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- <title>Letter from TNT programming department about B5</title>
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- <h1>The Word from TNT</h1>
-
- <p>
- <b>See Also:</b>
- <a href="http://tnt.turner.com/babylon5/">TNT's B5 Web site</a> -
- <a href="http://www.myna.com/~mkoren/B5/">Canadian letter-writing campaign</a>
-
- <p>
- The following are letters from TNT's programming department about what they're
- up to with B5. They address lots of different questions people have asked
- since the season-5 renewal announcement was made.
-
- <pre>
-
- </pre>
-
- <p>
- <em>The following summary is current as of October 31, 1997.</em>
-
- <p>
- Hi, guys. Here's an update on the situation with B5 appearing on TNT. A lot of
- this material that follows may or may not be stuff you've read before, but a lot
- is quite different, too. Here we go:
-
- <p>
- As you probably know, BABYLON 5 is headed for Turner Network Television (at
- least in the United States) in January 1998; it will be seen in the US
- exclusively on TNT, and will be dropped from your local syndicated outlet's
- roster. Already, the 1:00 and shorter promos are showing often on TNT. The
- promos will be available on the website eventually, once our more extensive B5
- site launches in January. The preliminary B5 on TNT website launched on
- November 5, though, and includes a FAQ list and a chat room. Check it out at
- tnt.turner.com/babylon5. The other promotional materials-- posters, bus sides
- and so forth (not available to fans, except through eventual website contests)--
- are currently in production and should be hitting the streets some time in late
- November/early December. Anyway, here's a timeline of B5 events on TNT:
-
-
- <dl>
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- DECEMBER 26:
- <dd>
- THE GUIDE TO BABYLON 5, a 30-min behind-the-scenes special to initiate the
- uninitiated, will premiere at approximately 11 pm ET (following basketball,
- which will inevitably run long).
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- DECEMBER 28:
- <dd>
- **2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (pan-and-scan, hosted by Bruce Boxleitner and Jerry
- Doyle) @ 8 pm ET<br>
- **THE GUIDE TO BABYLON 5 @ 11 pm ET<br>
- **2010 (unhosted) @ 11:30 pm ET<br>
- **THE GUIDE TO BABYLON 5 @ 2 am ET<br>
- **2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (LETTERBOXED, hosted by Bruce Boxleitner and Jerry
- Doyle) @ 2:30 am ET
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- JANUARY 2:
- <dd>
- **2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (pan-and-scan, hosted by Bruce Boxleitner and Jerry
- Doyle) @ 4:15 am ET
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- JANUARY 3:
- <dd>
- **THE GUIDE TO BABYLON 5 @ 11 am ET<br>
- **THE GUIDE TO BABYLON 5 @ 5:30 pm ET
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- JANUARY 4:
- <dd>
- **The premiere of the B5 prequel movie IN THE BEGINNING @ 8 pm ET<br>
- **The RE-EDITED, RE-SCORED B5 pilot movie THE GATHERING @ 10 pm ET<br>
- **THE GUIDE TO BABYLON 5 @ 12 mid ET<br>
- **IN THE BEGINNING @ 12:30 am ET<br>
- **THE GUIDE TO BABYLON 5 @ 2:30 am ET<br>
- **CASABLANCA (grin) @ 3 am ET<br>
- **THE GUIDE TO BABYLON 5 @ 5:30 am ET
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- JANUARY 5:
- <dd>
- BABYLON 5 strip begins; seasons 1-4 (and eventually 5) will be
- played in sequential order, in their original length, in stereo but not
- letterboxed, Monday through Friday, starting today at 7 pm ET.
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- JANUARY 10:
- <dd>
- IN THE BEGINNING @ 8 pm ET
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- JANUARY 14:
- <dd>
- IN THE BEGINNING @ 10 pm ET
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- JANUARY 21:
- <dd>
- 5th season episodes begin appearing, starting on this WEDNESDAY at
- 10 pm ET, with a replay of that week's episode on the following Saturday at
- 7 pm ET.
-
- <p>
- <dt>
- SPRING 1998: Premiere of "Third Space," the second of our B5 movies.
-
- </dl>
-
- <p>
- And that's the end of the B5 timeline, for right now. We're working on collating
- all the series info and graphics we need for the TNT website, but we don't want
- people to think it's a fall addition to TNT, so, as I've said, we're waiting
- until November or so to launch, to avoid confusion. You'll hear about the site
- through here at Lurker's or on The Zocalo, though, so don't worry--you'll know
- about it when it happens.
-
-
- <p>
- Now, to some ancillary issues:
-
- <p>
- THE FINAL FOUR OF SEASON FOUR: Of course, some fans are writing, lamenting the
- fact that their local station has dropped the final four B5 eps of the fourth
- season. We're a little afraid that showing the final four before the bow of the
- fifth season will be confusing to any non-fan viewers, and it's not as if the
- situation is not confusing enough, what with three separate premiere dates for
- varying facets of the series. We know the votes of B5 fans worldwide would favor
- the airings, but we have to think of all 70 million of our subscribers when we
- program something. The fact is, that 90% of the country is getting the final
- four aired somewhere on their TV schedule, so it means we'd be running them for
- only the 10% who weren't getting the series. That's too small a number for us.
- So, sorry, but it doesn't look as the airing of the final four before the
- premiere of the 5th season episodes is going to happen.
-
- <p>
- AIR TIMES: B5 fans from the West Coast have been calling and writing in, asking
- for a second showing of the daily episode at a later time (like, say 10 or 11 pm
- ET), so that they can see the series in prime time. Unfortunately, though,
- we really have to concentrate on our movie library and sporting events after the
- 8 pm ET hour, so I don't see episodes of B5 being programmed after that time
- period (if we programmed B5 at, say 8, 9 or 10 pm ET, it'd be pre-empted at
- least three times a week, for basketball and wrestling, both to which we have an
- equally strong committment). Sorry--B5 will appear weekdays on the West coast
- at either 3 or 4 pm PT...at least for a little while. BUT HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS:
- TNT is adding a West Coast feed to their operations sometime in mid- to late
- 1998. This means that, what airs at 7 pm Eastern will also air at 7 pm Pacific.
- So, eventually, during the B5's time on TNT, the show will be seen in a more
- accessible time slot on the West Coast.
-
- <p>
- THEATRICAL SCREENINGS: Bad news--we can't have theatrical screenings of the
- show, for complex legal/contractual reasons. So don't be expecting this come
- January 1998...
-
- <p>
- EPISODE ORDERING: We will be getting an episode ordering from JMS that will
- reflect the PROPER order for the series' episodes, which we will slavishly
- follow.
-
- <p>
- CLOSE CAPTIONING: I've been assured that all B5 episodes and movies will be
- close-captioned. Everything will go smoothly in this regard...
-
- <p>
- LETTERBOXING: No chance of B5 being aired on a regular basis in letterbox, but
- we have discussed the possibilities of having a letterboxed week or a letterbox
- marathon of shows, and they were open to that. No dates or anything for that,
- though. It probably won't happen for a while...
-
- <p>
- STEREO: I know B5 is mixed for Surround Sound stereo, and is greatly enhanced by
- such. FYI, TNT does broadcast in Surround Sound stereo, when it's available on
- the materials we're broadcasting. For instance, while some of our older movies
- and TV shows were originally recorded in mono, our sports, TNT Originals,
- specials, and some newer movies and TV series (including B5, of course) are all
- broadcast and will be broadcast in stereo. I cannot, however, say if your cable
- company RECEIVES us in stereo, but the bottom line is: we DO broadcast as such,
- when we can. If you are not currently recieveing stereo on your TNT reception,
- call your cable company and make sure they don't recieve us in stereo; there is
- nothing we can personally do to MAKE them broadcast us in stereo, though, as we
- have no control over cable affiliates' operations. And my only suggestion
- towards your efforts to make them recieve us in stereo: badger, badger, badger
- (or get a satellite dish).
-
- <p>
- BUGS (LOGOS): It now seems as if the SMALL, TRANSPARANT TNT logo is up
- permanently on our network's programming. We know this won't be a popular
- decision with B5 fans, but this is something that we HAVE TO start doing to
- foster recognizability of TNT, not just during B5, but during movies and LOIS
- AND CLARK and everything on TNT. Why? Well, there are 70 channels out there
- for the average cable subscriber to choose from (let's don't even get INTO
- satellite). In the age of remote controls, people don't pay attention to
- channels or numbers or anything like that anymore, unless it's drilled into
- their head (also we con't rely on our promos to do to this, because for all we
- know, people are changling the channels during the commercials). The days of
- "ABC's on 2, NBC's on 11 and CBS is on 5" are over. Networks must do something
- to make themselves and their locations on your "dial" much more noticable (Sci-
- Fi Channel keeps their bug up 24-7...). Therefore, the logos (bugs) will be a
- regular fixture on B5. But, again, it is a transparant logo, and very small.
-
- <p>
- VOICE-OVERS/SQUEEZE CREDITS DURING CLOSING CREDIT: In order to let them know
- what's coming up next on our network (or any network) voice-overs and,
- sometimes, squeeze credits are necessary to keep people with shorter attention
- spans/low tolerance for credits tuned into the network. Squeeze credits will
- probably rarely be used. But voice-overs are guaranteed to be a daily staple on
- the B5 credits. However, we will relax our policy for the following episodes:
- "Chrysalis," "And Now For A Word," "The Fall of Night," "Walkabout," "And The
- Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place," "Z'Ha'Dum," and "Atonement." These episodes
- have been flagged with a NO V.O. notice, in order to provide fans/viewers with
- one episode a season where they can hear the theme music running over the
- credits, as well as to avoid stepping on special audio material played during
- the closing credits of various episodes.
-
- <p>
- VIDEO RELEASE OF B5: I've just heard that Columbia House Home Video will be
- releasing B5 to tape starting in November 1997. Two episodes per tape. I don't
- have pricing info, but I do have their website address: www.columbiahouse.com.
-
- <p>
- DISTRIBUTION FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD: TNT's job is not to internationally
- distribute TV series, B5 or otherwise, but is instead to program a DOMESTIC
- cable network available in the United States. When it comes to all of this
- other stuff--international distribution, videotape possibilities, DVD--Warner
- Brothers is the answer-giver! We didn't BUY "Babylon 5" lock, stock and barrel
- from WB--we just "rented" it; they retain ownership--it's just that no one
- else domestically can show the series, at least, for as long as our contracts
- go. So, since TNT bought, from Warner Brothers, the rights ONLY to show
- "Babylon 5" in the United States, there are no plans on our end to make it
- available for Canada, Australia, TNT Europe, TNT Asia, or TNT Latin America (all
- of which, despite having TNT as part of their names, are separte channels with
- completely separate operations and budgets and programming agendas). I know
- this is easy for me to say, but don't worry too much--Warner Brothers knows of
- the desire of fans worldwide to see any new Babylon 5 episodes or movies, and
- I'm sure they'll make accomodations for you to see them, either by selling the
- movies/episodes to TNT Asia, TNT Europe, and/or TNT Latin America, or to foreign
- syndication, or at the very least to a videotape distributor (I know that, in
- BRITAIN, for instance, they'll still continue to put 5th season episodes and the
- new movies on videotape). I don't work for Warner Brothers Distribution or Home
- Video, though, so I can't tell you what their plans are; all I can tell you is
- what's going on in my sphere of knowledge, and that sphere pretty much begins
- and ends with TNT Domestic (or, at the very most, the Turner side of Time/
- Warner). Sorry I can't help more...
-
- <p>
- Well, hopefully, all this info answers any questions you may have about our
- plans for B5. Again, as fans ourselves, we're thrilled to be carrying the
- series. It's intelligently written, beautifully performed, inpeccably crafted,
- and always incredibly exciting and ambitious--what more could we want from a
- show? You all have our deepest gratitude for taking the time to send us your
- congratulations and thanks! We're very much looking forward to having you guys
- as regular viewers in 1998! Take care.
-
- <p>
- Dean Treadway @ TNT Programming
-
- <pre>
-
- </pre>
-
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-
- <h5>
- Last update:
- October 21, 1997
-
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