Challenge, Knightmare, and Good Manners
Posted: 23 Sep 2003, 19:41
No, this isn't an update to say Challenge have agreed to show any more series than they've already mentioned. It's not a schedule guide either, although I will post one for when Series 5 gets going.
I want to quote "JamesP", one of the Challenge officials. He's the main source of official information on the Challenge forum and he's also been known to post news here. As everyone knows, I don't agree with everything Challenge do. I often criticise them, not for the sake of it, but in the hope I can get them to correct things that I think could and should be corrected. I keep my flippant remarks on this forum as far as humanly possible. Others have done much the same in a more or less constructive vain. However, I think we as KM "fans" need to be careful not to push too hard. Challenge welcome feedback, and I now think that they genuinely do take their forum posters' points on board, whereas at times in the past they haven't. If you have a comment to make on any Challenge programme, Knightmare or any other, do so, but let's stop hounding them about getting more series. As I've said before, I think now it all depends on ratings and strategy. They've slowly accepted KM as one of "their" shows and do now make an effort to promote it. If the ratings suggest it, I think they will continue to purchase other series, subject to cost constraints. Starting 1000 new threads on their forum will do absolutely no good. I don't think it does a huge amount of harm, because I'm sure Challenge look to ratings feasibility rather than the behaviour of forum posters when making purchasing and scheduling decisions. But at the same time it's pretty pointless, and it upsets other members of the forum there when people nag and nag and nag, especially when KM fans hijack non-KM threads to do so. I'm sure we all want our community to have a good reputation outside the bounds of the KM forums. Please, let's be sensible.
Anyway, JamesP's reply also answers several questions and points that have been raised from time to time on this forum, so I'll copy it here.
"It simply doesn't make sound financial sense to purchase more than one series at a time of Knightmare. We don't have a limitless budget, and while I'm sure Knightmare fans would be delighted for Challenge to purchase every remaining series, we'd have a hard time explaining the choice to the people who hold the purse-strings, so to speak.
As much as we value the opinions, suggestions and ideas expressed by the viewers on this forum, no amount of forum postings will be enough to convince us of a programme's popularity on their own. This forum is a good indicator of any show's popularity, but only when taken in context with ratings. Add to this the variable of the HUGE cult following Knightmare enjoys online (especially the crossover between this website and the knightmare.com forum, which I personally read daily) and you must appreciate the bigger picture we have to consider.
So, to put it bluntly with no disrespect intended, we will not be procuring every available series of Knightmare all at once simply to avoid long threads in the forum. If the ratings figures are so high we can be convinced that such a move is wise, then we might, but until then we will be treating Knightmare the same as all our non-commissioned shows - on a series by series basis."
I want to quote "JamesP", one of the Challenge officials. He's the main source of official information on the Challenge forum and he's also been known to post news here. As everyone knows, I don't agree with everything Challenge do. I often criticise them, not for the sake of it, but in the hope I can get them to correct things that I think could and should be corrected. I keep my flippant remarks on this forum as far as humanly possible. Others have done much the same in a more or less constructive vain. However, I think we as KM "fans" need to be careful not to push too hard. Challenge welcome feedback, and I now think that they genuinely do take their forum posters' points on board, whereas at times in the past they haven't. If you have a comment to make on any Challenge programme, Knightmare or any other, do so, but let's stop hounding them about getting more series. As I've said before, I think now it all depends on ratings and strategy. They've slowly accepted KM as one of "their" shows and do now make an effort to promote it. If the ratings suggest it, I think they will continue to purchase other series, subject to cost constraints. Starting 1000 new threads on their forum will do absolutely no good. I don't think it does a huge amount of harm, because I'm sure Challenge look to ratings feasibility rather than the behaviour of forum posters when making purchasing and scheduling decisions. But at the same time it's pretty pointless, and it upsets other members of the forum there when people nag and nag and nag, especially when KM fans hijack non-KM threads to do so. I'm sure we all want our community to have a good reputation outside the bounds of the KM forums. Please, let's be sensible.
Anyway, JamesP's reply also answers several questions and points that have been raised from time to time on this forum, so I'll copy it here.
"It simply doesn't make sound financial sense to purchase more than one series at a time of Knightmare. We don't have a limitless budget, and while I'm sure Knightmare fans would be delighted for Challenge to purchase every remaining series, we'd have a hard time explaining the choice to the people who hold the purse-strings, so to speak.
As much as we value the opinions, suggestions and ideas expressed by the viewers on this forum, no amount of forum postings will be enough to convince us of a programme's popularity on their own. This forum is a good indicator of any show's popularity, but only when taken in context with ratings. Add to this the variable of the HUGE cult following Knightmare enjoys online (especially the crossover between this website and the knightmare.com forum, which I personally read daily) and you must appreciate the bigger picture we have to consider.
So, to put it bluntly with no disrespect intended, we will not be procuring every available series of Knightmare all at once simply to avoid long threads in the forum. If the ratings figures are so high we can be convinced that such a move is wise, then we might, but until then we will be treating Knightmare the same as all our non-commissioned shows - on a series by series basis."