syndication

[infactsccott]

I'm new to the message board, but I've been listening to Jack Benny since I was a teenager 20 or so years ago.

My question today is this: who owns the rights to the radio program? My notion is that estate licenses this to Radio Spirits, but I am don't know for sure.

And--I am curious who controls the syndication rights to the TV program. The last time I saw these on TV was on Pat Robertson's old CBN channel, late at night through the week. This would have been during the mid-80s.

Thanks advance.

[LLeff]

My question today is this: who owns the rights to the radio program? My notion is that estate licenses this to Radio Spirits, but I am don't know for sure.

And--I am curious who controls the syndication rights to the TV program. The last time I saw these on TV was on Pat Robertson's old CBN channel, late at night through the week. This would have been during the mid-80s.

The radio programs are owned by the estate, by way of California common law copyright (plenty more info available on that). There is a contract between the Estate and Radio Spirits. Some of the television shows are public domain, and some are owned by MCA.

I'm working on some Estate projects that could lead to a syndication package. It just takes some time, and things need to happen in a certain order.

[Shemp]

Some of the television shows are public domain, and some are owned by MCA.

MCA still owns them?

It was my understanding that the film libraries transferred intact through all the corporate sales and mergers of the past 11 years...

- Seagram's bought MCA in 1994
- French comglomerate Vivendi bought Seagram's in 1997, creating film/TV subsidiary Vivendi-Universal
- NBC bought Vivendi-Universal about 1-1/2 years ago, and it's now known as NBC/Universal, a division of GE

If NBC/Universal doesn't own the BENNY television films, how is it that MCA retained ownership after the Seagram's acquisition?

[LLeff]

If NBC/Universal doesn't own the BENNY television films, how is it that MCA retained ownership after the Seagram's acquisition?

OK, a little clarification. MCA renewed the rights to certain shows, so they transferred through the sales along with the rest of MCA's assets. So with
NBC's purchase of MCA/Universal, they would have the rights. Ironic that all those shows from CBS would now be owned by NBC.

When dealing with people in the industry, we still tend to call it MCA.