Customer Reviews

WKRP in Cincinnati (Box Set) [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

WKRP in Cincinnati on home video? A great idea, as this was a consistently well-written show, and one of the more intelligent ones from its era, but New Video has done the show an injustice by:

A. Releasing only eight episodes

B. Using masters with the original rock music used during the network run replaced by stock music

C. At times, resorting to substandard and/or edited copies.

Now that 20th Century Fox Home Video owns the rights to this and the rest of the MTM Productions library, it is time to beg them for a DVD release of all 90 episodes unedited and with the original music restored!

I was jazzed to learn of the release of WKRP to DVD.

I was bummed to learn of the replacement of original music with generic crap... along with the overdub replacement of all actor lines which were said over original music. This show was a sit-com that centered around the music of a rock radio station. The removal of the music is like taking MASH out of the Korean War setting... or moving Andy and Barney from the courthouse to the outhouse.

The sad part is they will sell a lot of these to innocent WKRP lovers who will not know of the deception until it is too late... as for me, count me out until the original is released!

The reason is simple. Money. Copyright laws have changed in recent years and this requires that each and every song that is used in a particular episode, even if the song only played for a few seconds, must be licensed. This takes time and, more importantly money. It is quite possible that, in order to get complete episodes on DVD with the same music could make a DVD set prohibitively expensive for most people and thus it will be priced out of the market. They could replace some of this music with cheaper, generic tunes, but when that has been done in syndicated airings of WKRP longtime fans have revolted.

There is some encouraging news, however. Amazon is now collecting e-mail addresses of people who want to see WKRP released on DVD. Just enter "WKRP" in a DVD search and give them your e-mail address. Amazon says they will notify the studio of just how many people are waiting. Sign up today, and tell as many people as you can to do the same.

Pathetic injustice to a very creative classic is done by this video release. Even though it only lasted 3 seasons there has seldom been a sitcom to come along that so successfully satirized pop culture in such a believable manner.

Real fans should start a letter writing campaign to whomever owns the release rights to WKRP and demand that it be released on DVD in its entirety as it aired originally, uncut.

This set of WKRP episodes could be better chosen, but as someone else said, I'll take what I can get of this wonderful series.

The only caution I raise is that the real songs played during the original run of the series (and kept in during the original syndication run) have now been replaced throughout these tapes by dull, generic rock music whenever a record is playing. This pulls this video collection down just a notch and left me slightly disappointed.

Still, the writing, acting and direction are top-notch and well worth attention, even after all these years. Now, if they'd just put "Turkeys Away" and "The Consultant" on tape....

I remember being in high school and watching the pilot for WKRP in Cincinnati. Years later, I found out that WKRP was based on the film, "FM", which was a movie about a radio station in California. I LOVED WKRP. It was clever, smart, witty, and funny as hell. I had never seen anything like it on tv at the time, and unfortunately have not seen anything since, particularly telling as we are awash in reality TV. Wonderful ensemble cast, excellent writing, and of course, the music. This was the first time I had EVER recalled a tv show which featured music by the actual artists, as opposed to some nameless cover version. When you heard Earth, Wind & Fire's "After the Love Has Gone" you heard Earth, Wind & Fire, not some cover version of that song. This may be a formality these days, but in the time WKRP originally aired, it was unprecedented. Another point: it was nice to see a multi-ethnic cast, with the addition of Tim Reid, a wonderful actor, and hear music by talented African-American artists. Another first. Lastly, I cannot say that I have actually purchased this vhs box set and after reading other fan's reviews, I am glad that I did not. I had no idea that it did not contain all episodes in the series run, and most disturbingly, that rather than pay royalities to the artists who music is prevalent throughout the series run -- erm, it does take place in a radio station, guys -- it has been overdubbed with stock music. I would never, never buy this version and if anyone can post to whom I can write to petition that the dvd is released featuring all the episodes with the original music and without the horrific editing, I would be first in line to write. I can still see Herb Tarlick answering the phone with his trademark "ho-kay fine", the episode when the truly lovely Bailey Quarters invites Johnny Fever out to the movies, the episode that paralleled the Who concert that actually happened in Cincinnati where fans were killed, the time the station was approached to do an ad campaign for a funeral home and the entire office got involved in singing the background and Johnny doing the voiceover, Venus' atom lesson, the cocaine that Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson unknowingly puts in his shoes, the touching ep when the Carlson's learn they are expecting, I could go on and on. A true gem of a show and horribly, horribly missed.

When you're releasing episodes of a series about a radio station playing only GOOD Rock'n'Roll music...it's pathetic bordering on criminal to release this video with ALTERED music. If you can't be bothered to pay for the rights to the music we all heard the First Time we saw these shows...WHY in the name of the Universe should anyone BOTHER to pay a dime for this watered-down, pitiful attempt at giving us a classic comedy show.

Let's see a DVD release soon with the music as originally HEARD on this fantastic show!

..Other problems in this sloppy collection, besides the episode selection and music changes: "Filthy Pictures," while it has more material than you'd see in syndication, is still not complete (there is some material cut here that you can see in reruns of this episode on TNN!). "Fish Story" has appallingly bad picture quality, again, far worse than in syndicated reruns.

We need more WKRP on home video; I suggest writing to Fox, as I said above. Oh, and one more thing: I agree with those who praise "The Consultant." It's perhaps the quintessential WKRP episode, with all the elements of the show in one half-hour: verbal wit (all the wisecracks for Mrs. Carlson's butler), seriousness (Andy's conflict with the forces of bland corporate radio), and wacky farce (the "switcheroo" second act). But if you want to see that and many other great episodes on home video, write, write, write to Fox Home Video now!

I don't get it. The music industry relies on royalties, after all, it is their livelihood. However, they are missing the big picture when demanding royalties for EVERY little snippet of their music that is played. If I had a song that was thirty years old, and ten seconds of it played on a TV show, I would look at it as an opportunity to get that song out there to a new audience, and sell MORE of my music.
I had forgotten about some of the songs, until I read some of the reviews. Then the memories come flooding back, like "After the Love" when Johnny left Bailey hanging, and when Johnny played "Whenever I see your smilin' face..." after he turned the baby over to the family agency.
If the songs are heard again by older viewers, and for the first time by younger ones, I'm absolutely certain that a lot of them would want to acquire the music.
If WKRP ever comes out on DVD (properly done, with the original songs of course) it would be a huge seller.
Sadly, greed rules Hollywood and the music industry!

These videos don't feature my favorite episodes The Remote at a stereo store,Bomb threat,Turkey Drop,and the pilot from Andy's perspective but the show had very few duds.
I got fed up with overly edited episodes and sought and found WKRP in Canada UNCUT. You can too.