This has been the overriding topic since the commercial campaign was completed and began airing. If you count the period before the show was officially canceled, when Rangers started planning for the worst, it’s now been over three months of rigorous campaigning. Ideas proposed and a lot of downright hard work. As the time has passed, we have begun to receive less and less official info regarding the status of talks between Paramount/CBS and potential investors. By all accounts, this greatly adds to the frustration level. It affects me just as much as any of you, but I think we can work through it.
Should new ideas and concepts be proposed and developed? Sure, without a doubt, because it’s the backbone of our existence and how we have come to survive this long. So, please make sure you keep your letters flowing to Paramount and to Comcast. It’s simple, it’s cheap, and it takes little time to accomplish. But we also need to step back and catch our breath for a minute or two. In such a short time frame, we have accomplished more than I think we thought we could when these endeavors all began:
- The thousands of letters written by you where you have poured out your heart and soul to Carol and the gang;
- The “Variety” ad — this was the beginning of one of the many campaigns that were designed to make noise on our behalf, as well as that of the show itself. An incredible design was developed that would become a glaring symbol of what this campaign is all about: finding Jericho a new home;
- Various nut campaigns — though not as massive or diverse as last year’s campaign, they have gained exposure;
- The Hollywood billboard — perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments of this effort was also that it was the most ironic, and that being that the board itself was owned by CBS. It’s a blaring symbol, which sits high atop the California skyline and is eyeballed every day by hundreds of thousands of people, including some of the very same people who still play a role in Jericho’s future; and,
- The TV commercial — becoming what’s believed to be the first fandom to ever do fund and produce a TV ad has really helped in maximizing the exposure for all of us. Though not all of the press has been friendly toward it, it can be easily seen that, for every less-than-positive review, there are at least ten more that love it and appreciate what it stands for. Fans from various other fan communities have expressed interest in putting together similar campaigns.
So, the question now comes right back to this — What next?
Personally, I cling to the words that Carol Barbee spoke at Jerichon. She said we will hear something this summer. I am going to read that as sometime within the next month. I would believe we will know something before the 1st of August. By all accounts, talks continue, and, hopefully soon, they will conclude in our favor.
We continue on with what we have been doing, including writing letters, recruiting new fans, pushing the DVDs as best we can. These things are in our control, and they definitely will help.
But, in doing this, let’s try to return to something else that has been missing at times.
HAVING FUN!
Numerous threads have popped up that ring of discussion regarding Season 3 plots and story lines. Let’s dive into these threads and get back to having a little fun again. By doing so, we are still supporting the show, and if anything, it’s our way of saying, “We know Jericho will live on.” People will see that, including many people who NEED to see it. They will still fight hard for us.
In the end, that’s all we can ask for.
GenPatton43