Syndication is something that has always fascinated me--at least the rerun aspect. 95% of the shows I watch are reruns of classic television shows (such as I Love Lucy, The Golden Girls, Roseanne, and Mama's Family, just to name a few). Something has always bothered me about showing reruns on American TV, and that's the annoying chopping of three minutes per episode to make room for additional commercials. The reason this is an issue is because some shows (such as ALF, Mama's Family, and the first seasons of The Cosby Show, Roseanne, and Third Rock from the Son) were released to DVD in their syndicated formats--these masters haven't seen the light of day since these shows' original broadcasts.
If I had my own network, I would show sitcom reruns 24/7 of all the classic shows from the 1950s to the present. Now, "classic" is very subjective, but I'd say that the shows mentioned in the 100 Greatest Sitcoms of All Time would end up on my network. My goal is to scrounge, save, and hire a competent entertainment lawyer to procure the rights to air the original masters. I would even go so far as to purchase some original commercials (a la TV Land's "Retromercials," back when the network was watchable) to throw them into the mix. Further, I would purchase some older TV specials and short-lived sitcoms to air as weekend marathons.
My philosophy is this: If Oprah can do it, so can I.
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