Well, CBS has done it to us again.
| Open Letter | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Well, CBS has done it to us again. |
| From: | Dianne Hellerling |
| Addressed To: | Beauty and the Beast fans |
| Date(s): | February 1990 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Well, CBS has done it to us again. is a 1990 Beauty and the Beast (TV) open letter by Dianne Hellerling.
It was printed in the January/February 1990 Pipedreams very shortly after the beginning of the third season and its explosive plot twist.
Some Topics Discussed
- the death of Catherine Chandler
- what this fan felt to be lies and poor treatment to fans by CBS
- how to gear up for yet another fan letter campaign
- boycotting the show's sponsors
- encouragement and hope that fan don't portray themselves as "crazy, fanatical people"
- ever-lasting gratitude to the writers, actors, producers of the show
The Letter
Dear Fellow Supporters of "Beauty and The Beast",
Well, CBS has done it to us again. On January 4, CBS cancelled "Beauty and The Beast" and to add insult to injury they have pulled 3 of the last episodes. We will not be seeing the last 2 episodes and the episode "In the Forest of the Night". The reason CBS gave for cancelling B&B was its poor ratings, if you checked the latest Nielson rating you will notice that "Paradise", "Island Son", and "Doctor, Doctor" were all rated lower but they have remained on, so their logic is, a usual, suspect.
Inside this issue are the addresses for CBS, KMGH, and Fox Broadcasting. I've included Fox because we hope that maybe an independent station such as Fox would be interested in picking this show up. With the established viewership that "Beauty and The Beast" has. Fox or any other independent or cable network may want to take a look at adding it to their lineup. It might even bring Fox up to #3 and leave poor, lowly CBS #4. Wouldn't that be a neat coup.
So, what do we do now? Write letters and make telephone calls to local newspapers and national magazines - definitely. We can also begin boycotting CBS' programming and the sponsors affiliated with CBS. This is where we can really do some good - hit them where it will hurt, in their wallets! When I mentioned this to the programming manager at KMGH, there was dead silence on the other end of the line.
One thing we must remember though, is that we represent a very high quality show. No matter what we think about these past episodes, our solidarity is important. What we do and say will reflect back to the show. We don't want to degrade the bond we have with the "Beauty and The Beast" writers and actors by going off half- cocked. The more organized and level-headed we are about handling this situation, the better our chances are of doing something good.
We don't want to be known as "crazy, fanatical people". "Beauty and The Beast" is too special for that.
As Vincent has said, "You must follow your heart." Let's just make sure our heads aren't too far behind. We can accomplish our goal, if not with CBS, then with another network. It will take time and a lot of hard work, but we all know its worth it.
But, whatever happens, whatever comes, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the writers, actors, producers, and everyone else involved with "Beauty and The Beast" for two and a half unforgettable years. You have given us something that will live forever in our hearts.