In Cost Saving Measure, E! Channel to Quit Broadcasting Audio During Reruns of “Wild! On”
Los Angeles, CA – In a move designed to cut costs and add to its bottom line, the E! Channel has decided to quit broadcasting the audio during all future reruns of its show “Wild On!”. E! executives have stated that the decision was prompted by rising energy costs and their negative impact upon the cost of broadcasting audio. The move is expected to save the company almost $2.4 million over the next calendar year and will enable the channel to begin production on the upcoming “True Hollywood Story: Cast of ‘Mighty Ducks’”.
Wild On!, which aired between 1997 and 2003, whisked viewers away to the hottest party spots on the globe. It was also never short on skin, as scene after scene in the show was filled with exotic beauties throwing back shots and dancing without a care in the world. It’s because of all this eye candy that executives have no qualms about yanking the audio track from the show. One executive, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “We even held a recall study where people watched an episode of the show and were asked to remember various lines by the hosts and the people interviewed. The average retention rate was just under five percent, so we decided that show no longer needed audio.”
The decision has rubbed a few people the wrong way, especially two the show’s ex-hostesses. Brooke Burke and Cindy Taylor both filed complaints with the E! Channel saying that the decision was extremely disrespectful of all the in-depth journalism they had created while doing the show.
Burke’s complaint was especially sharp stating, “E!’s decision to remove the audio from future reruns is a complete slap in the face. It shows the same lack of respect that the Emmy nominating committee showed toward me year after year. Let me tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks to get drunk on E!’s dime and interview other people in a night club. Thankfully, the good people at ‘Dancing with the Stars’ picked up on this talent and I no longer have to be held back by some small time cable channel.”
Taylor, while upset, took the decision in stride saying, “While I am unable to find the words to describe how upset this decision makes me, I guess the show will now be like my modeling photos, which also have no sound. I can live with that, as I’m sure I looked smokin’ hot in every episode I hosted.”
Predictably, the show’s first hostess, Jules Asner, released no comment. Asner also hosted “Revealed with Jules Asner” on the E! Channel and likely did not want to risk E! pulling those reruns completely.
