"Is the Price is Right still on?"

[Pushover72]

I use this facetious question as a thread name for the basis of a very worrisome realization I came to in the last four months…”Does anybody care (besides us) that The Price Is Right is on and do most people even know that the show is still on?”

I watched my last episode of The Price Is Right about six months ago (I finally had enough of the “new direction”) and I stopped visiting this site completely about four months ago.  I was a fan that knew everything about the show (yes, even the fonts!) and I never, until recent years, missed an episode.  TPIR was a big part of my life.  However, during these last four months when I was no longer exposed to constant chatter and discussion about all things Price is Right I discovered that there is a big world out there that does not think nor talk about The Price is Right…there is no talk, no chatter, no mention of TPIR..  If I brought up the show in conversation, the response was something like “I used to watch the show as a kid”  and then many would ask the question “Is the Price is Right still on?”

Other than the 3 million-plus that currently watch the show daily and the members of this board, the show seems to have become irrelevant and/or non-existent, in my observation, to much of the general public.

I came to the realization something was wrong after the 40th season began 2 weeks ago.  For a TV show to last 40 seasons is a big deal…no, it’s bigger than a big deal…it’s AWESOME…it SUPER-STUPENDOUS…it’s HISTORIC!!!.  How many shows make it to 40 years---very,very, few!!

However, nothing was made of this momentous moment.  It seemed as if no one, including the media, cared.  There was no mention of it in TV Guide (and they print everything and anything).  There was no mention in, Entertainment Weekly and no mention of it in USA Today.  There were no AP newspaper articles.  Nobody talked about it (except here on this board).  If you do a news search on Google, one only gets a handful of minor references to it.  If there was a promo on CBS, or a PR piece on one of those entertainment news shows, I missed it. 

The premiere show came and went and I didn’t even know it.  I heard about it thru a friend a week later.  I would have thought that CBS would have built a primetime special around such an impressive milestone in a program’s life.

I remember when the show used to be the default program in waiting rooms.  If it was 10 AM, the show was playing on those ubiquitous overhead TV’s as we waited to get our car washed or our car lubed.  Now, waiting rooms have mostly CNN on or those obnoxious ladies of The View. 

So…does CBS itself care anymore about its iconic TV show?

Price is Right used to be my favorite show and even though I no longer care for it, I find it sad that it seems to be slowly fading out of the daily consciousness of the American public. It seems to have become more of a memory than a living breathing show.   It seems to be a show most people talk about in the past tense.

Which brings me to the next question…Whose fault is this?

Is this CBS’s fault for not promoting the show?

Is it Drew Carey’s fault for not making more TV appearances so he can talk about the show (Bob was great at doing this).

Is it the show itself for having morphed into a different type of show that people don’t care for anymore.

But I hope it isn’t what would be the saddest reason of all…that “The Price Is Right” simply has worn out its welcome…that after 39 years people are finally done with the show.

[smbryant]

So…does CBS itself care anymore about its iconic TV show?

If they didn't, they wouldn't be running the promos that they have.

Which brings me to the next question…Whose fault is this?

Apparently yours for not paying attention.

Is this CBS’s fault for not promoting the show?

They have been. They are promoting daytime in daytime, nighttime in nighttime.

Is it Drew Carey’s fault for not making more TV appearances so he can talk about the show (Bob was great at doing this).

Do you know for a fact that anyone has asked him and he's been declining? You don't.

Is it the show itself for having morphed into a different type of show that people don’t care for anymore.

Harping on this issue, are you? I've been recording and watching lately and I don't see ONE DAMN THING that has changed.

[JohnHolder]

A year or so ago, the show came on the TV in the waiting room where I was getting my car serviced. The woman sitting next to me said, "Is that still on? I thought they took that off when Bob Barker died." The guy next to her said, "No, it's still on, but that new guy, Jim Carey, isn't any good." And then I let her know that Bob was still alive but retired.

I don't think the show is declining any faster than anything else on broadcast network daytime, but the network is probably a lot more interested in promoting the more profitable prime-time lineup. And I don't think most TV shows' anniversaries are that big a deal to the media - whether it's TPIR, a soap that's run even longer than TPIR, or 60 Minutes.So I don't think there's much cause for concern because of that.

[Axl]

40 years would be a big deal if Barker were still hosting.  Once he retired, the streak basically ended, as far as pop culture is concerned.  The Tonight Show celebrated its collective 50th anniversary in 2004, and I don't think they made an enormous deal out of that either.  Whatever specials they've done for that show have been based on how long Johnny or Jay were hosting, not the overall show.

[thepriceis_J]

They have been. They are promoting daytime in daytime, nighttime in nighttime.

They are also promoting nighttime in daytime. The numerous promos for that nights lineup nicely welcome me to the show, from almost every break, and after the credits. Don't see a lot of daytime in nighttime. Maybe a Y&R promo once in a blue moon.

While in a hospital waiting room, TPIR was on the television. It certainly had those waiting engaged. A lot of them were playing along, guessing prices, and talking about how Drew just wasn't as good as Bob. A lot of people still know the show is around, but in most cases they just glance over it now.

[elskunkoman]

40 years would be a big deal if Barker were still hosting.  Once he retired, the streak basically ended, as far as pop culture is concerned.  The Tonight Show celebrated its collective 50th anniversary in 2004, and I don't think they made an enormous deal out of that either.  Whatever specials they've done for that show have been based on how long Johnny or Jay were hosting, not the overall show.

I'm glad Drew carey took over as the host of the show because when barker was hosting he wasn't as funny as drew carey is.

[SteveGavazzi]

Harping on this issue, are you? I've been recording and watching lately and I don't see ONE DAMN THING that has changed.

Then you're amen blind.

You do a wonderful job every time you post of destroying what little credibility you have left.

[Todd]

They are also promoting nighttime in daytime. The numerous promos for that nights lineup nicely welcome me to the show, from almost every break, and after the credits. Don't see a lot of daytime in nighttime. Maybe a Y&R promo once in a blue moon.

Probably because a bazillion more people watch nighttime shows.

[PriceFanArmadillo]

However, during these last four months when I was no longer exposed to constant chatter and discussion about all things Price is Right I discovered that there is a big world out there that does not think nor talk about The Price is Right…there is no talk, no chatter, no mention of TPIR..  If I brought up the show in conversation, the response was something like “I used to watch the show as a kid”  and then many would ask the question “Is the Price is Right still on?”

If you'd spent more time in the 'real world', you'd realize that this has actually been going on for at least the last ten years.  Very few people with day jobs have the time/ability to watch Price anymore, nor do they care to.  There's really no reason for day-to-day Price to be water cooler talk.

[imhomerjay]

CBS allocates what looks to be a fair proportion of its promotional efforts to Price, vis a vis the rest of their schedule. But in this day and age, it's not going to get much media attention that the show passed the 40 year mark, no matter who is holding the mic.  We're not going to see Jeopardy being the lead story on Brian Williams' newscast when it hits 30 either.

Lots of people, particularly the audience that matters, had forgotten about the show long before Drew showed up. That was the reality, warts and all, that was inherited.

[temptation1979ga]

As usual, you make it sound as if before Drew came along, the show was dead, dried up, and ready to blow away. That was not the case, no matter how bad you want to twist things make the pre-season 36 show look. The show was still atop the ratings, although numbers were down as they were for all of daytime television. However, in season 35, the numbers experienced a significant bump, especially around the time Bob retired, from people tuning in to see his last shows. The numbers were higher than they had been in years. When Drew first came aboard, the viewership actually increased 10% from the Bob's last show, with people tuning in to sample the new host. Within two years, the show was down more than 18%. Those are from numbers posted here in 2007 and 2008. Just had to apply a dose of Compound W to those warts you presented.

[imhomerjay]

That a show saw an abberation in ratings thanks to the transition of a long-time host is hardly unique in the history of television. It's quite common.  With that abberation in mind, the overall trend was not favorable. We all know total audience decline was in rough proportion to broadcast daytime as a whole. But there isn't a media buyer out there (at least not one who wants to keep their job) who buys that way in this day & age. And on the score that matters, Price did "outpace" its rivals in the category any show would least want to "win."  Clinging to a long-useless measurement doesn't change the way the real business world operates. 

[MrPlinko]

When Bob retired,

A lot of the magic of TPIR died.  A prerequisite for that magic to be there was having Bob as host, along with Roger as Producer.  They had an understanding of Price because of their longevity with the show, and their experience with game shows that appealed to young, middle-aged, and old.  Bob and Roger MADE Price special and magical, and that will never be duplicated again now that they are gone.

However, the show is far from dead, it is catering more to a younger demographic with a far-less experienced host and producer, who caters to comedy and often slapstick humor. They lack the understanding of the things that Bob and Roger did for 36 years to make the show successful.  With Drew's mood-swings, bordering on bi-polar from episode to episode, and sometimes from game to game, he has to almost have a comic element for him to be interested.  Even a big win in a game that should excite him, many times Drew just goes through the motions.  Drew didn't even WANT to host Price, until he was offered a crap-load of money, and most days, it shows.

The biggest mistake Drew and Mike have made is they believe the show can't be fun with just a traditional format.   Special guests, jazzed up strange showcases and prizes, difficult game set-ups impossible to win, "idiotic prizes" (i.e tour of Ping Pong Clubs, 2000 pairs of shoes.) stress this gimmick concept that for whatever reason, Drew and Mike feel has to be there.  This process is alienating more traditional viewers than attracting new viewers, and that is why people ask, "Is the Show Still On?"

Joe

[temptation1979ga]

That a show saw an abberation in ratings thanks to the transition of a long-time host is hardly unique in the history of television. It's quite common.  With that abberation in mind, the overall trend was not favorable. We all know total audience decline was in rough proportion to broadcast daytime as a whole. But there isn't a media buyer out there (at least not one who wants to keep their job) who buys that way in this day & age. And on the score that matters, Price did "outpace" its rivals in the category any show would least want to "win."  Clinging to a long-useless measurement doesn't change the way the real business world operates.  

Once again a bunch of repetitive drivel to sidestep the fact that you didn't respond to 90% of what I said.    I know you're smart, and I know you know a lot about television, but you also apparently love to mis-apply that knowledge to issues such as these. Your answers are always broad and vague, when the posts you're responding to are detailed and pointed.

[wheelfan1991]

Why can people just live with the fact that Bob is gone and IS NOT coming back? What happened during Bob's days are in the past. Yes, those were the good 'ol days, but all good things must come to an end. The show was far from dead in Bob's final years. Of course, it was never like the it was in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but still, millions tuned in every day to watch. I have always said that I prefer Bob much more over Drew, and I still stick to that, but I understand that his time is over and his legacy lives on. I do not like the direction the show is going these days, but I still watch when I can (which is very rarely), but of course CBS still cares about the show; otherwise, it would have been pulled a long time ago. Bob is (was) Bob and Drew is Drew--their hosting styles are on both ends of the spectrum, but combined, they have helped to make and keep the show one of the most watch game shows on television.