by ER? Those jokes write themselves.

[TheFranchise 0]

You could see someone doing an ambulance attack on someone, then them being taken away and turning up in ER.

 

Couldn't you?

[SuperJerk 0]

NBC owns UPN anyways right?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

They are owned by different parent companies.

 

All the TV networks are owned by movie studios.

 

NBC Universal owns: NBC, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, Sci Fi Channel, ShopNBC, Telemundo, TRIO, USA Network, part of A&E, the History Channel, the Biography Channel, National Geographic International, the Sundance Channel, and TiVo.

 

Viacom owns: CBS, UPN, MTV, VH-1, Nickelodeon, TV Land, CMT, Spike TV, Comedy Central, Showtime, TMC, Sundance Channel, FLIX, and BET.

 

Disney owns: ABC, The Disney Channel, ABC Family, Toon Disney, ESPN, and SOAPnet. It partially owns Lifetime, E!, and A&E.

 

Time-Warner owns: WB, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Turner Classic Movies, TBS Superstation, TNT, and Cartoon Network.

 

Fox Entertainment Group owns: Fox, Fox Sports Net, # Fox Sports Net (50% with Cablevision, owns many local FSN stations), Fox Movie Channel, Fox News Channel, Fuel channel, FX, National Geographic Channel (with the National Geographic Society), and the Speed Channel.

 

(credit: wikipedia)

[Vern Gagne 0]

NBC doesn't have jack on Thursday's anymore. Not saying they'd ever have Smackdown on but it wouldn't be because the lineup is so strong.

[imajackoff? 0]

With the London attacks happening just earlier the same day, I dont sense a conspiracy. This angle airing can be attributed to indifference or incompetance, whichever you think applies.

[snuffbox 0]

Maybe Saturday Nights Main Event will return...

 

or, NBC will have nothing to do with Vince's current retarded product.

[SuperJerk 0]

There are many far better shows that NBC could raid from its cable networks to fill in holes in their schedule than WWE shows.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Smackdown is still UPN's highest rated show, though, IIRC.

[SuperJerk 0]

Smackdown is still UPN's highest rated show, though, IIRC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Being the top rated show on UPN is a little like being the valevictorian at a school for the mentally handicapped.

[David Blazenwing 0]

Smackdown is still UPN's highest rated show, though, IIRC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Being the top rated show on UPN is a little like being the valevictorian at a school for the mentally handicapped.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thank you. I just spit chocolate milk all over my keyboard.

[RedJed 0]

Maybe Saturday Nights Main Event will return...

 

or, NBC will have nothing to do with Vince's current retarded product.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The plan is already to bring back SNME as part of the deal over to USA actually. It starts something this fall/winter.

[David Blazenwing 0]

Maybe Saturday Nights Main Event will return...

 

or, NBC will have nothing to do with Vince's current retarded product.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The plan is already to bring back SNME as part of the deal over to USA actually. It starts something this fall/winter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Odds are it'll just be the replacement for Heat/Velocity. The first ME of SNME will be the Heart Throbs vs. Hurricane and Rosey or Paul London vs. Juvi.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

Smackdown is still UPN's highest rated show, though, IIRC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

and yet they still draw less amounts of $$$ than even a few lower rated shows (as of last year when i read that tidbit maybe its changed but i doubt it). Which makes being the highest rated show a bit useless, though i'm sure they still make soem coin, or it'd be off the air.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

Thursday night is reserved for NBC's best (most marketable) shows. Wrestling will never fit that criteria, nor would it ever serve as a lead-in to ER.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Oh come on. Wrestling followed by ER? Those jokes write themselves.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wanted to so bad, but where's the fun?

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

What if UPN had the chance to edit the show on Smackdown and take out the jihad assault but didn't deliberately?

 

*Buzz*

 

WWE feeds all UPN affiliates the Smackdown broadcast late wednesday night/early thursday morning via satellite (I used to watch that feed, but I got rid of the big dish satellite to get it). At that point, there wouldn't be any way for them to edit it with the exception of local affiliates deciding to do it on their own. This is the same reason the WWE didn't edit it, because they wouldn't have any time to do the edit and broadcast it via satellite to the affiliates since the WWE leases satellite transponders at specific times to transmit their programing.

[Guest StylesMark]

You could see someone doing an ambulance attack on someone, then them being taken away and turning up in ER.

 

Couldn't you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

WOW! DO IT!!!

 

WWE on NBC before 11 pm is not likely.

[claydude14 0]

It'll be a series of specials IIRC.

[Fro 0]

Given that WWE is a publicly traded company, trying to get thrown off a network wouldn't be a very good strategy for them to pursue.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

What if UPN had the chance to edit the show on Smackdown and take out the jihad assault but didn't deliberately?

 

*Buzz*

 

WWE feeds all UPN affiliates the Smackdown broadcast late wednesday night/early thursday morning via satellite (I used to watch that feed, but I got rid of the big dish satellite to get it). At that point, there wouldn't be any way for them to edit it with the exception of local affiliates deciding to do it on their own. This is the same reason the WWE didn't edit it, because they wouldn't have any time to do the edit and broadcast it via satellite to the affiliates since the WWE leases satellite transponders at specific times to transmit their programing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WWE and UPN had time enough to edit the angle out.

 

With a lot of readers asking about the logistics of editing a TV show after its initial feed is sent to the network, PWTorch.com reader Ben Billings of Denver, Colorado sent the following information...

 

The letters that say "Chill out" couldn't be more ignorant. I especially love the one that says "You can tell none of the fans know how broadcast television works." Well, I have worked in broadcast tv for 11 years, and I'll tell you how it could have worked today (there are a couple of different ways).

 

First, there is this thing called a "Re-feed". This happens every day in TV - and for every show. Every time someone curses (or a boob pops out or the show is sent out w/o closed captioning or SAP or whatever) on Montel or Maury or any other show and the production company fails to catch it in time, they send out a fax to every station that airs the show notifying them of the objectionable content. If it is just a word or phrase that is obscene, then the fax says: "Today's episode of (blank) contains the words "mother-f---er" at the time of 18:20 seconds. You will need to cover this offensive audio." I know, I have had to edit out stuff like this before.

 

If the show has some larger problem with it (say an unsubstantiated rumor about Michael Jackson is disproved and broadcasting said rumor could get the show sued out the wazoo - happens on Entertainment Tonight every single day), the fax will have the time and satellite coordinates for a "refeed" of the show.

 

WWE and UPN had all day to schedule a refeed to send to the local affiliates. WWE could have easily substituted extended highlights from the Hulk Hogan match on Raw instead of the Smackdown main event in this refeed (one of the first feedback letters suggested this - great idea by the way), Vince could have made this happen. He also could have just told UPN to chop the end off and air one of their crappy sit-coms for the last half hour. This stuff happens every day in broadcast network TV - on the fly and at a moment's notice.

 

How many times have new episodes of popular shows been pushed back a week because the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, or the World Series gets pushed to a 5th, 6th, or 7th game and the network knows no one will be watching anything but the "deciding" game? Smackdown is the highest rated show on UPN. If Vince wanted to make something happen, all he had to do was make a phone call. It doesn't take days of editing and rescheduling to keep crap like this from hitting the air.

 

Credit - The Torch

[MrRant 0]

NBC owns UPN anyways right?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

They are owned by different parent companies.

 

All the TV networks are owned by movie studios.

 

NBC Universal owns: NBC, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, Sci Fi Channel, ShopNBC, Telemundo, TRIO, USA Network, part of A&E, the History Channel, the Biography Channel, National Geographic International, the Sundance Channel, and TiVo.

 

Viacom owns: CBS, UPN, MTV, VH-1, Nickelodeon, TV Land, CMT, Spike TV, Comedy Central, Showtime, TMC, Sundance Channel, FLIX, and BET.

 

Disney owns: ABC, The Disney Channel, ABC Family, Toon Disney, ESPN, and SOAPnet. It partially owns Lifetime, E!, and A&E.

 

Time-Warner owns: WB, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Turner Classic Movies, TBS Superstation, TNT, and Cartoon Network.

 

Fox Entertainment Group owns: Fox, Fox Sports Net, # Fox Sports Net (50% with Cablevision, owns many local FSN stations), Fox Movie Channel, Fox News Channel, Fuel channel, FX, National Geographic Channel (with the National Geographic Society), and the Speed Channel.

 

(credit: wikipedia)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

NBC doesn't own Tivo. Whoever set up this Wikipedia was smoking crack.

[snuffbox 0]

Where did this info of SNME returning come from?

[SuperJerk 0]

NBC doesn't own Tivo.  Whoever set up this Wikipedia was smoking crack.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I only included it for the sake of being complete.

 

On the Tivo website, NBC and Universal (along with several other media companies and networks) are listed as "equity investors", so they do probably own a small part of it, technically.

 

http://www.tivo.com/5.4.asp