Posted on 11/24/2003 7:38:11 AM PST by ZGuy
NBC wants to end its unhappy relationship with the family-friendly PAX network, and while it presents a serious financial challenge to the seventh broadcast network, it may be good news for viewers.
"I don't see there being a downside to that at all," said Melissa Caldwell of the Parents Television Council, a pro-family watchdog group. "If PAX has ever aired anything that was even remotely questionable, it was generally programming that was originally developed for and aired on NBC."
NBC wants to redeem its one-third stake in PAX over the next year; otherwise, it will have the right to sell it off to third parties.
Bob Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, said the issue still to be resolved, then, is whether someone will come in with $500 million and keep programming like "Sue Thomas F.B.Eye" and "Doc" on the air.
"There is certainly a lot of vocal call out there for the kind of programming and the kind of philosophy that PAX put out there," Thompson said. "It's one thing to come up with a network that's going to do that; it's another thing to fill up your schedule with high-quality programming of that type that people will want to watch."
Bud Paxson, chairman of PAX TV, had only a single comment, issued through a spokesman: "Thank God Almighty, we're free at last."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.