Instead of huge shows, how about this idea?

Shows are fickle and expensive, how big are all these new shorooms? And in this day and age, do most shows really drive business in the door? The days of The Rat Pack and Lido de Paris are gone. The last performers who really "were" Vegas were Sigfried and Roy along with Wayne Newton. No one has risen in their place.

What about this idea? NBC, CBS,and ABC have about given up on Saturday Night programming. What if a mid-sized place (Flamingo, Harrahs, even Rivera, or even a locals house)were to make a deal with one of the networks to program 1-2 hours on Saturday Night. Then fill that timne with a casino-produced weekly boximg or MMA event? Split the ad revenue on TV with the networks.

Think about it. Take a down-on-their luck place like the Rivera (Stardust would have been the natural) and they fill the showroom. They get loads of exposure via their own show. The sportsbook would boom. People would want to come to "the place you see on TV." Cost-wise it would be low. And the extra profit from TV Ad sales.

Then you have the networks getting cheap (free) programming on a night they have left for dead. You could easily fill 50 weeks a year with new material. It doesn't have to be all A-List fighters, but eventually teh A-list would want to be there.

Thoughts?

Think of a house band. A musician plays in a house band. He gets union scale. He is happy. So okay, maybe the soft jazz every night that people drink to doesn't change much. Maybe the band ain't ever going to make it big. Heck it ain't going anywhere at all. The club sells booze and food. They sell more booze if there is a live group playing, so the club has a live group playing. Its not fame, its not fortune, but its a living.

So perhaps you take the M. A live cooking show, a good jazz group, a bit on exotic drinks, or some samplings of smaller events such as those you mention: a smaller boxing event or the like.

Yes, it could be done. But think back to those two brash young guys at the Golden Nugget with their show: casino. The darned idiots gave up control over the show and the show disrupted operations and damaged reputations and harmony.

No, this would not be 'Network Prime Time'. This would be a packaged show offering the allure of Vegas but produced for cable TV. Sort of a Pawn Stars or Secrets of Vegas or the like. Once you have the packaged show then you could shop it to the networks for a prime time slot, but until you have several weeks of programming in the can, the networks won't bite.

A smaller casino could indeed focus on low key events. Its not going to bring people to Vegas. It might bring some tourists who are already in Vegas to the otherwise moribund casino. I just don't see there being all that much content there for sustained interest. You would basically be trying to package: An event, some background material, and the allure of Vegas. It might help some otherwise dying casino but its still going to be nothing much more than the low key event. The local dirt track makes money every week whereas that national finals in some auto or motorcycle racing takes place elsewhere.

The trouble is that audiences hear the words "Vegas Casino" and they tune in ... but unless its decent program content week after week, they soon tune out! The Real World Las Vegas at the Palms was great: renting out that suite to tourists makes some good money, the publicity was not bad for The Palms, but it was an appeal to a very narrow market segment and not sufficient for a network slot.

Quote: FleaStiff

No, this would not be 'Network Prime Time'. This would be a packaged show offering the allure of Vegas but produced for cable TV. Sort of a Pawn Stars or Secrets of Vegas or the like. Once you have the packaged show then you could shop it to the networks for a prime time slot, but until you have several weeks of programming in the can, the networks won't bite.

That is kind of what I was thinking on the "Pawn Stars" thing. Nexgt trip to Vegas I want to stop tou mhere--an effing pawn shop for crying out loud! You may be right in that this would be cable and not network. Expand on the premise (not reality) of "The Frank Rosenthal Show." Mix in some "Pawn Stars" with some other shows. A segment with some handicappers talking about the weekend games. "A Week in the Life of....." the show, dealers, etc. Maybe a place like "M" would work bet. My thought is places like Bellagio would not benefit much, but a smaller house would be a "must stop" from such a show.

I still think getting a reputation for Saturday Night Fights would bring them in. Not everyone can hose Holmes v Cooney, but at the same time AAA Level can make money.

I don't see it.


Has the recent show centered on the change of ownership of Golden Nugget done anything for the Golden Nugget?


A few years back there was a behind the scenes reality show based at Green Valley Ranch. I was watching every week. Then the wife & I took a trip to Vegas. While there, we spent a day with a friend of hers that had moved to Henderson a year prior. She took us to a nice off-strip casino. Yep. Green Valley Ranch. While I was excited to be there, and recognize so much stuff from the show, it had never crossed my mind to ask this local resident, who was driving us around, if GVR would/could be one of the stops.

Even Pawn Stars has field trips out to the businesses of the people who do the restoration work on some of those items.

So it would be a show doing similar "field work" from time to time but emphasizing one casino that would be the primary beneficiary of the publicity. Yet this would be a show aimed solely at second tier and third tier casinos. Bellagio would not be interested and would be of no interest to you.

You would want to talk to the Bingo players, not the Baccarat players! You would focus on the seventy five cent hot dog special rather than the seven hundred dollar hamburger special. Interview "characters". Do background work on things that appeal to your audience of people who watch the weekly fights, not the world championships!

The trouble is: A third rate casino is a third rate casino. Even if you publicize it, its still a mid-tier casino, not the Bellagio. I think you are going to have to line up a whole lot of "side issues" to carry the show before you pitch this to AandE or something. And remember what that network did with the guy who brought Flip This House to them!

Didn't Frank Rosenthal (focus of the movie 'Casino') host a television talk show out of the Stardust at one point?

Good idea but it will become popular and then they move it to a big venue for the cash. A dealer last month told me a similair idea for local talent. I like the idea. I also like the idea of the Mob runing things again. At least a return to civil behavior by patrons, if not, they are escorted out, period. How about a dress code again!

Quote: Wizard

Didn't Frank Rosenthal (focus of the movie 'Casino') host a television talk show out of the Stardust at one point?

In the 1970s, he hosted a top-rated television variety show direct from the world famous Stardust Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Every show was nothing short of spectacular as Frank was joined by a galaxy of Las Vegas brightest stars, TV and Hollywood celebrities, sports champions and handicappers.

He was once a "feature" columnist for both the Las Vegas Sun and Las Vegas Valley Time newspapers.

Quote: Wizard

Didn't Frank Rosenthal (focus of the movie 'Casino') host a television talk show out of the Stardust at one point?

That is part of where I got the thread idea from. I mentioned above the "premise" of "The Frank Roesenthal Show" to promote his casino. Of course we all know he did the show to allow him to not be ejected by the NGCB. Per the book "Casino" the show aired about 5 times every four months, but was a part of 1970s Las Vegas Culture.

Like much of Fank's Life info about the show varies. He said he didn't want to really do it but they said he loved being a star. Too bad the tapes didn't survive. I found about 10 minutes online, just a bunch of then-stars hanging out from what I saw. Would be easy to do much better.

One of my favorite shows was "American Casino" which was filmed at the Green Valley Ranch. I loved the show so much, that I made it a point to go down there and gamble. As it turned out, the hosts there were great and now the property is high on my list whenever I go to Las Vegas.

I would love to see another show like American Casino come on the air. They talked about all aspects of casino life. From the high rolling action, to how security handled a busy Friday night, to the General Manager side of opperations. It was a great mix.

Quote: gambler

One of my favorite shows was "American Casino" which was filmed at the Green Valley Ranch. I loved the show so much, that I made it a point to go down there and gamble. As it turned out, the hosts there were great and now the property is high on my list whenever I go to Las Vegas.

I would love to see another show like American Casino come on the air. They talked about all aspects of casino life. From the high rolling action, to how security handled a busy Friday night, to the General Manager side of opperations. It was a great mix.

I remember it and kind of liked it. I think it died because the problem with the "American X" shows seems to be after the first few episodes you are just watching people work. So the producers need to keep being creatvive. Since real creativity is rare in entertainment (most play follow the leader far more than they create new ideas other than "pushing the envelope" of taste) this is hard to do.

So, what about this idea instead/as well? A "Love Boat" format. Base cast of 4-6 charachters. 2-4 guest stars, a mix of old timers and unknowns, come to stay every episode. One hour format. Three story arcs mixed in. One involving the guest stars personal lives; one a "how they do it" story of casino life with the regulars; the third a mix of personal of the guest star and a regular. Not totally creative based on what I just said, but surely a format that is proven to work.

In reading this thread, I keep thinking a good idea might be something like Sabado Gigante. Granted, I don't speak Spanish, and barely understand the show, but they have women in bikinis, so I just turn the sound down.

Seriously though, something along the lines of a variety show might be something perfect for Las Vegas. If you take a casino's showroom, and basically have, as you said, a 1-2 hour show, maybe a bit longer with commercials, and fill it with a variety of skits, comedy, music, what have you. They can splice it video of the casino floor, things going on, stuff like that. Have some audience participation. Maybe giveaways or whatever. That way, people visiting in person, would have more of a reason to go to a taping of the show. The show would have it's core group of actors. They might have guest comedians, guest performers, guest singers, guest bands. Maybe a celebrity drops by once in a while. Another reason why people would want to attend a taping of the show, not knowing who might show up and give them a thrill.