Apr
13
Getting “Do It Again” on PBS
For those of you eager to see “Do It Again” now that our film festival run is over, there is good news. American Public Television, which distributes programming to PBS station across the country, has agreed to take us on. That’s why we’ve been so busy. Rob and assistant editor Missy turned our 85-minute festival into a (cuss-free) hour-long version. We did this in anticipation of our big day. That day has arrived.
Later today, APT hosts its closed-circuit “offer” broadcast for the roughly 175 public stations in the world. Some programmers will watch this teleconference live. Others will tape and watch it later.
What hangs in the balance? For “Do It Again,” it’s the very chance to be seen on TV. We’re no lock. We have to get a number of PBS stations to sign on for the terms of our APT deal to kick in. How many? It’s hard to tell. Bigger stations are weighed more, money-wise, than smaller ones. But everybody counts.
Our hero, as of now, is a man named Eric Luskin. He’s the vice president of syndication and premium service for APT and the guy making our pitch. Eric has decades of experience in public television, several Emmys to his name and knows how to make a sale. For our purposes, we’re pleased to know he plays bass and saw the Kinks in Philadelphia in the ‘90s.
So what can you do to help? We’re told that a respectful note to your local public television station can make a difference. Tell them you heard that “Do It Again” is available and, as a fan of that era of music, the Kinks, and the film if you’ve seen it, you would love to see it shown locally. Most of these stations have a viewer services department that can be called or e-mailed. Sending a personal letter, not an e-mail, to a programmer might also be a cool idea. So few people take the time to actually send letters these days.
We should know by early May whether we’ve been successful. And “Do It Again” could be shown on TV as early as July. Sitting here tonight, a good part of me has no idea whether we’ll be successful and reach the right folks at PBS. But I also can’t help but think of just how lucky we’ve been so far, how resourceful and passionate our fans have been, and how impossible it is to imagine this train grounding to a halt when we’re so close to being seen by a wider audience.
I will contact KQED in SF, one of the premier PBS stations ever, to get your fine film shown
I will contact PBS station Channel 2 in Greater Boston! There’s another in Manchester, N.H. Anyone in N.H. want to help us out? GOD SAVE THE KINKS! They’re Koming back!
Geoff
Is there anthing we can do in the UK? I am thinking of the BBC (Closest we have to a PBS) and the fact that runours are mounting that Ray’s Meltdown festival may actually see Ray and Dave perform as the Kinks with Mick.
Allan Whitaker, Manchester, UK
Hey Allan
I think the best thing you could do it write a note to the BBC’s programming division and tell them how badly you’d like to see the film. Oh, and get another 200 of your friends to do the same. Best, Geoff
Hey Dennis,
Contact anyone and everyone you think might be good for the film. We’d love to be on in New Hampshire. Geoff
contacting UNC-TV pronto!
Would love to see this film. Can I purchase it? If so, please advise how I go about it!
Of course a show about the Kinks is mainly about the Jewish entrepreneur who is trying to ” Billy Crystal” style to interject himself into his favorite gentile fantasy. Bollocks.