Two days from Dollhouse premier, and no screener
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I don't doubt that Fox has had to cut costs the way things are right now, but this is truly asinine.As much as I loathe having to watch ABC premiers over the web -- the quality of their streaming videos isn't much better than YouTube -- they didn't stop at cutting costs, they sought out a long-term solution to the problem that kept the smaller press in the loop without having to spend ridiculous amounts of money overnighting DVDs.
First of all, what's wrong with standard shipping? I asked Fox for a screener on January 22nd, over three two ago. They could have spent a buck with the U.S. Postal Service and I'd still have gotten it in plenty of time to do my piece. It's a waste of money to overnight something unless it has to actually be there overnight.
Second, how is not worth the money anyway? Granted, this site isn't big and the readership isn't a particularly influential bunch, but some stories can find traction if they reach the right community. A couple of hundred extra people for a show like Dollhouse that is probably going to struggle at first is worth whatever it would costs to send me a 15c DVD, just ask the show's producers.
Especially in comparison to the other networks, Fox doesn't look cheap, they look downright incompetent. While I beg them for screeners that I never end up getting, CBS' press people are sending me screeners that I didn't ask for -- which I now intend to review because they've more than earned my attention -- and I've been contacted directly by CBS wanting to know how I plan to cover show X, asking if I need anything else from them.
They aren't just going through the motions, they actually care.
It's almost as if Fox doesn't want anyone to write about their shows, and I don't know if that's just arrogance, stupidity, or both.
And while I wouldn't promise to give a show a good review in exchange for a screener -- is that what Fox wants, is that their problem? -- I can practically guarantee whatever review I would have written for Dollhouse would have been positive.
Joss Whedon doesn't make bad shows, folks, it's as simple as that.
So once again, rather than seeing a whole story here about how great Dollhouse is and why I think you ought to give it a chance this Friday (you should do that anyway, out of respect for Joss and because I know it's going to be a good show), all you're getting is this bitch fest about how much Fox sucks, and it's Fox's fault all the way.
I don't blame the PR people, I'm sure they are just as frustrated as I am if not more so. Their job is to pump these shows, to get people like me to write about them and get people interested in them so that they have an audience. It's the guys higher up that need to quit their jobs immediately and learn how to bus a table or work a cash register, because that's the only thing in life they could possibly be any good at.
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