New Amsterdam - Renewal Efforts
UPDATE MAY 12th, 2008=== New Amsterdam "Vintage Postcard" campaign continues...
As we now know, the decision to cancel New Amsterdam was made May 10th, 2008 by FOX. While chances may not be great, there is a possibility that Regency Television can find another home for the show. However, time is in short supply as actors and crew will eventually find other work.
I continue to receive a lot of email from fans, asking what they can do to show their support for New Amsterdam. Many of us still think the "Vintage Postcard" campaign is the way to go. In case you are not aware, forum member "diedye" has suggested a simple yet effective way to attract the attention of TPTB. We are sending FOX (and now Regency) vintage style postcards depicting scenes or other graphics which relate to the rich history of the city of New York, John Amsterdam's home for the last 366+ years. We are now expanding this effort to, also, include Regency Television Productions.
You can order Vintage New York Postcards from Amazon, find them at a local stationary store, or even create your own (be mindful of any copyrights)! If you can't easily find NY related postcards, send one featuring your own home town or even just a polite and short letter.
I think it would be worth the price of a stamp to let Regency know you support the show and would like to see more of it.
Regency Television Productions Inc
4024 Radford Ave Bldg 19
Studio City, CA 91604-2101
You may, also, try calling them to discuss the issue at: (818) 655-5562
I think it's, also, advisable to CONTINUE to let FOX know - POLITELY - that you love the show and you think their decision is a mistake. I recommend EVERYONE giving FOX a call on the Viewer Comment Line and letting them know you want to see more of John Amsterdam on your TV screens next season.
The telephone number to dial is: 310.369.3066
Write a short and clearly printed message to show your support for New Amsterdam and address a card to:
Kevin Reilly
President of Entertainment, FOX
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
You should send a second card, indicating your support to:
New Amsterdam
P.O. Box 900
Attn: FOX BROADCASTING Publicity Dept.
Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900
You can, additionally, email FOX (but please do one or both of the above first) at: askfox@fox.com
Also, join us in the New Amsterdam Renewal section of our Forum to discuss this and other ways to support the show!
Finally, spread news of this effort far and wide and direct other fans here for the latest news on this campaign. If you are a member of the press or own an internet site, please mention our efforts. Thanks and Good luck!
UPDATE MARCH 15th, 2008===
I've been receiving a lot of email from fans recently, asking what they can do to show their support for New Amsterdam. Even when achieving more than respectable ratings and garnering many positive reviews, genre shows often have a hard time surviving on mainstream television. The best time for fans to show their support is BEFORE a show is canceled.
You can read this page for many general ways to show your support but forum member "diedye" has come up with a simple yet effective way to attract the attention of TPTB. We want to send FOX vintage style postcards depicting scenes or other graphics which relate to the rich history of the city of New York, John Amsterdam's home for the last 366+ years.
You can order Vintage New York Postcards from Amazon, find them at a local stationary store, or even create your own (be mindful of any copyrights)!
Write a short and clearly printed message to show your support for New Amsterdam and address the card to:
Kevin Reilly
President of Entertainment, FOX
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Also, you may wish to send out a second post card to the people who actually make the show - send your comments of support to:
New Amsterdam
P.O. Box 900
Attn: FOX BROADCASTING Publicity Dept.
Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900
Finally, join us in the New Amsterdam Renewal section of our Forum to discuss this and other ways to support the show!
GENERAL RENEWAL SUPPORT INFO===
Due to the fact New Amsterdam was moved to FOX's mid-season schedule and then had it's episode order reduced, there has been gossip in certain corners of the Internet that the show was canceled before it even started. The reality is that a large portion of FOX's new shows have a shortened run this season (Sarah Connor Chronicles, Jezebel James, Canterbury's Law, etc...) and New Amsterdam is in the same boat. If a show pulls in enough viewers, they WILL make more.
HOWEVER, even when achieving more than respectable ratings and garnering many positive reviews, genre shows often have a hard time surviving on mainstream television. The best time for fans to show their support is BEFORE a show is canceled.
If you'd like to support future episodes and seasons of New Amsterdam, you can help in many ways - including the following.
*) Write snail mail letters to "The Powers That Be", specifically to those employees most directly responsible for programming:
Kevin Reilly
President of Entertainment, FOX
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Also, show support to the people who actually make the show - write your comments to:
New Amsterdam
P.O. Box 900
Attn: FOX BROADCASTING Publicity Dept.
Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900
Please keep all correspondence brief and polite. The network receives numerous letters every day and it's important that you get your positive wishes and points across as clearly and concisely as possible. Avoid negativity. Do not complain or insult the network. It is important to leave them with a good impression of New Amsterdam fans in general.
*) Send eMail feedback to FOX. Remember to keep it brief and write your thoughts out clearly with proper grammar.
Please Note: Email and online petitions, while worthy endeavors, sometimes do not hold as much value with network executives. It's perfectly fine, and recommended, to get involved with those type of campaigns BUT you should always make sure to send out your snail mail letters as well.
*) Let everyone online know your love for the show:
-Add New Amsterdam content to your "Signature" on EVERY forum you visit. We need to reach people outside the normal core audience and most message boards allow signature boxes to be a 'free area'. So, it doesn't matter whether the forum's focus is television or woodworking or organic gardening. Find something great to say about New Amsterdam, and stick it in there with a link to the New Amsterdam site of your choice. This is the gift that keeps on giving because even when you aren't online, your signature is still doing the work for you at the end of every post.
-Do the same as above for your personal email. Most of us exchange dozens of emails every day. We might have already mentioned New Amsterdam to them but giving them a link at the bottom of your email gives them easy entry into John Amsterdam's world.
-Most forums have a general discussion area. Take advantage of it and strike up a conversation about New Amsterdam. You will often find lots of people talking about their favorite TV show, movie or book in these areas.
-If you have a blog, LiveJournal, MySpace page, etc... keep interesting New Amsterdam content on the front page every week for people to see. Talk about your love of the show, etc...
You can, also create your own banners and share them with others. Look HERE for info on popular banner sizes.
*) Join our new forum and discuss renewal with others.
Other notes:
-When talking to new fans about New Amsterdam and a more episodes/second season, the mantra is "Support Renewal" not "Fight Cancellation". We need to be optimistic. A lot of the general public won't get involved in a show they believe may already be dead so stick to the basic facts when broaching this subject. We haven't heard that New Amsterdam is in trouble in any way, we simply haven't heard it's been renewed - yet. Once you know they're hooked then you can give them all the messy details.
-Some people don't like watching a show that has already been on the schedule for several months, fearing they may be lost in the plot. HOWEVER, for fans that may come to the show late, it IS available online at places like hulu.com or from iTunes. New fans will be able to buy the first episode for only $1.99 USD. Most people spend more than this eating lunch out every day. We *know* networks have been watching iTunes sales closely... the more people we can get to purchase from iTunes, the better. These are sales that TPTB can see immediately. For potential viewers that need to be convinced first there ARE ways to see the episodes without cost, such as the Hulu site mentioned previously.
Think some important info is missing from this page? Please, let me Know!
More later...