Reply With QuoteWow thanks for the info that would be so cool. He has his on channel on XM, so why not tv. This could be a great way to introduce Elvis to a new audience. I hope it happens, hate to get the hopes up.
Remember when I told you guys several months back that a rep for EPE was on Beale Street having dinner with a Disney rep about an Elvis tv channel? Well, CKX is looking hard into a possible Elvis-themed network as a premium channel that would be commercial-free programming. There are some interesting things going on with EPE/CKX. Stay tuned
Check out my new blog about Elvis Presley @ http://elvis21century.blogspot.com/
Wow thanks for the info that would be so cool. He has his on channel on XM, so why not tv. This could be a great way to introduce Elvis to a new audience. I hope it happens, hate to get the hopes up.
Love Elvis...The Greatest
RIP Tommy
From my understanding Apollo would have to help fund it and it could cost up to $100 million or more just to get it off the ground. The main push for the network is that it gives EPE/CKX/Apollo a big commercial tool for gaining new fans and new visitors to Graceland. An Elvis tv network could work as a commercial-free channel. Meaning they would not have to pay sponsors for commercial spots.
EPE is also looking into creating their own production company to produce films and documentaries of their own. A tv station would be programmed through it. All this could take from anywhere as early as a year to 5 years before it becomes official. CKX could do a trial run to see how it's perceived by the public to tell if it has a chance for long term success or not. Maybe run it for free for a few months then go premium if it's getting respectable viewing numbers. TV channels don't need big viewing numbers to be successful. It has more to do with what attracts viewers than it does the content. And we all know Elvis attracts even the non fans.
Check out my new blog about Elvis Presley @ http://elvis21century.blogspot.com/
fantastic.....this has to be the way forward to new generations of younger fans
"NO-ONE, BUT NO-ONE,IS HIS EQUAL, OR EVER WILL BE. HE WAS, AND IS SUPREME".Mick Jagger
That would be wonderful! Hope they go through with it.
I will just write that check for $100 million and get this thing started.
I do worry though about the success of it, Oprah's network is a failure. I know she is not The King but I wouldn’t have thought her channel would have failed.
I do worry that just all Elvis would not bring as many new fans to him, they might have to have other programs or promote newer artists with a mix of Elvis. Maybe if all goes well over time it could become all Elvis all the time. You could have during other programming pop up trivia or facts about Elvis. Commercials could be promotions about Elvis, parts of Elvis’ concerts and other famous people talking about Elvis.
These are some of my thoughts. What are yours? What could the channel be called; I know The Elvis channel is obvious. What about the TCB channel?
Love Elvis...The Greatest
RIP Tommy
Whats the source on that information that you have an understanding about? Since the dinner took place several months ago-where is this fresh info from? Is it just a rumor? You seem to have some specific info..... taking up to 5 years, trial run etc.....so what is the source to gauge this information?Originally Posted by vivaelvis
I also have my doubts about the idea-as has been stated the Oprah network is in trouble and her network was expected to shoot out of the gate.....not limp along as it is.
I think we had a pretty lengthy debate about this a couple times in the past years and nothing has ever come of this idea.
Last edited by KPM; 02-23-2012 at 10:55 AM.
Work in Progress!
Agree and ETV would work also, if they showed elvis concerts,documentaires etc but also the music elvis got inspired by, the music he listened to where he grew up with etc.I will just write that check for $100 million and get this thing started.
I do worry though about the success of it, Oprah's network is a failure. I know she is not The King but I wouldn’t have thought her channel would have failed.
I do worry that just all Elvis would not bring as many new fans to him, they might have to have other programs or promote newer artists with a mix of Elvis. Maybe if all goes well over time it could become all Elvis all the time. You could have during other programming pop up trivia or facts about Elvis. Commercials could be promotions about Elvis, parts of Elvis’ concerts and other famous people talking about Elvis.
These are some of my thoughts. What are yours? What could the channel be called; I know The Elvis channel is obvious. What about the TCB channel?
That's true. I love listening to Roy Hamilton too, that guy could sing!!!
Love Elvis...The Greatest
RIP Tommy
While this sounds like a GREAT idea, the only thing I worry about is the limited amount of material that could be shown on ETV (or whatever they call it) featuring Elvis. Yes, obviously the 33 movies and TV specials (plus outtakes) but that is about all there is and how often can you show those same things over and over before casual watchers/fans would get bored/tired of seeing the same stuff? The reason that the SiriusXM station does so well is because of the prolific amount of music that Elvis recorded, both in studio and in concert. Over 700 studio recordings plus hundreds of live performances certainly allows for a unique listening experience on a daily basis! But with such a much more limited video catalog to pull from, I have concerns about the long-term stability of ETV.
Yes, other non-Elvis shows featuring musicians that were influenced by or influenced Elvis would work as well as a show like George Klein's TV show featuring people that worked with Elvis would also work (at least for a while, but again remember that those folks are getting older too)...but I keep coming back to the limited video catalog...
Don't get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to see ETV debut and succeed on my local cable network!! I just have concerns that, in my mind, make the idea a little hard to fathom...
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
They could edit footages etc for songs, Concert could be even in 8mm quality, ETC ETC. there lots and if EPE helped out they could provide more footage that people havent seen yet. Wouldnt that be cool New footage shown on Public Television, If it catches on they could release it on dvd. like a preview for upcoming things.While this sounds like a GREAT idea, the only thing I worry about is the limited amount of material that could be shown on ETV (or whatever they call it) featuring Elvis. Yes, obviously the 33 movies and TV specials (plus outtakes) but that is about all there is and how often can you show those same things over and over before casual watchers/fans would get bored/tired of seeing the same stuff? The reason that the SiriusXM station does so well is because of the prolific amount of music that Elvis recorded, both in studio and in concert. Over 700 studio recordings plus hundreds of live performances certainly allows for a unique listening experience on a daily basis! But with such a much more limited video catalog to pull from, I have concerns about the long-term stability of ETV.
Yes, other non-Elvis shows featuring musicians that were influenced by or influenced Elvis would work as well as a show like George Klein's TV show featuring people that worked with Elvis would also work (at least for a while, but again remember that those folks are getting older too)...but I keep coming back to the limited video catalog...
Don't get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to see ETV debut and succeed on my local cable network!! I just have concerns that, in my mind, make the idea a little hard to fathom...
TCB!
Mike
It certainly would be cool for new footage to debut on his own network, but still...obtaining new footage will cost lots of $$$ and I'm not sure how much $$$ EPE would be willing to shell out for it...
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
I agree with you - I have always come back to that point of limited product.While this sounds like a GREAT idea, the only thing I worry about is the limited amount of material that could be shown on ETV (or whatever they call it) featuring Elvis. Yes, obviously the 33 movies and TV specials (plus outtakes) but that is about all there is and how often can you show those same things over and over before casual watchers/fans would get bored/tired of seeing the same stuff? The reason that the SiriusXM station does so well is because of the prolific amount of music that Elvis recorded, both in studio and in concert. Over 700 studio recordings plus hundreds of live performances certainly allows for a unique listening experience on a daily basis! But with such a much more limited video catalog to pull from, I have concerns about the long-term stability of ETV.
Yes, other non-Elvis shows featuring musicians that were influenced by or influenced Elvis would work as well as a show like George Klein's TV show featuring people that worked with Elvis would also work (at least for a while, but again remember that those folks are getting older too)...but I keep coming back to the limited video catalog... :hmm:
Don't get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to see ETV debut and succeed on my local cable network!! I just have concerns that, in my mind, make the idea a little hard to fathom...
TCB!
Mike
In another thread on this subject I actually did an estimate of all the time available of Elvis movies, specials, Sullivan etc-and I recall it was something like less than a months worth of first run showings IMO you would really have to come up with many many other types of music/Elvis related films and videos to make "a year in year out" true full fledged network to work. In order to succeed it would have to reach beyond just we hardcore Elvis fans(similar to the idea of SE editions of EOT-if only we buy them Warners will never take the money to do it correctly)
TV Land which has a wealth of series at their beck and call..... has more and more new programming added each year-evidently to keep views coming to their network.
(I do not agree with this new TV Land move-it should be about the old series we all love-If I want new reality or comedy shows thats what CBS, NBC, HBO etc are for)
I also would love to see something like this done correctly with a major emphasis on Elvis-but enough material that his limited work would not carry the load-
But....I just do not see a viable financial solution that would provide new product and still turn a profit for whomever decided to produce the shows.
Work in Progress!
I'm hearing that Time-Warner might be the driving force behind it or involved. Keep in mind that they also own a mass majority of Presley films and several hours of unreleased outtakes of concert and rehearsals. Also, it's very possible that IF there's ever an Elvis-themed network that it may not be all just Elvis and may feature live music events of today's artists. If you saw the recent Kidd Rock concert inside the Elvis car museum, you might get a vision of what it could be like. Concerts and special presentations built around Elvis and today's artists of Country, Rock, Pop, R&B and Gospel. All the musical genres that inspired Elvis.
Most programming today is built around multiple reruns. If you will notice that most cable networks like Discovery, History, Science, etc all have reruns of the same programming over and over against. Many of which is not new programming. E-Entertainment shows reruns of the Kardashians from back years ago just to fill up time slots.So it wouldn't be a problem to run an 12 hour block of programming and repeat it for the next 12 hour block. This is the way of cable tv today. This is why I think it's a real possibility to happen. All I know is that CKX and EPE are seriously looking into it. If Apollo backs it and funds it, then it'll be a milestone and groundbreaking network.
Here's a breakdown of how programming could go in it's first 12 hours, just to give you a visual picture of it.
12:00-1:00 AM From The Waist Up
1:00-2:30 Blue Hawaii
2:30-4:00 Jailhouse Rock
4:00-6:00 ABC Special-Viva Las Vegas (2007)
6:00-7:30 Live A Little, Love A Little
7:30-8:00 George Kline's Sounds Of Memphis
8:00-8:30 Kidd Rock-Live At The Artist's Den
8:30-10:00 68 Comeback
10:00-10:15 Elvis music videos
10:15-12:00 That's The Way It Is SE
Then a repeat of the previous 12 hour block. Then on to the next day of programming. Each day would have different programming than the previous.
Check out my new blog about Elvis Presley @ http://elvis21century.blogspot.com/
I am hugely skeptical-this is the same TIME WARNER-who will not take the money or time to put out a true SEEOT-because they obviously do not see a large enough sales audience for profit???
Now they are a considering a much much larger investment in a full Elvis network, lets be honest it just does not make sense.
Even in repeating 12 hour blocks after a few months the repetition would kill the network....so the answer to that is original programming which is much more expensive and thus a lot less profitable.
Instead of helping Elvis's image-perhaps you hurt him with the repetition of the same 33 films the same specials, the same old kinescopes that we love-but many many not.
Last edited by KPM; 02-28-2012 at 12:12 PM.
Work in Progress!
With regard to comparing the History, Discovery, and Science Channels-yes they do repeat programming......but there programming is not "finite"
it is continually updated with new films and documentaries on such varied topics that their library of product is virtually endless-they show films on space, weather, archeology, oceanography, kids topics, magic, the Smithstonean Institute, museums, UFOs, paranormal science, etc.....and thats just a few of the differing subjects on which 100 of thousands of hours of film already exist or are being produced from differing sources yearly.
The Elvis video archives are finite-they are very limited in scope and time......thats just a fact we can not get around.
I would love for this idea to end up a working reality-that succeeds, but that will take a broader scope of product and if that product is not centered around Elvis-then it ends up not really being an Elvis network.
I mean this rumor has been circulating for well over 10 years-and there is a reason it has never gone anywhere-because people who actually invest money and produce the backing it takes to get it off the ground-do not see it as feasible.
As much as we Elvis fans want something to happen and think it should happen-there is a reality in the world that can not be changed by rumor, and good wishes.
I would also hate to see some venture that (IMO) is not feasible fail-and then the failure is on the image of Elvis and his talent-(even though he had absolutely nothing to do with it from the idea to completion)
Viva Elvis is a good example-they had trouble getting a handle on how to present the image, talent and music of Elvis in this show-they retooled, they tinkered and it never quite came off....so some will say-Elvis did not sell......and he had absolutely no input of any kind-yet his name is in the title.
Work in Progress!
I do agree there is not enough material to show many hours of Elvis everyday. I wish there was. Like I said before and others have said they would need to show other artist and concerts to promote Elvis. I could see the following on the Elvis channel: Elvis commercials promoting shows and cd's..ect Each week there could be a hour news cast all about the world of Elvis. I would love to see an Elvis channel but I do think this might never happen. It will cost a fortune with a huge risk, this will need a lot of planning to succeed.
Love Elvis...The Greatest
RIP Tommy
There's plenty of material, as long as they mix it up and don't focus solely on just Elvis, but feature other artists with an Elvis tie-in or connection. EPE might be spending a lot of money and taking a risk, but it's a risk that could eventually pay off. EPE/CKX are going to have to find new ways to promote and commercially advertise Graceland for it to be successful once the original fanbase is gone. And that's quickly approaching.
As for it not lasting, they said the same thing about Elvis radio on Sirius when it launched, and it's about to celebrate its 9th year on the air.
Check out my new blog about Elvis Presley @ http://elvis21century.blogspot.com/
EXCELLENT POINT!!!
Believe me, there is no one who wants to see Elvis have his own TV channel more than me, but the facts are the facts...there simply aren't enough hours of footage available of Elvis without having to constantly repeat. Yes, new programming associated with Elvis can be included in the project, but still...there's only so much that can be done.
TV is a constantly-changing medium and as Ken pointed out, unfortunately Elvis himself is not here so being able to keep up with the changes isn't feasible. Look at Oprah Winfrey and her OWN network (again as someone previously pointed out)...she has millions and millions of dollars and fans, and she is still alive and able to make changes, and even she is not able to keep her network competitive, thus it is failing. So for someone like Elvis, anchoring his own television network would appear (to me anyway) an almost insurmountable task.
Sadly, if an ETV network were to launch and not make it, the press would be all over it, talking about how Elvis isn't relevant anymore or how he is losing his luster, so to speak...and that is not something that Elvis fans want to see, nor his image needs to endure in my opinion.
Again...as I said at the beginning, NO ONE wants to see Elvis have his own channel more than me, but sadly the facts are the facts...
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
Very true, and I for one am GLAD to see that the Elvis channel on Sirius is doing so well!!! And as I said in a previous post, no one would like to see an Elvis television channel succeed more than me, but the facts are that there is SO MUCH more audio material to use on the Sirius radio channel versus the much more limited video material that would be available for a TV channel.
Even though there are repeated songs and programs on Sirius, they are far less than what would be repeated on a television channel solely based on the amount of material available between the two mediums. Over 700 studio recordings and hundreds of live concerts provide for unique listening experiences almost daily on Sirius. On TV, it would be hard to spread 33 movies and a few TV specials out enough without having to repeat so often, even diehard fans might become bored or tired of seeing the same things. Even if you sprinkled in original programming featuring Elvis fans or musicians who are tied to or influenced by Elvis, there would still be too much repeated material (in my opinion)!
I do agree 100% that Graceland needs something to continue promoting themselves to the public, especially with the original fanbase slowly fading away (as you stated), but I just don't think a TV network is the way to go (even though I personally would love it)...I just think there is too much money that needs to be spent on a TV network as well as the constantly changing trends of the television audience and Elvis is not here himself to keep up with the changing likes/dislikes of a television audience.
I personally don't know what the answer is to promote Elvis, aside from the Sirius radio channel. Continuing to put out GREAT box sets like the YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT certainly will help to keep Elvis' music alive, relevant and talked about in the music industry circles, which will help to create new fans, thus bringing new fans into the fold and eventually to Graceland...and the much talked about and highly anticipated Graceland area redesign will certainly help as well to bring fans to Graceland. But I do agree that more is needed to help continue to make Graceland THE place to visit...I'm just not entirely sure what that is...
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
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