Sloppy syndication...

reese35

New member
It just came to my mind. Besides the missing C.O.s, another thing syndicated Malcolm's infamous for is cutting some pretty choice words, sloppily or no. And every now and then, there are a few errors. For example, let's get into one of today's eppies, "Houseboat". Besides cutting out a 25 second cold opener (which isn't justified comparing a 25-sec. C.O. and a 4-sec. sting with a 33-sec. opening credit reel), they cut out a few seconds of MAlcolm and Lois' convo post-shopping scare - "Do you know how close your father came to becoming a REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER?!" What could've made more sense would've been skipping to the "And for what? For some trampy girl? For --" instead of the "A registered sex offender!" and skipping right to Malcolm's schpiel; that way when Lois starts with "For some girl you don't even know!", it'd make more sense. If you'll watch today's eppy, you'll see what I mean.

Also, "Baby" part 1 was a little sloppy in terms of music - observe the scene after the cold-opener (they cut off a second or two) and the scene before Dewey's sob story.

Anyway, if you can think of any syndication errors, sloppy or no, you can just post right here.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
I guess they don't expect people to be as observant as you. :D I don't watch the syndicated episodes that often, but I do occassionally and I have to see I've never felt that I've noticed anything substantial (other than the cold openers) missing. I guess I'm just not as observant as you. :D
 

Alfista Junior

New member
Actually, what does syndication consist in? I guess it's an all-american concept, because I don't think there is such a thing outside the US.

Did they cut a part of the episodes when they've been run once? In order to replace it by commercials? That's weird, it doesn't seem really useful, even for broadcasting companies...
 

Amigo22

Super Moderator
Here they did, mainly in the 4 weeks they showed episodes over the summer. Normally they cut to a title screen before the ad breaks, but this time they didn't. Both before and after the ad-breaks, either a full or partial sentence was chopped off. Having seen already seen the 7 episodes they showed (Reese Comes Home to Hal Sleepwalks), it was noticeable.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Syndication is a complex little concept. Basically, there's four major networks in the United States that produce national programming. Then, there's a series of things called "markets," which is basically a fancy word for cities. So each of these cities or "markets" have their own station for each of the national stations, called affiliates. So if you live in New York, the New York Fox affiliate would air Malcolm in the Middle. The major networks only produce programming for 2 or 3 hours each evening. The local affiliates produce a local newscast, and then they are responsible for determining what else to air for the rest of the day. One of their options is syndication. Syndication is independently produced programming that is streamed to the station sometime during the day, and then the local affiliate can record the stream and air it whenever they like. So Fox airs a Malcolm stream each day to all of the local affiliates that subscribe to it, and then those affiliates air it whenever they have it scheduled.
 

tony_montana

Semper Fidelis
So, simply put, they air chopped versions of MITM on different stations.
By chopped I mean cold openers cut(alot of times), theme song cut, 1 or even 2 smaller scenes of an episode cut...the list goes on. And the cuts are things that make Mike and myself mad.:mad:
 

reese35

New member
Well said, Tony. ;) If it were up to me, the cold openers'd still be intact, the opening credits replaced with the stinger (all eppies) - and not the 'last 3, 4 seconds of credits' stinger, the actual stinger Fox used on select episodes, with the electric guitar chord (think "Graduation" C.O. and vice versa) - all scenes restored and the closing credits running through the last scene. (I'd have to let the 3rd commercial break run between the last scene and the scene before, though, but win-win.)
 

simon_4420

New member
Did you say 3rd commercial break?? You serious there are 3 commerical breaks for a 20 -22 min show??? :confused: :eek:

I surpose we can say what we want about these syndication networks, but without them we can't really watch MITM. They have to make their money somehow, but it would be nice if they put about more thought into where and what they cut out of an eppy.....
 

tony_montana

Semper Fidelis
@Simon-Where I live, there are only two commercial breaks during the show. One is after the first 5-6 minutes, and then the other one is about 15 minutes into the show. The first commercial break is about 1 1/2 mintues long, whilst the second commercial break is around 3 minutes long, so that comes out to about 4 1/2 minutes of commercials during a 20-22 minute long show.:mad:
 

reese35

New member
I took down the minutes for O-Town - 3 commercial breaks; 1 minute for break #1, 4 minutes for break #2, and I think 3 minutes (round that area) for break #3 before the credits.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Yeah, Tony did you count the break between the end of the actual show and the beginning of the credits reel? I don't see how the number of commercial breaks would be so different.
 

Nico21

New member
:eek: :eek: :eek:
2 or 3 commercial breaks for a 20 minutes show ??!!!!

In France, we only have one break in the middle of each episode, and I think it's already too much !
 

simon_4420

New member
Nico21 said:
:eek: :eek: :eek:
2 or 3 commercial breaks for a 20 minutes show ??!!!!

In France, we only have one break in the middle of each episode, and I think it's already too much !

Thats the same in England, there is only the one advert in the middle about 7 - 8 minutes in (I think) then the show finishes about 3 or 4 minutes before the hour/half hour. Thats on sky anyway, if its on the BBC then there is no adverts.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
How can there be no advertisements? I mean, from a financial standpoint how do they survive without commercials? And from a timing standpoint, if there's no advertisements, doesn't everything get all screwed up if there's nothing to fill the other 8 minutes of the half-hour?
 

tony_montana

Semper Fidelis
Sam, what are you talking about?!:eek: IF MITM had those few 8 minutes instead of the commercials, just think about what they could have done! And we all know that MITM would have put those 8 minutes to really good use!:)
 

simon_4420

New member
The BBC doesn't have advertisement, it is funded ( i think) by a fee everybody pays who has a TV - "TV liecence", it's about £150ish

When MITM is on the BBC it starts at 19:35 and finished about 19:57/19:58. The rest of the time up-to-the hour is filled with advertisement for BBC shows, which aren't very long at all.
 

Nico21

New member
It's the same thing in France, we have to pay a tax every year to own a TV. (If we buy a new TV, we are supposed to register it...). This tax is divided between all TV channels, according to their audience rates.

I don't know if you have something like this in the US :confused: .


But this tax is not enough for them, so we also have some commercials...
On some TV channels, the evening commercial breaks last up to 15 minutes ! (generally there's only one break during each programme, even long movies).

Concerning MITM, there's one (and only one) commercial break on the 2 channels that broadcast it.



But I still can't believe you find normal to have 3 commercial breaks in a 20 minutes series ! It must be horrible to watch a movie that way !
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
3 commercial breaks in 20 minutes is not normal. :D But we don't have any TV taxes, so we do have to put up with commercials. Europeans think of all the cool legislation!

@Simon if it doesn't start until 5 minutes past the hour, you actually have about 7 minutes to fill between each program--that's a long time for station promos!
 
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