Introduction to the DQMW-List
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All items on this page are from our personal collections, not gathered from the internet.
A brief history of the DQMW-List (the Internet email discussion group), which, in May 1998, mounted an international campaign to try and "Save Our Show" from cancellation.
ORIGINS / BACKGROUND OF DQMW-LIST
In December 1993, a DQMW fan, Cyn, was searching the internet to find someone to share her interest. Once she did, they began exchanging emails. Soon, 2 became 4, and then 15, and it became difficult to pass their messages back and forth. The discussions were too personal for a public forum, so Cyn took on the huge task of creating an Internet Discussion List, thru a "LISTSERV” (email management software program) hosted at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; later moved to UGA and hosted there.
Members joined the DQMW-List by contacting the List "owner," subscribing with basic identity details, and agreeing to abide by the membership protocols and rules. Your actual identity was not made known to the other members unless you revealed it. Members could choose to receive emails as they were posted, or in a “Daily Digest” format.
The first DQMW-List emails/posts were exchanged on March 9, 1994. Within weeks, DQ fans were joining from all over the world. Some fans had been frequent visitors to the DQMW set at Paramount Ranch (Pranch) and shared firsthand info on the workings of the show. Show Creator and Executive Producer Beth Sullivan was a member, and occasionally answered fan questions. Co-Executive Producer Tim Johnson posted “spoiler alerts” about some upcoming episodes. Eventually, some cast members, extras, and crew also joined. They refrained from posting, but often shared their thoughts with DQMW-List members who visited the DQ Set.
Posts/emails that were exchanged included a wide variety of discussion topics. Episode reviews/debates; research on anything DQ related; newspaper/magazine articles; aspects of the show’s production; info and comments on the characters and actors; etc. Fan Fiction was shared to expand on a show episode or create a scenario we wished had been an episode!
There was also plenty of humor. The “Love and Lust Sisters” created “semi-scandalous” and hysterical episode reviews! Then there were the very “serious” debates on the best length of Sully’s hair!!!
Creating acronyms was common, such as, LLA for “Lando Lovers Anonymous” (self-explanatory!); or - TLGITZOHM (I’ll let you all work that one out.) One acronym that was in a way fortuitous of what was to come: TPTB for "The Powers That Be" which referred to CBS and parent company, Viacom, executives, and DQMW producers.
The DQMW-List was a new form of social networking, and many members exchanged personal emails and in-person visits. Lifelong friendships were formed.
Soon after its creation, List members began having gatherings in various locations around the country and world, and some met up at the Pranch (Paramount Ranch set). The set was in a national park, so it offered a unique set experience for visitors that would not happen in a studio. These set visits offered firsthand experiences of filming, and also fostered interactions with actors and crew. These were shared on the List, but always with discretion. That appreciation of the privacy of their workspace created a trust for the DQMW-Listers that would prove invaluable to the Save Our Show campaign.
Of cast, crew, TPTB, etc., who belonged to the DQMW-List, some shared with List members that the discussions on the List about episodes, characters, and what fans wanted to see happen or change, did have an influence on the show.
The Official CBS DQMW website had a Link to the DQMW-List, which was not a common practice for a network and a fan group. And, although never publicly acknowledged by CBS, TPTB made it known to List members that they would see a humorous acknowledgment in a scene from “When A Child is Born” as the townsfolk gathered at Grace’s cafe to meet baby Katie. On par with discussions of Sully’s best hair length, when Dr Mike became pregnant, List members had fun with guesses as to how much hair Sully & Dr Mike’s baby would have!!! So, in this special scene, Jake makes the comment, “She doesn’t have much hair, considering who her parents are!” The DQMW-List shared a collective smile!
DQMW-List had come into being at a turning point in the world’s experience with media, and its ability to connect us. A List member, S. Elizabeth Bird, Professor of Anthropology, University of South Florida, wrote a scholarly book about this called The Audience in Everyday Life: Living in a Media World. Chapter 3 is entitled “Piecing a Cyber Quilt” and is about the DQMW-List. She believed an audience’s interaction with media doesn’t end when the TV is turned off and wanted to study the undercurrents of media influences in our everyday lives. Those influences included the collective passions that went into the “Save Our Show” campaign - our beloved Dr. Quinn.
TROUBLING SIGNS
In the Joe Lando Friends Facebook Group we have posted about the 1997 "Save Our Sully" campaign, to prevent TPTB from replacing Sully with Daniel in Season 6. We made phone calls, sent emails, faxes and letters, and turned up at the Pranch wearing Lando Lover T-shirts. These measures turned out to be a unique prelude to the efforts to save the DQMW show itself. From early 1997 on, members continued contacting TPTB about various concerns, including newspaper articles about CBS and its sponsors, and details about the trends seen for the CBS network, and its parent company Viacom.
One particular concern we had, regarding show sponsors, was clearly defined in this news piece:
September 1997, Associated Press
"One reason for CBS's frustration: a 30-second ad on its popular “Touched by an Angel” program cost $102,000 last fall while the competing Fox comedy, “The Simpsons” could charge $ 159,000 for the same ad. “The Simpsons” has fewer total viewers, but more young ones. General advertising theory is that young people watch less TV and are harder to reach, making shows that pull in those viewers more valuable…”
"CBS had become very reliant on ad revenue for its profits."
DQMW’s demographic was older females, so not bringing in the “top” ad dollars.
December 26, 1997
A Letter to the Editor, written by a DQMW-List member, was published in USA Today, and another CBS twist was alarming us. She noted that CBS President Les Moonves, in September 1997, had promised that CBS was committed to families, and would only present family-friendly programming at the 8 o’clock hour. However, soon after his article appeared, CBS announced that Dr. Quinn would be put on hiatus for 6 weeks, beginning in January 1998, in order to launch a new show – “The Magnificent Seven!” TMS was anything but “family friendly” programming!!! The DQ Lister was concerned that this was the beginning of the network turning away from family shows, and looking to create shows that would appeal to the coveted demographic - nicknamed “YUMs” aka Young Urban Males.
It was news like this that furthered the distrust DQMW-Listers began to have about TPTB.
January 1998, Wall Street Journal
An article speculated that CBS was “…looking for programming, such as, acquiring the NFL TV rights, to attract the under 50 demographic,” specifically YUMs … “CBS suffers on Madison Ave. from the image of being ‘somewhat dowdy’ -- too female, too old, and too rural…”
We would hear this over and over again during the campaign.
January 1998, Variety Magazine
Another article highlighted the increased male viewership that CBS was getting from “Magnificent Seven!” So, now the DQ hiatus and Magnificent Seven replacement made sense. It was all about attracting the YUMs so the network would make more ad money.
January 1998
A DQ-Lister visited the Pranch and talked to some production and crew folks, who informed her that filming would start again on Jan. 14, but end on Feb. 13. The crew members weren’t sure about the show beyond that date, since there was "no word yet on the show being renewed.” This news raised a huge red flag on the DQMW-List, since filming for the first few episodes of the following season had always happened in the previous spring, due to the very hot California weather in July & August.
CONCLUSIONS/PLANNING
Early Spring 1998, USA Today
Results of a survey of readers, regarding 33 shows from 6 networks that were potentially going to be cut, were posted. Dr. Quinn had 52.2% of respondents voting to keep the show; the highest percentage for any show. But we were no longer sure that these results would matter to TPTB.
List discussions generally concluded that what the Dr. Quinn fans wanted was not going to be a factor anymore in the decisions made by TPTB, because we were the wrong demographic. CBS was indeed moving away from the family friendly programming that had once been its hallmark. Dr. Quinn was being threatened with cancellation, despite what TPTB might say publicly.
So, the Listers began in earnest to discuss and plan strategies we might need to use for a DQMW-List "Save Our Show" campaign. We were hoping it wouldn’t happen, but prepared if it did. We amassed addresses and phone numbers of TBTB and sponsors, also web site addresses, media sites, and news outlets. We had been here before; could we do it again?
► NEXT PAGE - The Cancellation
ORIGINS / BACKGROUND OF DQMW-LIST
In December 1993, a DQMW fan, Cyn, was searching the internet to find someone to share her interest. Once she did, they began exchanging emails. Soon, 2 became 4, and then 15, and it became difficult to pass their messages back and forth. The discussions were too personal for a public forum, so Cyn took on the huge task of creating an Internet Discussion List, thru a "LISTSERV” (email management software program) hosted at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; later moved to UGA and hosted there.
Members joined the DQMW-List by contacting the List "owner," subscribing with basic identity details, and agreeing to abide by the membership protocols and rules. Your actual identity was not made known to the other members unless you revealed it. Members could choose to receive emails as they were posted, or in a “Daily Digest” format.
The first DQMW-List emails/posts were exchanged on March 9, 1994. Within weeks, DQ fans were joining from all over the world. Some fans had been frequent visitors to the DQMW set at Paramount Ranch (Pranch) and shared firsthand info on the workings of the show. Show Creator and Executive Producer Beth Sullivan was a member, and occasionally answered fan questions. Co-Executive Producer Tim Johnson posted “spoiler alerts” about some upcoming episodes. Eventually, some cast members, extras, and crew also joined. They refrained from posting, but often shared their thoughts with DQMW-List members who visited the DQ Set.
Posts/emails that were exchanged included a wide variety of discussion topics. Episode reviews/debates; research on anything DQ related; newspaper/magazine articles; aspects of the show’s production; info and comments on the characters and actors; etc. Fan Fiction was shared to expand on a show episode or create a scenario we wished had been an episode!
There was also plenty of humor. The “Love and Lust Sisters” created “semi-scandalous” and hysterical episode reviews! Then there were the very “serious” debates on the best length of Sully’s hair!!!
Creating acronyms was common, such as, LLA for “Lando Lovers Anonymous” (self-explanatory!); or - TLGITZOHM (I’ll let you all work that one out.) One acronym that was in a way fortuitous of what was to come: TPTB for "The Powers That Be" which referred to CBS and parent company, Viacom, executives, and DQMW producers.
The DQMW-List was a new form of social networking, and many members exchanged personal emails and in-person visits. Lifelong friendships were formed.
Soon after its creation, List members began having gatherings in various locations around the country and world, and some met up at the Pranch (Paramount Ranch set). The set was in a national park, so it offered a unique set experience for visitors that would not happen in a studio. These set visits offered firsthand experiences of filming, and also fostered interactions with actors and crew. These were shared on the List, but always with discretion. That appreciation of the privacy of their workspace created a trust for the DQMW-Listers that would prove invaluable to the Save Our Show campaign.
Of cast, crew, TPTB, etc., who belonged to the DQMW-List, some shared with List members that the discussions on the List about episodes, characters, and what fans wanted to see happen or change, did have an influence on the show.
The Official CBS DQMW website had a Link to the DQMW-List, which was not a common practice for a network and a fan group. And, although never publicly acknowledged by CBS, TPTB made it known to List members that they would see a humorous acknowledgment in a scene from “When A Child is Born” as the townsfolk gathered at Grace’s cafe to meet baby Katie. On par with discussions of Sully’s best hair length, when Dr Mike became pregnant, List members had fun with guesses as to how much hair Sully & Dr Mike’s baby would have!!! So, in this special scene, Jake makes the comment, “She doesn’t have much hair, considering who her parents are!” The DQMW-List shared a collective smile!
DQMW-List had come into being at a turning point in the world’s experience with media, and its ability to connect us. A List member, S. Elizabeth Bird, Professor of Anthropology, University of South Florida, wrote a scholarly book about this called The Audience in Everyday Life: Living in a Media World. Chapter 3 is entitled “Piecing a Cyber Quilt” and is about the DQMW-List. She believed an audience’s interaction with media doesn’t end when the TV is turned off and wanted to study the undercurrents of media influences in our everyday lives. Those influences included the collective passions that went into the “Save Our Show” campaign - our beloved Dr. Quinn.
TROUBLING SIGNS
In the Joe Lando Friends Facebook Group we have posted about the 1997 "Save Our Sully" campaign, to prevent TPTB from replacing Sully with Daniel in Season 6. We made phone calls, sent emails, faxes and letters, and turned up at the Pranch wearing Lando Lover T-shirts. These measures turned out to be a unique prelude to the efforts to save the DQMW show itself. From early 1997 on, members continued contacting TPTB about various concerns, including newspaper articles about CBS and its sponsors, and details about the trends seen for the CBS network, and its parent company Viacom.
One particular concern we had, regarding show sponsors, was clearly defined in this news piece:
September 1997, Associated Press
"One reason for CBS's frustration: a 30-second ad on its popular “Touched by an Angel” program cost $102,000 last fall while the competing Fox comedy, “The Simpsons” could charge $ 159,000 for the same ad. “The Simpsons” has fewer total viewers, but more young ones. General advertising theory is that young people watch less TV and are harder to reach, making shows that pull in those viewers more valuable…”
"CBS had become very reliant on ad revenue for its profits."
DQMW’s demographic was older females, so not bringing in the “top” ad dollars.
December 26, 1997
A Letter to the Editor, written by a DQMW-List member, was published in USA Today, and another CBS twist was alarming us. She noted that CBS President Les Moonves, in September 1997, had promised that CBS was committed to families, and would only present family-friendly programming at the 8 o’clock hour. However, soon after his article appeared, CBS announced that Dr. Quinn would be put on hiatus for 6 weeks, beginning in January 1998, in order to launch a new show – “The Magnificent Seven!” TMS was anything but “family friendly” programming!!! The DQ Lister was concerned that this was the beginning of the network turning away from family shows, and looking to create shows that would appeal to the coveted demographic - nicknamed “YUMs” aka Young Urban Males.
It was news like this that furthered the distrust DQMW-Listers began to have about TPTB.
January 1998, Wall Street Journal
An article speculated that CBS was “…looking for programming, such as, acquiring the NFL TV rights, to attract the under 50 demographic,” specifically YUMs … “CBS suffers on Madison Ave. from the image of being ‘somewhat dowdy’ -- too female, too old, and too rural…”
We would hear this over and over again during the campaign.
January 1998, Variety Magazine
Another article highlighted the increased male viewership that CBS was getting from “Magnificent Seven!” So, now the DQ hiatus and Magnificent Seven replacement made sense. It was all about attracting the YUMs so the network would make more ad money.
January 1998
A DQ-Lister visited the Pranch and talked to some production and crew folks, who informed her that filming would start again on Jan. 14, but end on Feb. 13. The crew members weren’t sure about the show beyond that date, since there was "no word yet on the show being renewed.” This news raised a huge red flag on the DQMW-List, since filming for the first few episodes of the following season had always happened in the previous spring, due to the very hot California weather in July & August.
CONCLUSIONS/PLANNING
Early Spring 1998, USA Today
Results of a survey of readers, regarding 33 shows from 6 networks that were potentially going to be cut, were posted. Dr. Quinn had 52.2% of respondents voting to keep the show; the highest percentage for any show. But we were no longer sure that these results would matter to TPTB.
List discussions generally concluded that what the Dr. Quinn fans wanted was not going to be a factor anymore in the decisions made by TPTB, because we were the wrong demographic. CBS was indeed moving away from the family friendly programming that had once been its hallmark. Dr. Quinn was being threatened with cancellation, despite what TPTB might say publicly.
So, the Listers began in earnest to discuss and plan strategies we might need to use for a DQMW-List "Save Our Show" campaign. We were hoping it wouldn’t happen, but prepared if it did. We amassed addresses and phone numbers of TBTB and sponsors, also web site addresses, media sites, and news outlets. We had been here before; could we do it again?
► NEXT PAGE - The Cancellation