Game shows are the staple of early evening TV. The time slot between 7 and 8 pm is dominated with Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! Americans and Canadians so spend a great deal of time watching the two popular shows. Jeopardy! has been one of the only game shows that has allowed Canadians to participate. Now they changed the rules based on what?
According to several news sources, it is based on nothing, they just decided to change the rules midstream. Can Jeopardy! afford to lose a few million viewers based on the fact they are afraid to adhere to Can-Spam regulations in Canada?
I am making an assumption regarding the fact that any show American or Canadian can alienate an audience quickly by acting out of fear.
How many Canadians actually watch Jeopardy!? It is in the millions, not just a few here or there. Jeopardy! has endeared itself to the Canadian Heart. I asked my students at the university where I am a professor about Jeopardy! All of them have watched it growing up, so what does that tell you about the popularity of the show. The big question is, "Can Jeopardy! afford to lose an audience who potentially increase the ratings of the show?" I would venture to guess that those ratings are the reason the show still exists and the sponsors still pay.
Will sponsors continue to pay the same rate when an audience is eliminated from the mix?
Only time will tell if the show finds a way to work their way back into the mix through working with Canadian potential participants instead of antagonizing them.
Oh yes, there are still Canadians that have been approved to be on the show from the old rules of a few days back, but will they be permitted to participate? Only Jeopardy!
can make that determination. If they are so afraid of spamming potential contestants what else will they eliminate in the name of fear?
Leave Jeopardy! alone, Canadians love the show! Perhaps it is time to really think about what we want to get out of TV in the first place. Canada and the US are usually good neighbors, is this just another ploy to make Americans less beloved in the world or is it a dumb mistake that blew up in the face of management?
