tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37301459.post6639283162462281810..comments2024-01-16T22:15:10.766-08:00Comments on ROBOPLASTIC APOCALYPSE: The Autobot Parade! : 4 robots, 25 years, 1,200 miles, 8,000 pages and ten dirty, filthy, inky fingersEvil King Macrocranioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01693211146604544544noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37301459.post-52751691005324227442011-03-22T07:55:15.566-07:002011-03-22T07:55:15.566-07:00It went for somewhere in the range of $800 to $100...It went for somewhere in the range of $800 to $1000. I wanted to bid 250-300 on it but it stuck in my mind that the final price was more than three times what I wanted to bid.Evil King Macrocranioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01693211146604544544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37301459.post-67791785443651945462011-03-21T20:53:58.284-07:002011-03-21T20:53:58.284-07:00What a beautiful piece of art. And the one that ra...What a beautiful piece of art. And the one that ran in Variety is also stunning. But I hear you on the questions it raises. My gut tells me your suspicion is true - the eBay auction art was the first cut and it was later reworked. But who knows for sure?<br /><br />Do you know what the eBay piece ultimately went for?fairplaythingshttp://fairplaythings.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37301459.post-61726661865304598822010-04-20T08:24:38.303-07:002010-04-20T08:24:38.303-07:00FYI: I looked through an article search for Broadc...FYI: I looked through an article search for Broadcasting (which became B&C) and there wasn't much direct info on anything in the ratings about TF. There was a little bit about He-Man having a 9.5/15 in early '84.<br /><br />You might get something better if you looked through microfiche.your pal hoophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11712488352653518438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37301459.post-72339059073628484172010-04-20T08:15:24.360-07:002010-04-20T08:15:24.360-07:00You have a point. Syndication isn't really my...You have a point. Syndication isn't really my strong point as far as the TV business goes. <br /><br />If anywhere has that kind of data, it'd probably be Broadcasting & Cable (or going to Nielsen outright, but somehow I'm sure you'd have to pay for that privilege.)your pal hoophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11712488352653518438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37301459.post-63950878129966815992010-04-20T07:03:52.249-07:002010-04-20T07:03:52.249-07:00I wouldn't take daily syndication as an indica...I wouldn't take daily syndication as an indication of a program's success. There were plenty of one shot cartoons like Wheeled Warriors and Galaxy Rangers that got 65 episode runs from out of nowhere, with no previous miniseries to prove their viability and then died after a single season. If this were network television where ratings really mattered and a weekend cartoon show got a Monday through Friday slot based on its ratings performance then that would be phenomenal, but syndication didn't work like that and I doubt the local markets served by these UHF stations ran toy programs based on ratings. Otherwise the Claster Transformer ad would have supplied hard numbers instead of just alluding to the show having performed well in its first year as a weekend show. If the cartoons had good numbers the distributors were not afraid to show them of in the Variety ads, as is evidenced by the Thundercats and Voltron ads I've found. But I never saw anything like that for the Transformers. It seems the only people that bragged were the #1s.<br /><br />In some cases like Thundercats where Lorimar Telepictures let some stations in on a cut of the toy profits, ratings were essentially bought and sold. I'd like to see the numbers on Transformers, too, because I can't imagine it was ever much of a ratings winner that first year (despite the Claster ad) and I know ratings had nothing to do with its cancellation. Success as defined for these shows had more to do with toy sales and how much the toy manufacturers were motivated to continue advertising the line and not how many people were watching. In this case the number of people watching is not as important as numbers of toys being sold, and success in one is not necessarily tied to the other.<br /><br />If someone ever does come up with the Transformer numbers I'd be surprised if the show was anywhere near the top during its time slot in any year. The performance of the movie in '86 also illustrates how a viewing audience isn't necessarily reflective of popularity. So I'd be surprised if the Transformers had the blockbuster ratings Claster was claiming in any year and not just 1984.Evil King Macrocranioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01693211146604544544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37301459.post-72539439418447440032010-04-20T03:34:57.336-07:002010-04-20T03:34:57.336-07:00At least in Atlanta, TF was running five days a we...At least in Atlanta, TF was running five days a week by '85. That's a sure sign of success, when you syndicate out daily instead of weekly.<br /><br />(I wonder if Billboard wouldn't have some info on home video releases - they tracked that for a while in the 80s, I know...)your pal hoophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11712488352653518438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37301459.post-57172955928359750222010-04-19T21:57:50.772-07:002010-04-19T21:57:50.772-07:00Yeah I really wonder how well the Transformers cou...Yeah I really wonder how well the Transformers could have possibly done ratings-wise when it was an off network show airing primarily on Sundays. I'd bet it came nowhere near the numbers of a show like Mighty Orbots. But the syndicated cartoon toy ads did business a different way and I don't think Transformers was as ratings driven as shows like Voltron or Orbots that didn't have toy tie-ins initially (or even at all).<br /><br />Thanks for the leads on the other magazines. I didn't have time to read much of Variety as I was scanning through it but it did look like a goldmine of ratings info.Evil King Macrocranioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01693211146604544544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37301459.post-7417321165193935392010-04-19T06:16:11.401-07:002010-04-19T06:16:11.401-07:00Variety is probably an interesting place to look f...Variety is probably an interesting place to look for TF info - I'd also see if your library has an archive of Advertising Age, Mediaweek, or Broadcasting & Cable. I bet B&C has some interesting stuff...<br /><br />(I'd be really really interested in seeing market info and rating/share info for TF!)your pal hoophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11712488352653518438noreply@blogger.com