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UFO HUNTERS IS ON RIGHT NOW!!!

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Michael L.

Michael L.

Coffee swillin' Devil's advocate
It is 3:03PM Central time, 1/25 and I just turned on what was listed as a show on the Hittites (part of the Lost Worlds series) but a USO show is on; it looks like an episode of UFO Files with better graphics and in HD but it had a loud, rock style bump/intro.... I think this is a part of UFO Files being used as a proto-pilot because it is referring to an earlier ESO show.

The website is calling the show "TBD!"

They are running a simple, bottom left corner tag upon returning from commercials reading UFO HUNTERS then USO:RED ALERT.
 
Yes, it certainly bore the framework, but it was obviously built from the bones of the existing UFO Files series and carried a 2006 copyright. On the flip side, it sported a different beginning and corner logo artwork (actually, none... just plain text on a red box).

It even still ran the ads for buying a DVD of the Lost Worlds show that was in the on-screen listings! It had the flavor of the UFO Files show and used footage and interviews I am sure I have seen before combined with other footage and slick graphics I did not recognize. It is quick to go to the CGI, ala MonsterQuest, but is more apt to use them in a narrative or to liven up discussion of paperwork. It didn't have a 'signature screen' like the recurring shot on MonsterQuest I refer to as the 'transporter pad.'

Also, although there was another guy shown in the intro briefly with a name under him (Ted, I think) in the same way William Birnes was, he didn't appear to be in the show. Loren Coleman (discussing Ivan Sanderson) and others were though.
 
I confess I'm looking forward to UFO Hunters, at least the possibilities it presents.

Because of Ghost Hunters, there a lot of people who will now freely talk about ghost-type activity without beating you with the Crazy Stick.

Perhaps the same thing will happen with UFO Hunters.

I'll be cautious, and kinda critical.
 
With Sci Fi and History both producing UFO Hunter shows, there is real potential for at least one well made, well thought out program.

What I saw today was a fancy UFO Files episode... not a fair basis for judging the show.
 
Michael L. said:
With Sci Fi and History both producing UFO Hunter shows, there is real potential for at least one well made, well thought out program.
Click to expand...


Please correct me if I'm wrong (it's too late for me to look it up now, I'm going to bed) but I believe the History Channel and Scifi shows are the same shows. Even airing on the same night/time.

Strange bedfellows --- or maybe not. :)
 
Michael, the show with Birnes that you're referring to is a rerun. I checked it out when I saw your first post in this thread. It was definitely about USOs and I enjoyed seeing it earlier this month. Can't remember its having been on the History Channel though. My TV referred to it as "Lost Worlds" instead. I'm sure I didn't watch it under that heading originally.

The little logos on display during shows are advertisement for new shows that will be airing soon. My local ABC station sports the LOST logo all the time. Must confess I didn't pay attention to what might have been advertised as I watched the show again today. If the History Channel and SCI FI are linked by ownership or something, it would explain the criss-cross advertising.
 
fitzbew88 said:
Please correct me if I'm wrong (it's too late for me to look it up now, I'm going to bed) but I believe the History Channel and Scifi shows are the same shows. Even airing on the same night/time.

Strange bedfellows --- or maybe not. :)
Click to expand...

I think I must've been smoking crack last night --- these shows are not the same show. They do both air at the same time, though: Feb 6 10:00 pm Eastern.

My wife is never going to let me record two UFO shows simultaneously. :D

And she absolutely won't watch it. :(
 
Ah, ok. I bumped the other thread because this is on right now. I suspect this isn't just a proto-pilot, but in some of the ads for the new show, they refer to it as a "spin off." I suspect this is what they were spun off from.
 
Poi,

Those bumps were not ads for the new show; if they were, they would have had a time to tune in included (believe me, I make lower-thirds all the time... I was just building one, in fact) or coming soon. This was built to say UFO Hunters/Deep Sea UFOs: Red Alert upon return from commercial instead of the usual full screen UFO Files return or UFO Files in the corner. The show also had a new beginning with new music; aggressive with something like "I'm not alone" or "We're not alone" being shouted. It was why it caught my attention; otherwise I would have turned it off since it was not the Lost Worlds episode about the Hittites I wanted to watch. It definitely was using footage and interviews that had been on before, though. I think this was a mock up using a UFO Files with a good deal of William Birnes footage. The History Channel is using footage from this show on the UFO Hunters mini-site where it also lists the first two episodes as being called "The UFO before Roswell" and "USOs." (http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=mini_home&mini_id=54840)

Sci Fi lists its show as starring Ted Davis and Oliver Kemenczky of a group called NY-SPI. The commercials on History Channel show Mr. Birnes and at least one other gentleman. These are two different shows for sure. You can find the Sci Fi show website here: http://www.scifi.com/ufohunters/

I can't believe that both networks are going ahead using the same name. Obviously, they are throwing down by running them at the same time!
 
Thanks, Michael. I find it very confusing. At least we might see reruns of the other. I can't record. Bummed out.
 
Maybe so, maybe so. Don't see how they can get away with it though.

Still, I've seen a tidy "LOST" logo on my ABC channel during other shows. The new season hasn't premiered as yet, but LOST pops up all the time on the lefthand, lower screen above the ABC logo.
 
Lost is an established show. You can pop that up and people will (presumably) seek it out. You can't put a tag up for a new show up during something with a close theme without causing confusion. Besides, I saw the new beginning! I think that they are trying to establish the claim to the title, though. It would make a great deal of sense given the situation with Sci Fi.

The thing with titles is that you can not really copyright them. You can trademark the title logo, but not the title itself. (For example, there are at least 4 American movies titled DOA... an old film about a man who has been poisoned, a remake with Dennis Quaid, a documentary about the early '80s punk scene and a recent jiggle fest based on the video game.) Often it is only the court of public opinion that determines who 'owns' a title. If History ran an episode last Friday, then when TV writers cover the dispute over the title they will discover that History actually ran an episode first, even though the official premiere was simultaneous. Sneaking an episode in before the premiere is not unheard of in cable... only last week when Hammered moved from HGTV to DIY, it premiered Friday night but had already run at 2AM a day or so before!

Seriously, if I posted somewhere two years ago that two cable channels would not only be producing shows about UFO investigators but also engaged in cut-throat competition over the title and audience would anyone have believed it?
 
Probably not. I guess they're cashing in on recent popularity.

With the recent proliferation of paranormal shows, it's understandable but still surprising. Advertisers must have good information and incentive because that's the bottom line. While some may wonder if we are being primed for some sort of disclosure, I think it just has to do with what sells.

There's very little new information in the ufo field to cover. Repackaging works great if there is new interest in the subject. There are probably beaucoup numbers of people who never picked up a book on the subject but will catch one of the new shows and be hooked. Advertisers, in the meantime, may also catch flies.

I'm really going to enjoy the shows though. I like the idea of getting a look and feel for the investigators themselves. We've had to rely on video for a while and certain experiencers stand out as reliable. Now we get to some meat that isn't always exposed, the reporters of cases along with the cases themselves.
 
Turns out this isn't an episode of the show. I don't know what it is you saw--maybe they slapped the name on some reruns as someone said here, but Birnes says he's been getting calls about it and has no idea what people are talking about. Show doesn't premiere until Feb.
 
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