tv channal

[Anonymous]

i think there sould be a garden railroad channal

[cacole]

There's already a weekly program on RFD-TV called The Train Show that features a lot of G-scale layouts.

[Tom The Brat]

No opinion... The local PBS is the only channel that comes in for me.

[vsmith]

I doubt soemone could come up with enough material for a dedicated channel running 24-7. Weekly 1-hr show would be more likely. Betwen layout building, model detailing, landscaping, control systems, etc, I could see a show like this being feasible. YOUP get some backers and a cable channel and go for it.

[TheJoat]

Web sites seem to be the way to do this!

I do like RFD...and wouldn't mind some more model railroad coverage...but a dedicated channel?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cacole

There's already a weekly program on RFD-TV called The Train Show that features a lot of G-scale layouts.

Don't forget Grandscale Trains.

[Anonymous]

I said no, but I would like a Large scale channel or just a Train channel. It would be nice to see prototype stuff as well as the smaller scales, you can always adapt something.

[Puckdropper]

There's too many content-less TV channels out there. A weekly hour-long show, OTOH, may be a much better choice. DIY and RFD TV are two likely places that would air such a show.

[Anonymous]

but what if people dont get diy or rfd-tv??

[vsmith]

I remember seeing somewhere in the dusty past a guy who built an N gauge layout set up inside the empty shell of an old TV. He lit up the top of the inside and installed a clear peice of replacement glass for the screen, now he always has trains on TV.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

I can't see that they could get enough programming, the subject of GRR, even model RR in general, is too limited. They have enough trouble getting enough material to fill the current magazines. Possibly a weekly show with a different day & time rerun would be more feasable.

Just try to come up with 52 subjects you could use to fill a year's worth of programming; difficult task isn't it? No doubt it could be done having enough minds working on finding subject matter, but it would be a chore!

It would be an even bigger chore to make it appealing to watchers other thab grr's.

[Anonymous]

the tv channel would not be just shows there are commercials and infomercials

[kstrong]

I'd love to see one. I'd have it on all day (well, I'd flip back and forth between the history channel)

In reality, there's not enough programming or viewers to make it remotely profitable under the current broadcast technology. You can look for advertisers, but they pay for eyeballs. GR's circulation is approximatley 38,0000. In television terms, that doesn't even registeron the radar screen. (A single ratings point represents 1% of the viewers in a given market. For a national broadcast, that's roughly equivalent to 1 million viewers.) So, even if every subscriber to GR tuned in, the ratings wouldn't even register for that show. No ratings, no dollars from advertisers.

A dedicated railroad channel may be somewhat viable, but even then, the number of folks into trains vs. golf, cars, planes, etc. are pretty thin. You're still looking at a 0.1 rating at the absolute most. (By comparison, the Travel Channel posted a 0.7 last ratings period)

HOWEVER...

"The times, they are a-changin'." as the song goes...

This is the age of streaming video content and video on demand. There's nothing to say that an enterprising individual couldn't set up a webcast of garden railroad programming available for subscription, or subsidised by advertisers. Your overhead costs would be minimal--limited to production, acquisition, and server costs. (There are "particular genres" of entertainment that have been doing this quite well for nearly a decade.) That, I think, is where a lot of niche programming will be heading in the coming years.

So, a dedicated GR channel on mainstream media? Not likely. But there are always alternatives.

But, there's still the issue of programming...

Later,

K

[grandpopswalt]

As just about everyone who’s responded has said, a dedicated RR channel isn’t going to happen. But a different approach that might work would be “public Access” TV. I think the cable companies are required by law to reserve at least one channel for free community use. If a large enough number of GRR’s and clubs produced a number good quality videos of their layouts, construction projects, etc and circulated them between members who had made the proper connections with their local cable companies we’d have a quasi RR network.

Walt

[Anonymous]

O.k Kevin can write the show, and I'll make sawdust, the rest just need to come up with content. maybe talk to Trains Magazine to do a weekly one hour news cast of events and disasters.

I'm basing the above on a train channel, model and real.

[cacole]

The big question is, who's going to pay for it? Initial outlay would be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to start up a TV channel.

I think it would appeal to too small a viewing audience to survive more than a month or two, even if someone could come up with the funding.

[kstrong]

Public access does local programming only. It's viable for occasional content in your local viewing area, but that's it. That's what got me thinking about web-based VOD instead. You get national, even international distribution with absolutely no distribution costs related to getting on the dial. I don't even want to contemplate the costs involved with negotiating channel space on a satellite network. If you eliminate those costs, the rest becomes very attainable.

Later,

K

[Anonymous]

i know a guy who works in video prouduction for the white sox

[Anonymous]

who ever wants to can send video of there layout if they want
check my profile for my address[yeah]

[Rastun]

QUOTE: but what if people dont get diy or rfd-tv??

and for Torby who only gets PBS.

If you want to see The Train Show that was mentioned earlier all thier older shows can be watched online at thier web site, http://www.thetrainshow.com/
take care,
Jack

[markperr]

I hear CBS is looking for something to replace their evening news slot. Perhaps there?[:)][;)]

[tmcc man]

QUOTE: Originally posted by markperr

I hear CBS is looking for something to replace their evening news slot. Perhaps there?[:)][;)]

maybe you should contact them[?]

[tmcc man]

there is a show on PBS or WHYY that has somethihg on railroads sometimes. I was watching it on Christmas eve, and i caught another episode just a few days ago

[kstrong]

Speaking of train-related TV shows, the DIY network is currently producing a series called "Working on the Railroad." Right now, they're focusing more on indoor modeling and techniques, but from our brief conversation the other day, they're open to other scales as well. I ran into their crew up on the Georgetown Loop last week. They were shooting scenic material and segment intros. I was up there on an unrelated story, and had a few minutes to chat between takes. The show's a spin-off of their popular model R/C plane series. They didn't know exactly when it was going to air, but I'd start looking in September or so. (I checked their web-site, and it's not listed. They do have an old model railroad program listed, but not this one.)

Later,

K

PS - Sorry, the Evening News isn't going anywhere. Neat idea, though folks do like their national news--as we find out whenever we pre-empt it for local breaking news coverage. [B)]

[Anonymous]

DIY network, never heard of it unless it is the discovery channel.

[kstrong]

DIY - "Do It Yourself" network. Owned by Scripps-Howard, who does HGTV, The Food Network, etc. Typically, it's in the "enhanced" tier of programming. I don't get it with my basic package, either.

Later,

K

[Anonymous]

[V] I don't get that one either.