>I meant that only as the difference between potential and reality.
>Potential would have had B5 only 4 seasons long and maybe syndicated
>scattershot across the countries various TV station. The reality had it
>being 5 seasons long and continually syndicated since 1998 on an
>individual superstation that is seen by a wider audience.
>
>The critics would latch on to the "potential" revenue lost to actors
>residuals by B5 only having exclusive rights to one station. The reality
>means B5 has had continual exposure with occasional efforts to add in new
>blood. This could mean when it is given to the open market, more
>stations will latch onto it for broadcast.
>
>Of course, this was my interpretation of the matter. The writers and
>actors have a better position to form an opinion on the matter since the
>results affect their livelyhoods.

It doesn't really work that way.

You're paid on the rerun qua rerun, not on the number of stations carrying it.
WB makes a deal with whomever...a syndicator, a cable network, somebody...and
that organization pays X-dollars per episode for the right to show it for the
length of that contract (usually about 3-5 years).

There's a slightly different residual formula for cable vs. syndication, but
rather than get bogged down in that, let me get to the point.

If an episode runs on a thousand stations or twenty, the residual is the same,
a percentage of the purchase price of the episode. So the number of stations
really doesn't matter.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
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