Post by MGH on Feb 22, 2007 10:46:32 GMT -5
NBC BOUNCES PLANNED SATURDAY NIGHT'S MAIN EVENT SPECIAL OFF THE AIR NEXT MONTH
by Mike Johnson @ 10:48:00 AM on 2/22/2007
The scheduled Saturday Night's Main Event special that would have been taped on 3/5 in Phoenix, Arizona for a 3/10 NBC broadcast has been canceled. The 3/5 taping will instead simply be a taping for that week's live edition of Monday Night Raw. The US Air Arena in Phoenix has dropped all references to SNME in advertising for the event.
According to sources within the TV industry, the call was made by NBC originally to move the special from primetime to a late night timeslot due to low ratings for the previous primetime specials. NBC later decided not to run the show late night in the timeslot usually populated by Saturday Night Live, believing they would have to give up ad revenue previously sold for SNL due to a potential drop in ratings.
Sources also indicate that NBC requested WWE postpone the SNME special until this June due ot the potential Writer's Guild strike looming in Hollywood. The Writer's Guild's contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers expires in several months with the the sides not expected to begin negotiate for a new deal until May. It's considered a distinct possibility within the TV industry that both sides will be looking at a strike, partially because the Guild is seeking to get a bigger piece of the DVD and download royalties pie for their members and are refusing to discuss a new deal until right before the current agreement expires.
With the shadow of a strike potentially shutting down production for many series, NBC (and other networks) are already strategizing programming that wouldn't require members of the Guild.. Part of NBC's strategy is to have the SNME special on deck for that time period. While WWE (read: Vince McMahon) was reportedly not happy with the request, since they were losing a piece of their Wrestlemania 23 synergy, they did eventually agree to postponing until June.
International markets originally scheduled to air SNME this March have been informed the special has been postponed until a date in June to be announced.
-PWInsider.com
by Mike Johnson @ 10:48:00 AM on 2/22/2007
The scheduled Saturday Night's Main Event special that would have been taped on 3/5 in Phoenix, Arizona for a 3/10 NBC broadcast has been canceled. The 3/5 taping will instead simply be a taping for that week's live edition of Monday Night Raw. The US Air Arena in Phoenix has dropped all references to SNME in advertising for the event.
According to sources within the TV industry, the call was made by NBC originally to move the special from primetime to a late night timeslot due to low ratings for the previous primetime specials. NBC later decided not to run the show late night in the timeslot usually populated by Saturday Night Live, believing they would have to give up ad revenue previously sold for SNL due to a potential drop in ratings.
Sources also indicate that NBC requested WWE postpone the SNME special until this June due ot the potential Writer's Guild strike looming in Hollywood. The Writer's Guild's contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers expires in several months with the the sides not expected to begin negotiate for a new deal until May. It's considered a distinct possibility within the TV industry that both sides will be looking at a strike, partially because the Guild is seeking to get a bigger piece of the DVD and download royalties pie for their members and are refusing to discuss a new deal until right before the current agreement expires.
With the shadow of a strike potentially shutting down production for many series, NBC (and other networks) are already strategizing programming that wouldn't require members of the Guild.. Part of NBC's strategy is to have the SNME special on deck for that time period. While WWE (read: Vince McMahon) was reportedly not happy with the request, since they were losing a piece of their Wrestlemania 23 synergy, they did eventually agree to postponing until June.
International markets originally scheduled to air SNME this March have been informed the special has been postponed until a date in June to be announced.
-PWInsider.com
