http://www.bonethefish.com/viewtopics.php?154

WKRP in Cincinnati 1978 to 1982 is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising as a client of a classic album-oriented rock radio station. The ensemble cast consisted of Gary Sandy, Howard Hesseman, Gordon Jump, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid, Jan Smithers, Richard Sanders and Frank Bonner.

A DVD release has nothing to do with the original show and whether it jumped the shark or "boned the fish"

I don't think it ever did.

It never boned. The only problem with WKRP is that it didn't last long enough, and that was CBS's fault.

It never boned. The only problem with WKRP is that it didn't last long enough, and that was CBS's fault.
Agreed. A classic show until the end.

Agreed. A classic show until the end.
yes, I agree 100%!!
Also I agree with the person who said it should have lasted longer and it's CBSes fault that it didn't.

This show never boned! The network suits however were boneheads for changing the timeslot so often it was hard for fans (much less new viewers!!) to find the show!!

This show never boned! The network suits however were boneheads for changing the timeslot so often it was hard for fans (much less new viewers!!) to find the show!!
I totally agree Marv.

Never. I wish it would have lasted longer.

Never and IIRC, it was one of the few shows on the old JTS site that was in the never jumped category.

Never and IIRC, it was one of the few shows on the old JTS site that was in the never jumped category.

It was one of the shows that never jumped on the JTS website.

WKRP never boned. It was a true ensemble comedy that had no dominating and breakout characters. The only thing that would be close to boning was that CBS kept changing the show's time slot and that's what probably led to its demise. It's also sad that the music in most of the episodes on DVD has been edited out due to clearance issues.

CBS moved it around the schedule 11 TIMES during its run, then they cancelled it due to low ratings!! Well no wonder it got low ratings-no one could find it, it was moved around so much!!!

I remember when they started showing the reruns in syndication I saw a lot of episodes I had never seen before because of that. (also, right after it was cancelled when CBS was rerunning it at 11:30 at night on; I think Wednesdays.

I also remember once in it's final season I was watching it once and my sister came in the room and said "Is that WKRP IN CINCINATTI? I thought that was cancelled!"

CBS moved it around the schedule 11 TIMES during its run, then they cancelled it due to low ratings!! Well no wonder it got low ratings-no one could find it, it was moved around so much!!!

I remember when they started showing the reruns in syndication I saw a lot of episodes I had never seen before because of that. (also, right after it was cancelled when CBS was rerunning it at 11:30 at night on; I think Wednesdays.

I also remember once in it's final season I was watching it once and my sister came in the room and said "Is that WKRP IN CINCINATTI? I thought that was cancelled!"


A long hiatus would make anyone think that:lol: :lol:

CBS moved it around the schedule 11 TIMES during its run, then they cancelled it due to low ratings!! Well no wonder it got low ratings-no one could find it, it was moved around so much!!!

I remember when they started showing the reruns in syndication I saw a lot of episodes I had never seen before because of that. (also, right after it was cancelled when CBS was rerunning it at 11:30 at night on; I think Wednesdays.

I also remember once in it's final season I was watching it once and my sister came in the room and said "Is that WKRP IN CINCINATTI? I thought that was cancelled!"
I rarely ever watched it continuously during it's original run. I remember I caught up with it during the summer sometimes. You just could never find the show.

I rarely ever watched it continuously during it's original run. I remember I caught up with it during the summer sometimes. You just could never find the show.


How much notice did the viewers get about a show being switched to a new night back then?

How much notice did the viewers get about a show being switched to a new night back then?
I didn't subscribe to tv guide back then so unless it was listed in my local tv listings or advertised on TV ( which they did quite a lot), I wouldn't have known.

yea, as I recall the only way was through the listings in the newspaper or advertisements inTV guide or on-air promos. (or maybe on the radio)

The original show never did. WKRP was a classic, and it went off too soon. For whatever reason, the CBS brass never liked the show (this has been discussed here) and killed it by moving it all over the schedule.

The show was actually fairly realistic, mind was actually written by a man who was actually in the radio business. Not only that, Gordon Jump and Howard Hessman were actually in the radio business. Herb Tarlek was based on a real salesman, down to the clothes and the buffoonish behavior.

The only unrealistic thing about the show was probably the music, since the station played all kinds of stuff from Jerry Lee Lewis to early 1980's (then modern) rock. Venus at night played urban contemporary. The music was all over the map. Also, Andy more or less let the DJs play what they wanted while in reality, the playlist is very tight. It was more ran like a college station than a professional operation.

'WKRP in Cincinnati" is one show that should NEVER, EVER had been remade. As a radio station program director during the original (1977-82) run, I could relate with every character on the show, because I worked with people who were almost exactly like every one of the main characters. (Okay, I wasn't as cool as Gary Sandy as Andy Travis, but you get the picture--and my newscasts weren't quite as weird as Nessman's!)

The remake had the big guy, Herb Tarlek, Les Nessman, and later, Dr. Johnny Fever, but the other characters were more caricatures than characters. You couldn't relate to them--at least I couldn't--as you did with the early series.

The later version not only jumped the shark, it swallowed it hook, line and sinker all the way up to the rod and reel!

the 2nd series-THE NEW WKRP IN CINCINATTI-wasn't a remake; it was a REVIVAL, there's a difference.

Surprisingly, WKRP was never boned

Surprisingly, WKRP was never boned

Precisely! If anything, it just got better and better.

I did not understand that show.

It never boned the fish. However CBS did. I remember because it was my favorite show back then and I was constantly looking for it every week. CBS moved it like it was ExLax back then. I didn't know it was cancelled until month afterwards. I wrote a letter to them. I remember many people were mad at the time. There were a couple new stories about it getting cancelled and the angry viewers. Then it was too late as the cast had moved on. That show had long legs and could have gone on awhile. So much material could have been covered. Shame it ended the way it did. At least The Shout Factory was able to get most of the original songs back into the new dvd's. Thats a good thing.