Monday, Sept. 30, 2002 | 8:45 a.m.
At first this story was going to be about the popularity of the Game Show Network (GSN).
It was supposed to detail why millions tune into the network each day to reacquaint themselves with contestants and B-list celebrities wearing tacky jackets, ascots and scarves, and sporting sideburns as thick as rugs from three decades ago.
We wanted to explain why vintage shows such as "Match Game," with Charles Nelson Reilly seated on its burnt-orange set, or the original "Hollywood Squares," featuring the late, great Paul Lynde in the center square, remain popular today.
The prizes on those programs were often cheesy did anyone really need a year's supply of Turtle Wax or a "home version of the game"? The shows themselves were often even cheesier than the prizes see the aforementioned "Match Game."
Nevertheless, with the help of these classic shows, along with some original programming "Lingo," "Russian Roulette," "Friend or Foe," as well as a new version of the classic game of chance, "Whammy!" the nearly 8-year-old GSN has become the second-fastest growing network in all of cable, according to Nielsen Media Research. It will reach 50 million homes at the end of this year and 60 million in 2003.
The article was originally going to explore the niche network's growing success and more.
Then word seeped out that Cox Communications is yanking GSN off basic cable (analog) channel 68 and moving it to digital cable only, channel 348, beginning Nov. 15.
I was incredulous. Why would Cox take one of its best network offerings away from a majority of its subscribers?
Publicists and executives at GSN wre even more puzzled. They hadn't heard about the channel change until I broke the news to them a week and a half ago.
"We were shocked and obviously very disappointed," said Rich Cronin, the Game Show Network's president and chief executive officer. "We had a good relationship with Cox in the past and the Game Show Network is hotter than ever. And in Las Vegas, we have a huge following.
"It makes no sense for Cox to take us off basic, where people have fallen in love with us over the years, to some tier where people will have to pay more. We still don't understand it."
Neither did I. So I called Cox.
Steve Schorr is vice president of public and government affairs of Cox Communications (the Greenspun family, which owns the Las Vegas Sun, has a minority interest in Cox's Las Vegas operation). He explained the motive behind the move.
Schorr said the issue is not the popularity of the network, which, according to GSN, ranks among the top 20 of the 75 basic cable channels available in Las Vegas. Rather, the decision to switch the channel to digital is in response to customers' own requests.
Schorr said through independent research it was determined what Cox Communications subscribers in Las Vegas want from cable is a "varied programming base and a wider selection ... especially of movies."
And digital cable allows this. In fact, digital offers roughly 75 more channel options to its subscribers than analog. That's because analog uses considerably more bandwidth than its digital counterpart. For every one analog channel signal, you can fit roughly six channels on the digital stream.
OK, but if digital is so compact, why is Cox taking GSN away?
"We need to make room for new products and services," Schorr said. "In the industry it's called 'bandwidth recovery.' "
As a result, Cox is adding 14 new channels to its digital service, including HBO Latino, 5 Star Max, Showtime Family Zone and Showtime Women, the Filipino and Zhong Tian channels, TV Japan and INSP -- the Inspirational Channel.
To handle the extra bandwidth, however, room had to be made.
Consequently, four analog channels (HBO2, HBO3 and two pay-per-view channels) and four digital channels (Cinemax E, More Max E, ActionMax E and ThrillerMax E) are all being dropped from the Cox cable lineup.
Other channel changes include:
WGN, Chicago, moves from Channel 11 to 16; QVC, from 16 to 11; PaxNet, from 50 to 51; Showtime, from 51 to 78; TMC, from 52 to 79; Cinemax, from 53 to 77; HBO, from 54 to 76; Pay Per View, from 57 and 58 to 74 and 75; CMT, from 71 to 57; Animal Planet, from 72 to 58; C-Span 1, from 73 to 59; Comedy Central, from 74 to 56; Oxygen, from 75 to 55; Court TV, from 76 to 54; Bravo, from 77 to 53; American Movie Classics, from 78 to 52; Fox Sports World 2 from 79 to 50; and Brigham Young University TV, from 348 to 352.
But only one channel -- GSN -- is being moved from the analog tier to digital.
Dialed in
"It's a tough decision," Schorr said. "But with that channel gone it's going to create a larger digital atmosphere."
When asked if Cox Communications had considered moving another of its analog channels to digital -- such as Oxygen, Pax or Court TV -- Schorr said no.
"Contractually, the Game Show Network programming allowed us to be able to move them to a digital place," he said. "That's where we felt it best belonged because that's where we're beginning to add a lot of other programming. That's why it was done. It's nothing against the Game Show Network or to the people who like the Game Show Network."
But Schorr acknowledged the decision will not be greeted with enthusiasm by many Las Vegas Cox basic cable subscribers, who will have to pay nearly $17 more a month to upgrade to digital and keep GSN.
"Yes, we're going to make some people unhappy and we don't like to make people unhappy," Schorr said. "But you have to do what you think is best for the overall community."
When asked how many digital subscribers there are compared to analog, Schorr said he was not at liberty to give out numbers.
"(But) a substantial portion of the service we provide now is digital."
According to figures provided by GSN, however, there are 380,000 Cox Communications basic subscribers in Las Vegas, 344,382 of whom receive the Game Show Network.
However, there are only 130,000 digital subscribers. Which means the network stands to lose 227,382 subscribers in being bumped to digital-only.
"It's a really big blow to us," Bob Oden, GSN's senior vice president of programming, said. "Las Vegas in particular is an important market. Not only are our ratings high there, but it's a natural market for us."
There are other detractors as well.
Puzzled hosts
Monty Hall, forever known as the host of "Let's Make a Deal," which typically airs from 9 to 10 a.m. Mondays through Fridays on GSN, said he was "a little puzzled" at Cox's decision.
"It's not fair. I don't understand why it's even legal to do something like that," the 81-year-old former host said in a recent interview from his home in Los Angeles. "It may be legal, but it's certainly not ethical."
And perennial game-show host Chuck Woolery, who can be seen in GSN's half-hour "Lingo," airing at 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, was "incredibly disappointed" when he learned the network was being moved to digital.
"I would say that is a demotion to go from analog to digital," because of the loss of subscribers, Woolery said in a recent telephone interview from his home in Park City, Utah. "Some people can't afford it and some people won't want to do it. So, it makes you less accessible.
"I think it's a real shame, I really do."
But Josef Adalian, TV editor for Daily Variety, which recently named GSN one of its "cable hot shots," along with such pop-culture sensations as "The Sopranos" and "The Osbournes," said Cox's move is typical of cable providers nationwide.
Many cable companies remove popular channels from basic service to digital to lure more subscribers to the upgrade, he said.
"It's not a very subscriber-friendly move," Adalian said. "That's one of the reasons you have a lot of cable-industry problems right now."
As to what can be done to prevent the analog-to-digital switch, Cronin said GSN had contacted Cox Communications by phone and with a letter.
"We're hoping that Cox will change its mind," he said. "(And) for all the Game Show Network fans in Las Vegas ... to call Cox and let them know how they feel about this."
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