OMG - New York Times article mentions "The Game" !
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OMG - New York Times article mentions "The Game" !
Ocean_Islands | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 04:00 pm  REALITY TELEVISION: A PATH TO THE INTERNET TV-related Website Leads Way to Interactive Television By Mark FRANBERG Business Home • Return to Business Page Top of Form 1 GET QUOTES Look Up Symbol Enter Multiple Symbols Portfolio | Stock Markets | Mutual Funds | Bonds | Currencies | Bank Rates | Industries Bottom of Form 1 This article was reported by Mark Franberg, Daniel Vogarath and Ronald Bommenthaler. It was written by Mr. Franberg. Last June, CBS, in an attempt to improve ratings, began a summer-long onslaught of reality television programming, spawning the mega-hit "Survivor" and the much-maligned "Big Brother". Unbeknownst to anyone, the television-show related websites have taken center stage on what may be a totally new format: internet-television interactivity. The New York-based television network, adopting formats pioneered in Europe, begat something totally new. While "Survivor" was recorded on tape in early spring, "Big Brother" was virtually live, taxing its producers in a way that no one was prepared for. Joining forces with the television show producers were webmasters, who produced and maintained CBS's website for the show, www.bigbrother2000.com. The potent combination set records for webcasting and live television simulcast-framing -- literally watching a live television show through the internet's live feed capability -- without the commercial advertisements. What appears evident now is what no one had foreseen: the internet live feed webcasts taking center stage, with its attendant websites as strong supporting backup. Foremost among those websites for the Big Brother show -- which was a game show involving contestants agreeing to be sequestered in a camera-filled house built on the CBS lot in Los Angeles -- is the "Big Brother Fan Club WebSite" at www.tvclubhouse.com, which has given CBS a run for its money. Forcing the CBS sponsored website out of the limelight in mid-summer, the webmaster of this upstart site, "Neil B.", landed in trouble with the network. CBS served the webcaster, who is an unemployed Canadian technician, with a summons to appear in court for a suit regarding copyright infringements. This was the first in a brief wave of copyright-related lawsuits filed by the network and served against numerous 'mirror' sites using the CBS television show as a subject framework. In mid-August, the network stepped down, realizing that the publicity for the television show was greater than the commercial risk of the websites' activity -- as long as they agreed not to copy proprietary material from the CBS-related site. Did the network understand its new medium? All reports indicate that it did not. The television audience for "Big Brother" became incensed with the network when the live feeds -- which showed every moment of uncensored activity in the house -- were switched off at the end of a one-hour finale show in which Long Islander Eddie McGee won the show's grand prize of $500,000. The public's rapacious appetite for live, direct viewing spawned a large following clamouring for more and more "information". As of this week, numerous petitions to restore some semblance of the show or its live webcast were delivered to the network's corporate headquarters on West 57th Street, Manhattan. A particular bone of contention with the immense internet audience -- the largest in internet history and numbering in the millions -- was its being cut-off from participating, via live webcast, in the three-hour cast party after the show. Analysts on Madison Avenue registered incredulity when realizing how CBS, strangely, did not value its audience, which has the prize-winning demographic of being very heavy in the 18-34 year old category of consumers. Even the journalists reporting on the media did not seem to know how report on this new medium. Articles appearing on the entertainment pages waxed laconic about "Big Brother's" roller-coaster ratings, without a word on the vast internet audience. Ratings information for Internet webcasts -- at least, any kind of numbers that could be used for comparison purposes -- are non-existent. The television show ended on September 29. With the CBS website no longer being main- tained except for a recent update on its most popular 'character' -- Brittany Petros, a pharmaceutical account rep from Minnesota -- the network appears to have given up on its audience. Even the supporting sites are suffering from a greatly diminished fan base. Does this mean an end to a great experiment? Instead of bringing an end to the entire event as many had suspected, the tireless internet world has come up with a new twist: the virtual gameshow. The television show fan club website has, as of October 6, transformed itself into a mini-"Big Brother." Sequestering ten contestants on a 'message board' through the miracles of internet programming language code, the contestants -- known as "game players" are watched and reported on around the clock by a hoard of hungry spectators who comment on the unfolding action. The players on the message board have no outside contact with the spectators and are identified by 'handles' such as 'Zebulon'. In a parallel to the television show, contestants will be nominated weekly by the players and banished by the spectators. The 'game' ends October 30 with the small prize of a website t-shirt. The internet has a long way to go to bring the financial rewards that the long-established medium of television garners. But that day may come, and it may be closer than anyone can imagine. Ask questions about Business News, Personal Finance, Investing and more. Get answers and tell other readers what you know, in Abuzz, new from The New York Times. |
Nikkid | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 04:07 pm  Whoa! RIGHT ON NEIL AND COMPANY!!! Kudos! |
Katie | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 04:10 pm  This is really cool. I bet Neil will get even more people coming here. Shame he isn't getting paid per person. |
Annagator | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 04:13 pm  Woo hoo!!! How cool is that? BBFC is the best! |
Digilady | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 04:46 pm  HOLY SH*T!! Wow Neil, batten the hatches, buddy. Your board is gonna take the hits of gawwd!!!! How very wonderful!!! Ohh I can see the ads pouring in =now=! |
Chrissy808 | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 04:58 pm  This is Wonderful! I am so proud of the website and proud to be a member! |
Deedra | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 05:00 pm  ALRIGHT!!!!! Way to go Neil and all!!!!!! |
Sbw | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 06:25 pm  WOW!!!!!!!! Neil, I hope you are enjoying your own private celebration tonight. And by the way the rest of your tvclubhouse family ain't bad either -- the enbwife, Ryn and everybody else you have "behind" the scenes. |
Nybob99 | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 06:30 pm  wtg Neil, I won't give you money, but I will click on the banners. |
Ryn | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 06:44 pm  wow - I am impressed!!! I wonder if neil even knows yet... |
Nybob99 | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 06:51 pm  Ryn, Probably drinking champagne... |
Ryn | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 07:05 pm  Can you tell me how to find this Ocean? I have been looking for the article. |
Ocean_Islands | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 07:12 pm  Well, I sent it to "Letters to the Editor." ... we'll see if they pick it up.  |
Ryn | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 07:17 pm  HUH?? grrrrrr - I just spent 15 minutes searching the NYT's site |
Digilady | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 07:18 pm  How absolutely f*cking bogus. Rather a mean trick, says I. But a great way to shoot your credibility right in the foot! |
Kimber1011 | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 07:24 pm  Is there a link to the original article? I can't seem to locate it on the NY Times site. |
Nybob99 | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 07:27 pm  bogus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????????????????? omg Ocean |
Deedra | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 07:33 pm  Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. It aint happening. |
Admin | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 07:40 pm  Very Funny. What a load of crap! But it was funny! People are telling me to BANISH your ass Ocean_Islands.....now maybe THAT would make some news and generate some activity for the site! What do you say, wanna have a go? hehehe...just kidding.. |
Ocean_Islands | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 07:41 pm  I was surprised to fool anybody after my last article about Pugita taking over Bryant Gumbel's job at the Early Show! |
Ryn | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 08:23 pm  But this one actually seemed real - I thought it was a bit innaccurate but what article's aren't?? You did a GREAT job writing it, just wish it really did appear in a paper somewhere!!! |
Sbw | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 09:00 pm  I didn't see your first article about Pugita taking over Gumbel's job or I proably would have been suspect of this article. You did a great job of "faking" this one up with the names and header info, etc. Just hope you don't want someone here to take you seroiusly again. Celebrate anyway, Neil!!!!! |
Enbwife | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 09:07 pm  Excellent writing Ocean! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and hope it gets picked up, for your sake and Neil's. Thanks for the entertainment, and the laugh. |
Egbok77 | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 10:25 pm  Oh, what a hoot Ocean!! Excellent posting entertainment for us all. Who are you???? |
Kstme | Saturday, October 07, 2000 - 11:57 pm  ROFLMAO...Ocean! I was sold...HOOK, LINE and SINKER!! VERY Good!!  |
Sandyc | Sunday, October 08, 2000 - 12:09 am  Send a copy of that to a few newspapers like the Ottawa Sun. They've already done an article on Neil - maybe they'll do this one too. That was so well written. About 3/4 of the way through I thought this is really real... then I read a few more posts... Well... I fell for it. Hell - the whole thing IS real - so why not?? |
Misslibra | Sunday, October 08, 2000 - 12:13 am  Ocean, WE ARE ALL KICKING YOUR BUTT WHEN WE SEE YOU !! yOU ARE SO BAD ... LOL |
Wcv63 | Sunday, October 08, 2000 - 12:05 pm  LOL....I also thought it was real because it's all so true. The internet audience was virtually ignored as a viable demographic and Neil's board has received publicity from newspapers and other net entities in the past. I post regularly on another board and told them all about this creative little experiment unfolding here at the TVClubhouse. The only response I really got was that these people must have a lot of time on their hands. I however, am intrigued and amazed and I am eagerly following this little drama. And I thought I could reclaim my life after BB ended!! |
Jenhavins | Monday, October 09, 2000 - 09:31 am  I actually enjoyed your spin on the whole website and I felt the article was well written! You keep us on our toes Ocean! |
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