What I am about to tell you is a secret. I think only one person knows about it. Well, two if you count God. Here goes:
I had the idea for Tvland.
You don know what tvland is? That's fair, I do know that I have reader's that are from other countrys and pehaps their versions of cable television is different from American versions. Tvland is an american television station created by Nickolodeon television, which is actually an Mtv station.
About 15 years ago I think I was watching television and I had this idea for an all classic television station. Nothing on this station would be new, not even comercials.
Cool idea, huh?
Enter tvland.
Only problem between my version and Viacom ( the owner of the Tvland) is that their idea is alot more polished than mine.
They know how to design or create television stations. I don't.
The first year that tvland was on the air they played everything classic, including commercials. My idea would have failed miserably because I don't know about the business end of a tv station.
The owner's of Tvland do and that is why over the past 14 or 15 years they have had a successfull formula for keeping television stations on the air.
They have the money to do it as well.
I have no idea how much money it would take to either start a television station or how much it would cost to keep it going. The only thing I would say I am sure about is that it isn't cheap.
Money also helps keep the station on the air as in commercials.
I am not sure exactly how it works but, television networks can get a hefty price for commercials they air on their stations. For some tv stations, the commrcials or advertisments keep them afloat.
Another important reason why my idea would have never worked. I would have used all classic's (yes, there is such a thing or genre known as classic commercials. People remember them just as much as they would a classic television show)
I didn't know this and I still don't. That is probably one reason why I don't work in television.
A television station of your every own would be a nice thing to have if you had the money for it. Just ask Oprah Winfrey, who recently started her own network.
Another important reason of why my idea would have never got off the ground is programming. What show interest people. I could name you classic television show after television show, some good, some not so good. The thing is, would you like them so much you woud have watched? Who knows. Even classic television get's boring after awhile because you have seen the same episodes ovr and over again
You need something a little fresh.
And lets face it, not everyone likes the same tv shows as lets say you or I do. I wouldn't doubt that almost every tv station gets people to think,'Man, this show stinks. How can people watch it.?'
While on the other hand, there could be people watching the same show that might be thinking this is the best television show they have ever seen
So, to review, did I ever have the idea for tvland? Well no. I had an idea that might have made people say, " that would have been a good idea" but that would have been it. Even the one person I did tell, looked me right in the eye and said" you have just described Tvland"
I'll say it again..... Viacom's idea for a classic television station was and is far better than mine. I consider it to be one my faveorite television stations
I'll leave you with this.... There have been a lot of people that have came up with some really great ideas and it has made them alot of money.
There have also been alot of people that have had the same idea but didn't really do any thing about it. These people some times think they deserve a little bit of the other's pie by taking them to court and say they thought of it first. Perhaps they did. The only thing these people are seeing now is dollar signs because the idea took off and made some one rich.
I know where I stand. For starter's I wouldn't have a case, and second, well to quote the late John Denver, I have never really been one of them money hungry fools.
