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Hello everyone, and welcome to the game show traders lounge. It goes without saying that
trading episodes of game shows can be a lot of fun for both sides, however
there are certain things everyone should know before initiating a trade
with me. Don't take this as sounding harsh or anything, it's just that if you
want to have fun with the genre, you gotta follow the rules. If your question
does not get answered here, please email
xanfan(@)comcast(.)net before trading.
What exactly is game show trading?
Game show trading is a fun way to revive all of those wonderful memories of
your personal history of game shows. Perhaps you grew up in the 80s and remember
shows like Press Your Luck and Remote Control. Maybe the 70s was your era with
game shows like Jackpot and The $10,000 Pyramid. Or you could have grown up in the
monochrome era of television with such shows as What's My Line and Password. Game Show trading allows you to see episodes of these shows, and the hundreds more just like it, at home on your own VCR.
That sounds great! What do I have to do?
The first thing you should do is send me an email by clicking here, and ask me if I am interested in
working out some kind of trade with you. Please send me a list of the game show (or other programs) you have in your own collection with that email, or if your collection is online
like mine is, please send me the URL to where I can find it. It is considered inpolite to include a list of shows that you want from me right away. Also, don't give me your address just yet either.
What are those codes at the end of every episode?
After each episode listing in my collection, in brackets, you will see a source and an episode identifier. The episode identifier is a two part numeric code that tells me where the episode is located in my video library. The first part of the code is the tape number, and the second part is the episode number. (For example, an episode with the identifier of 151.6 is show number 6 on tape 151.) Please include this number with all trade requests so I can get to the tapes faster.
The source abbreviations indicate where the episode was originally recorded. This does not mean that I taped it from that source, nor is it the network that originally aired on. Here is a listing of the more common codes you'll encounter:
CBN = Taped off of Cable Broadcasting Network
CHAL = Challenge Television (UK GSN)
FAM = Taped off the (ABC/Fox) Family (Channel)
GSN = Taped off of Sony Game Show Network
OB = Taped from original broadcast (CBS, NBC, etc)
RER = Taped from a rerun that aired on the channel it originates on
SM = A copy of an original studio master tape
UNK = The origin of the videotape is unknown
USA = Taped off of the USA Network
WSF = Taped off of a "wild satellite feed" (C-Band, etc)
In addition to those codes, there might also be a "slash" with additional information about the episode that would connect with the source code:
/S = Contains original production slate
/WOC = With original commericals
/WSOC = With some original commericals
Thus, a show with {OB/WSOC} would mean that the show was taped from the original broadcast and has some of the original commericals intact, and a show with {SM/S/WOC} would mean that the show is a copy of the original studio master, contains the production slate and has all of the original commericals.
I don't have any game show episodes. Do you collect other shows?
Yes! There are other television shows and specials that I am looking for. Feel free to let me know that you have these episodes and we can also work out some kind of deal. I am only interested in original broadcasts unless indicated:
Archie Bunker's Place (10/1979-5/1983); CBS
Brothers (1984-1989); Showtime {Any Canadians with PrideVision?}
Count Duckula (9/1988-3/1993); ITV
Delta (9/1992-8/1993); ABC {Reruns okay}
Double Rush (1/1995-4/1995); CBS
Growing Pains (9/1991-4/1992); ABC; {Leonardo DiCaprio only}
High Society (10/1995-2/1996); CBS
Just The Ten Of Us (4/1988-5/1990); ABC
Murphy Brown (11/1988-5/1998; CBS
Out Of This World (1987-1991); {Reruns okay}
Perfect Strangers (3/1986-8/1993); ABC
The Powers That Be (3/1992-1/1993); NBC/USA {Reruns okay}
The Trials of Rosie O'Neil (~1991?); CBS
I also am always looking for the "very beginning" of a television network on videotape. If you
have a tape with the first few hours of the following networks, also let me know for I am also
interested in doing a trade with you:
FX Network (Debuted: June 1, 1994)
Game Show Network (Debuted: December 1, 1994)
Music Television {MTV} (Debuted: August 1, 1981)
Nickelodeon (Debuted: April 1, 1979)
Video Hits One {VH-1} (Debuted: January 1, 1985)
The Weather Channel (Debuted: May 2, 1982)
What if I don't have any television episodes to offer at all?
Don't fret just yet. There are a few other ways that I will trade game show episodes if you do not have any game show episodes to offer in return. However allow me to stress this. I do not accept blank tapes for trade. Also, it is illegal to pay for these tapes with currency. Please do not ask me if I will accept a blank tape trade or if I will accept any form of currency in return, because the request will be immediately discarded. I am also willing to trade my episodes of game shows for game show memorabilia (like vintage board games, tickets, books, etc). I also am an avid collector of videogames, past and present. I collect 3D0, CD-i, NES, Genesis, Virtual Boy, Atari 2600 & ColecoVision. So if you don't have any episodes to offer, but do have something else, we can work something out.
Okay. What if you do accept my offer?
If I decide that I want to trade with you, I will tell you via email how many episodes that I want to get from you. After that, you can email me again with the episodes that you want to obtain from me. If I selected 2 hours of programming from you (my minimum trade), you are allowed to select in return 2 hours of episodes from me. Please note that 2 hours worth of programming indicates the actual running time of the show, including commercials. However in some cases, commericals may have been cut out of the episodes that you recieve. Reguardless, an episode that took 30 minutes to air on television will equal 30 minutes of trade time, reguardless to wheather or not the episodes you are requesting contain the original or rerun commercials or not.
Okay, we agreed on a trade, and your tape is done. Now what?
Once the tapes are completed on both ends, we will exchange mailing addresses. If we have
traded before and you are a trusted trader, I will always mail your tape out as soon as it is
completed, and ask that you do the same. If however, this is the first time that we are going to be trading, or if we traded before and there were problems, I must insist that you mail your videotape out to me first, and upon the arrival of your tape, I will mail yours out to you.
How do you mail out your videotapes?
I only use Priority Mail from the local post office to send tapes, and I request that you do
the same whenever possible. UPS and FedEx take too long to get to my area. Priority Mail at this present time costs $3.50 to mail a single tape. Let me know when you get your videotape as a courtesy and I will do the same.
About how long does it take for a trade to finish?
That always depends on the current situation at the present time. Keep in mind that I work full time, am always doing some sort of overtime at work, and I'm usually on the go. However the time from the inital request to the time the videotapes get in your hands is usually approximately two or three weeks.
Do you have access to Game Show Network (GSN)?
Yes. I am willing to tape first generation episodes of whatever you want on GSN if you do not have access to the network. Let me know that is what you want.
Do you ship tapes and accept trades outside the United States?
Yes, however please keep in mind that I am not able to playback or record in any video format outside of NTSC at this time. In the near future, I will be obtaining a Multi-Standard VCR so I can do both. So please make sure that your video player can playback videotapes recorded in the NTSC format.
NEW! What happens if the wrong tape is recieved on either end?
People make mistakes. We all do. Here is my policy on what happens if tapes are mixed up in mailing. If I sent you the wrong tape, I will make you a new tape at no cost to you, if you can tell me exactly what was on the tape that I sent you. (If you can identify the first few shows were, that means you really did get the wrong tape). Of course, you'll be able to keep the incorrect tape as well.
In the event that I am given the wrong tape in the trade, I will still request the tape that I had originally asked for. I prefer not to mail tapes back to who I trade with because it is a hassle, however if that is what you insist, I will do it, only if you compensate the money that I spent to ship it back to you, and with the understanding that I have a right to copy whatever I please that was on the tape I was given in error, along with the tape I had originally asked for.
What "gems" are you looking for the most game show wise?
$1,000,000 Chance Of A Lifetime - Episode with a $1,000,000 LOSS
GSN Related - Footage when Peter Tomarken left the channel in 1997
Hot Streak - Any episode I don't have; Domestic or Foreign; US Pilot #1
I'll Bet - Any episode of this Jack Narz show I don't have
Laura Chambers Related - Anything with Laura Chambers that I don't have
Lip Service - Any episode at all of this MTV Original
Monopoly - Pilot Episode with Peter Tomarken
Place The Face - Any Bill Cullen episode that I don't have
Pyramid Series - $10k, Cullen $25k, $50k & Davidson $100k eps; Any pilot
Remote Control - Any episode that I don't have
Ruck Zuck - 9/14/1999 episode that was broadcasted live
Starcade - ANYONE HAVE ACCESS TO THE NEW G4 CHANNEL?
That's My Dog! - Any episode at all of this Family Channel Original
Video Power - Any episode I don't have
Weakest Link - Any non-celeb ep that I don't have; Domestic or Foreign
Whammy! - Pilots (Newton/Tomarken) & "Mother of All Game Shows" episode
Whew! - Any episode I don't have, Especially the pilot w/Maggie Brown!
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