Why is TOS no longer in syndication in the US?

[C.E. Evans]

A lot of it, IMO, has to do with your local stations and the national TV networks themselves. Your local stations can probably get TOS or TOS-Remastered if they wanted to, but if they feel more people would rather watch TNG, then that's what they'll go with.

The same is probably true for any show that has been in syndication. I think it ultimately comes down to a station or network programming director, who may not even know the difference between TNG and TOS, but simply felt that TNG will draw the bigger audience. In other areas, you may have programming directors who sought TOS for their own reasons...

 

[Doug Otte]

These things always go in cycles. ST will be shown on a local station (or basic cable channel) for a while, then they swap it out for another show for a while so as not to bore us. Then, a year or so later, it's shown again. It happens with all shows.

Personally, with the glut of blu-rays last year, I'm a bit burned out on ST right now. I can stand a break.

Doug

 

[steevo]

Youtube.com has every single episode available online and I believe Hulu has seasons 2 and 3 of TOS-R. Of course, if you want to spend the money, its long been out on DVD. Witht this availability, stations probably don't see much demand for it right now.

 

[Captain Rob]

Well, I should have said TOS-R not TOS, is back on the air here in Dallas.

Yeah, another Dallasite!
"Charlie X" on Channel 52 tonight at 10:00 PM. I think it's funny that in that ep that all of the guys apparently know where the Enterprise's gym is but none of the women do.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Did you miss the bit with the two girls in leotards doing the gymnastics moves?

 

[Mr. Adventure]

^^ probably cut for syndication

ETA: After some googling, that is confirmed...

 

[Captain Rob]

Did you miss the bit with the two girls in leotards doing the gymnastics moves?

Oops, I know, I saw them. Maybe they were getting in shape for the Captain's yeoman tryouts. Maybe someone told them on the QT that Rand was going to suddenly disappear. I wish that our local broadcast station wouldn't cut to commercial in mid-scene. Plus they cut about five minutes out of each ep.

 

[Sparky]

In Calgary Canada there is no shortage of Star Trek available.
TOS is aired once per day. (one ep a day, one channel)
TNG is aired 8 times a day. (3 different eps 7 different channels)
DS9 is aired twice a day (1 ep aired twice, one channel)
VOY is aired 5 times a day (3 different eps, 2 channels)
ENT (nothing, nada, zip.)

This is all not including weekends of course.

As for the movies, I see airings for
The Motion Picture
Wrath of Khan
Search for Spock
Generations
First Contact

This is all based on a 2 week schedule from digital IPTV service provided by Telus. I have pretty much everything except crap like the movie channels that cost 15 a month, cooking, racing and porn.

Some are on HD channels and others are not. TOS is strictly SD, TNG has some of the same eps airing on the SD and HD versions of a channel (I included the SD and HD versions as separate channels).

The movies are all in SD and HD.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

In the Los Angeles/Orange County area we get plenty of Star Trek every day - often more than one on at the same time. I have every episode of all the series, and all of the films on DVD, but I still tune in to watch the shows on TV if I'm not watching anything else.

TNG is played most often and on the widest selection of networks, followed very closely by Voyager, and then TOS to a much lesser extent with only one airing per night on KDOC 19 and occasionally KTLA 5 (which also plays TNG every night). They play the original episodes, but a few years back the Remastered episodes were in heavy rotation. Enterprise will play on SyFy every once in a blue moon but is not in the current TV lineup. DS9 is sadly the bastard child that never gets played at all. You can usually find one of the movies playing at least a few times each month.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

TNG and TOS are on back to back every night in Seattle.

Really what channel and time?

 

[gomtuu20]

Are you sure about that? I don't think it was more than 4 or 5 years ago.

 

[gomtuu20]

These were once called "The 79 Jewels". It was just a few years ago when Sci-Fi was running all of the episodes uncut with introductions by the cast and little extras. They expanded it to an hour and a half and had plenty of time for commercials. Now they don't run them at all.

Just FYI - it was back in 1997 that teh Sci-Fi channel did this - more than just 'a few years' (and before you go questioning my age, I'm 47; but yeah 13 years is a stretch)

Are you sure about that? I don't think it was more than 4 or 5 years ago.

 

[gomtuu20]

Sorry about the double post-not sure what happened there.

 

[Noname Given]

These were once called "The 79 Jewels". It was just a few years ago when Sci-Fi was running all of the episodes uncut with introductions by the cast and little extras. They expanded it to an hour and a half and had plenty of time for commercials. Now they don't run them at all.

Just FYI - it was back in 1997 that teh Sci-Fi channel did this - more than just 'a few years' (and before you go questioning my age, I'm 47; but yeah 13 years is a stretch)

Are you sure about that? I don't think it was more than 4 or 5 years ago.

I was off, but not by much - it was 1998 - 1999:

From mid-1998 to early 1999, the Sci-Fi Channel aired Star Trek in a 90 minute weeknight slot as a special edition, airing every episode produced in their original order, complete with footage that hadn't been seen since NBC originally aired the show. It also contained commentary on each episode by members of the cast and crew. The first run through the Special Edition was hosted by William Shatner. Leonard Nimoy took over as host for the second run, but the Special Edition was taken off the air in the middle of this run.

And here's the source of that (link)

 

[gomtuu20]

Wow. I can't believe it was that long ago!
Thanks for the link.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Hey Lost in Space is now run twice a day on FamNet, which is the sister station of American Life Network.

Like I said before, I find that cooler, since it's rarely on TV at all...

 

[Motoki]

TNG and TOS are on back to back every night in Seattle.

Really what channel and time?

KMYQ/KZJO UHF channel 25, Comcast channel 10 (at least in downtown Seattle).

They've been messing around with the times though and near as I can tell remastered TOS now only comes on Sunday at 2pm and then TNG weeknights at 1am.

Of course this may change again at any time.

 

[BillJ]

I don't even look for Star Trek on the air anymore as I own most of it on DVD/Blu-Ray. Though there are days I miss recording it on my old VCR with the fuzzy signal and watching it when I got home from school/work.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

TNG and TOS are on back to back every night in Seattle.

Really what channel and time?

KMYQ/KZJO UHF channel 25, Comcast channel 10 (at least in downtown Seattle).

They've been messing around with the times though and near as I can tell remastered TOS now only comes on Sunday at 2pm and then TNG weeknights at 1am.

Of course this may change again at any time.

No wonder I don't see it, the only Seattle stations I get through my cable are
KOMO (4)
KING (5) (No KONG)
KIRO (7)
KSTW (11,Tacoma actually)
KCPQ (15)