Oldies on oldies channels

GSN has sold some of its Sherriwed eps to digital subchannel Bounce TV. That has set off a thread at what's left of what used to be Matt Ottinger's board. Of course, the chatter on the older-is-better board gets around to the chances for old game shows on the subchannels, especially the nostalgia specialists like Antenna TV and Me-TV. Matt Ottinger himself says:

And honestly, I know I'm preaching to the choir here, and that outside of our little choir loft people think we're nuts, but I'm still surprised that some of these channels haven't picked up old game shows to run along with the rest of their programming. I'm not crazy enough to think that a channel of nothing but classic games could fly. Still, the example I keep coming back to is Cullen's Pyramid, which featured so many of the stars of the very shows these nostalgia channels run.

Well, I've twitted Matt's board in the past (and the present and the future) about its reflexive fondness for all things old. But I don't think they're nuts. Then again, I like old game shows, too, so I may be nuts right along with 'em.

Still, I can't see much of a future for old game shows on the nostalgia nets. Game shows have always been niche programming, and old game shows are a niche within a niche. And most everybody in the business seems content to leave the sub-niche to GSN. After all, the little game show network runs over twenty hours of the old shows every week, to modest ratings and ancient demos.