January 30, 2009

Follow up on keeping "The It's Alive Show" / WBGN on Comcast

Since last Saturday, the petition to keep The It's Alive Show / WBGN on Comcast Cable has gathered 973 signitures (see previous post here).

If you haven't already, sign the petition here and push it to 1,000.

You can also call Comcast at 412-771-8100.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The It’s Alive Show has clawed its way out of the ground and arisen to air on a second Pittsburgh television station. Beginning Saturday, June 13 at midnight, It’s Alive joins the WPMY (My TV Pittsburgh) late night lineup.

It’s Alive, a late night horror host program featuring classic and B-horror movies with comedy skits and music interspersed, has aired on WBGN-TV since its premiere in 2005 and has developed a substantial fan base that refers to itself as “the Lifeless”.

On February 1, 2009, low power station WBGN was removed from Comcast cable systems in the Pittsburgh region due to a contract dispute. More than 2,000 people signed an online petition demanding that Comcast restore WBGN. Outraged It’s Alive fans bombarded Comcast with phone calls and emails and even protested at Comcast’s headquarters in Robinson Township.

The news coverage of the protest prompted several local stations, including WPMY, to contact Mark Menold, creator, producer and host of It’s Alive with offers to pick up the show. After rounds of meetings and negotiations, Menold finally settled on WPMY as an additional outlet for It’s Alive.

Since February 1, diehard Lifeless have been watching It’s Alive on WBGN over the air with antenna or digital converter boxes, or via the show’s web cast, but some viewers who don’t have access to these options have been unable to watch their favorite Saturday night program. WBGN was picked up on FIOS systems in mid-April.

“This is the best possible move for the show and its fans”, says Menold. “WPMY is available over the air and on all cable systems in the Pittsburgh region including Comcast, Verizon FIOS, satellite dish networks, and digital over the air, allowing greater viewing access.”

Menold plans to promote the new channel and time slot with a downtown “Zombie Walk”. The It’s Alive Show is responsible for the Guinness world record for “Largest Gathering of Zombies” and has been very successful in using these spectacles to promote the TV show.

It’s Alive will continue to air encore presentations from the first four years on WBGN on Saturdays at 10 PM indefinitely. New shows will begin to air on WPMY on June 13 at midnight.