from jms re: Crusade

[B5JMS Poster]

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 26 Feb 1999 14:07:43 -0700
Lines: 40

Bottom line:

The reason we've been waiting so long for news is that the SciFi Channel has
been crunching numbers for weeks, trying to make the deal work with WB, and
doing their level best.  The programming folks there loved the show (and
special thanks has to go to Programming Head Tom Vitale at SFC who worked
hardest to make this work).

The problem is simply this: the money to fund a series is a BIG chunk of
change.  SFC had already allocated its budget for the year as of January 1st,
and there simply wasn't enough left in this year's budget to pull it off. 
Also, the emphasis now is on spending money on shows where one owns a piece of
it, and Crusade is owned entirely by WB.  

At the end of they day, they just couldn't make the dollars work, though they
tried their damndest, and are only to be thanked.

I'm told that if the ratings are good on the 13 which TNT will still air, all
the eps made so far will be shown, there may be a second season, but we'll see.

Meanwhile, I'm taking the day off.  There have been seven offers for overall
deals and multiple network pilot deals with both networks per se and studios on
my desk for about a year now, ever since B5 ended, which I've been putting off
to do Crusade.  Now I'll pick one of those deals and make it.  So the next
thing from me you see will almost certainly be on one of the major networks. 
I'm going back into the deep water again....

Meanwhile, my thanks to all those who emailed and wrote and called and
supported.  It's a good show, as will be seen when the shows are aired, and I'd
rather lose a show I believed in than keep one I didn't believe in.

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com




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