WI: No "Lawrence Welk Show"

Driftless

Donor
That would be an interesting hypothetical: What if a rural- or Southern-based nascent network collected the purged shows, added some original product, then made a go of it? Maybe a cross between early Nashville Network and early WTBS, but as a broadcast entity? That particular combination might be too Southern for Welk and similar shows, but you see where I'm trying to go. Is it viable as a fourth network?

A little too early to reap benefits from cable extending out to rural areas I think. Another broadcast network might be a tough sell to advertisers
 
That would be an interesting hypothetical: What if a rural- or Southern-based nascent network collected the purged shows, added some original product, then made a go of it? Maybe a cross between early Nashville Network and early WTBS, but as a broadcast entity? That particular combination might be too Southern for Welk and similar shows, but you see where I'm trying to go. Is it viable as a fourth network?

The issue with a 4th network was network affiliates: the local stations that joined with NBC, CBS or ABC, and aired their shows. If a local affiliate did not like a network or for whatever reason, they could change to another network or drop out of the networks. But the issue is, a 4th network would need enough local affiliates to air their shows in target markets and exist properly as a network. Someone like a overly wealthy Texas oil billionaire could do it, but they would need those affiliate stations, and building their own stations would cost a lot of money if they had to do that.
 
The issue with a 4th network was network affiliates: the local stations that joined with NBC, CBS or ABC, and aired their shows. If a local affiliate did not like a network or for whatever reason, they could change to another network or drop out of the networks. But the issue is, a 4th network would need enough local affiliates to air their shows in target markets and exist properly as a network. Someone like a overly wealthy Texas oil billionaire could do it, but they would need those affiliate stations, and building their own stations would cost a lot of money if they had to do that.

Another problem that would face a potential fourth network at the time of the Rural purge was the lack of suitable over-the-air stations that such a network could affiliate with being on the air at that time (Additional over-the-air Television stations would appear over the next several years) for a potential network if it was started up in the 1970's for example to work if it was started up by one or more individuals worth billions would likely require that the individual or individuals pay up substantial amount of money to the numerous startup broadcasters (in addition to starting their own stations in some markets) money that they (The broadcasters) would need to build those stations that would be needed (For the potential network) from scratch in exchange for long term affiliations (Alternative at that time would be airing their programming on any Existing Network Affiliated Station on whatever available time slot that they have) in addition to the cost of the needed microwave/coaxial cable interconnection to those affiliates until the early to mid 1980's (When the microwave/coaxial cable transmissions were discontinued in favor of satellites).

Such a potential network couldn't be feasible until the fall of 1976 at the very earliest (Satellite transmission was by then already proven by HBO to be feasible). Availability of Satellite transmission to over-the-air stations in addition to additional over-the-air stations on the air had helped the Fox network become feasible by that point.
 
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Welk was actually more mainstream than most give him credit for: believe it or not, he actually had a #1 song on the Billboard charts in 1961 called "Calcutta". So even up to the almost the beginning of the British Invasion, folks were still listening to him.


and what would American culture be without "ana one ana two..."

I'm reminded of a joke Johnny Carson did about Welk on one of his monologues:

Young Lawrence Welk is sitting in class, and raises his hand and asks to leave the room. When the teacher asks why, he replies "I have ta' do a one an' a two."
 
Yeah, see, that's the sort of thing that my friends would have played, only partly as irony, at a lounge revival party in the late 90s, the era when Pat Boone was doing Black Sabbath covers.

Granted, as pointed out, the Lawrence Welk Show itself was a few degrees cheezier than his radio hits, so it's still kinda hard to account for its continuing presence on PBS. Maybe the audience is mostly nostalgia buffs, and PBS shows it rather than something better because it's cheaper for them to buy?
 

Driftless

Donor
Yeah, see, that's the sort of thing that my friends would have played, only partly as irony, at a lounge revival party in the late 90s, the era when Pat Boone was doing Black Sabbath covers.

Granted, as pointed out, the Lawrence Welk Show itself was a few degrees cheezier than his radio hits, so it's still kinda hard to account for its continuing presence on PBS. Maybe the audience is mostly nostalgia buffs, and PBS shows it rather than something better because it's cheaper for them to buy?

I'd bet part of the business side for PBS airing the reruns, is the weekend evening audience skews towards aging boomers. As we've seen in the comments on this thread, most of us grew up with Welk as a fixture in one way or another. As you note too, the cost can't be high: it's largely reruns and short studio interviews between old friends.
 
I'd bet part of the business side for PBS airing the reruns, is the weekend evening audience skews towards aging boomers. As we've seen in the comments on this thread, most of us grew up with Welk as a fixture in one way or another. As you note too, the cost can't be high: it's largely reruns and short studio interviews between old friends.

Another factor that just occured to me is that the LWS focussed almost entirely on the music itself. There was no comedy(of the intentional sort), and no big-name celebrities(musical or otherwise).

In other words, apart from the musical anachronism(which most afficiadoes are more than willing to accept), there wasn't much to "date" the show as being from any particular era. By contrast, I remember watching Laugh-In reruns in the mid-80s, and they were doing jokes about LBJ and Linda Bird. I'm sure the number of people who would have even the basic knowledge to understand the references in 2017 is even lower than it was in 1986.
 
Another corny aspect of LW is that the musical cast all looked so clean-cut and wholesome and with pearly white smiles. The ultimate in being square. You know, some of the cast members had to feel that the show was a joke deep inside. But hey, a paycheck is a paycheck! I bet some of them went home and cussed and smoked and drank out of spite...
 
I agree there was no history changing influence, but in the early days his band was not "out of tune" and he showcased some ace guitar/steel players like Speedy West, Neil LeVang, and Buddy Merrill.

See how he treats Buddy Merrill like a school kid in this clip, counting off the song in his ear and apparently telling him right on camera to smile:

 
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