EPSO Newsletter #13

28 June 2000

Ooooh, newsletter 13! Bad luck? Quite the contrary! I am pleased to tell you that in the past 3 days, we have gained 59 new members! Why? Because our Webmaster Rob Bishop sent a letter to the Toronto Star some time ago, and on Sunday it was finally printed! So for all you new members, WELCOME TO EPSO!

Since there are so many of you who have just joined, I'm going to dedicate the first section of the newsletter to explaining a few important things that all members should know. (the rest of you can skip this bit: scroll down to the heading GATHERING) If you would like to read about our week-by-week progress since February, you can find an archive of the past 12 newsletters on our web site <members.tripod.com/epso> While you're there, be sure to click on the "Chat" button at the top of the screen, and join our online chat group. Click on login, then join as a new member. You will be asked to choose a User Name and a password. After that, you can login at any time, and see if any fellow members are online at the same time, or come to one of our official club chats; you can also read and reply to messages, or post new messages of your own.

Another aspect of the club which will interest you is the "tape train". Someone who lives in an area where EE is still on TV records it on video tapes, and the tapes are sent along a "train" of people. The person recording EE is called the "head" of the train, and every member sends the head a fee (monthly, or by tape), usually about $5 per tape. The only additional cost involved is in mailing it to the next person on the train. Tape trains are really popular, and many EPSO members are on trains already. If you would like to join one, e-mail Judy Hirsch <HOSTWLVJudy@aol.com>, telling her that you are an EPSO member. Judy does a weekly EE newsletter, which she will send you by e-mail, and she will try to find a train for you.

Finally, if you don't have time to read the last 12 newsletters on the web site, here is a brief overview of our club's history and progress: Rob Bishop and I (Alison Frank) formed the club in February, having got in contact through a bulletin board on an EE web site, where we both expressed our dismay at EE's cancellation by WNED. In the first week, we only had 5 or 6 members, but the number just grew and grew; we began to accept out-of-province members ("Friends of EPSO"), from other parts of Canada, and from the US; we also made it possible for people to join as phone members, if they don't have access to the Internet. Rob set up our web site, and became our Web Master.

In mid-February, EPSO had a booth at the British Isles Show at the Exhibition Grounds, where we recruited new members, and had people sign petitions addressed to Canadian TV stations asking for EE to be added to their programming schedule, and to Rogers Cable asking for BBC America to be added to their digital services. The TV stations petition collected 814 signatures, and the Rogers one 578. With a strong member base, EPSO targeted 2 TV stations each week with e-mail and snail mail campaigns asking for EE to be added to their programming schedules. At the end of each week, copies of the petition were sent to each station. Rob sent a special proposal to TVO, outlining ways in which they could raise the funds for EE, along with statistics from surveys on our web site, which showed that EPSO members would be more than willing to support TVO if it picked up EE. But in May TVO finally told us that there was no possibility of their picking up EE at this time. Also, Rogers returned our petition, telling us that they cannot add BBC America to their digital services without the permission of the CRTC.

So that is where we currently stand. It's not too late for you to contact the other TV stations though; the e-mail and snail mail addresses are on our web site, so please try to contact as many TV stations as you can, telling them that you are a member of EPSO, and that you would like to see EE added to their programming schedule.

GATHERING

Though only 9 of us came to the gathering at York University's Cock and Bull pub, it was still lots of fun! Rob did a wonderful job organising it; we began with a discussion of campaign strategy (more about that in a moment), then followed with a pub quiz; Maria Frieri and I, the high-scorers on the quiz, played a tie-breaking name-that-EastEnder round (identifying photos); Maria won the tie-breaker, and played Who Wants to be an EastEnder?, complete with ask-the-audience, 50/50, and ask-a-friend life lines, with Rob playing Regis. When Maria missed a question, it was my turn, and I won the prize basket (which I feel really guilty about, 'cos my questions were easier (luck of the draw), and the audience was so helpful!). The prize basket was from A Little Bit of Britain, and featured mint thins, cherry jam, a tin of rice pudding, and a tin of custard. After Who Wants To Be an EastEnder, we watched Rob's video, Naked Truths: a special hour of Phil and Grant sharing fond (and not-so-fond) brotherly memories, (which included enough memories of fisticuffs to attract the interest of one of the football supporters in the adjoining room); the "naked" bit came at the end, to the tune of Kung-Fu fighting (you don't want to know). But all in all it was good fun. Thanks again to Rob for all his efforts in organising the event!

CAMPAIGN AND RECRUITING STRATEGY

A couple of excellent ideas came up at the gathering. In view of the immediate response to Rob's letter in the Toronto Star, we thought that we should really keep up our efforts to gather more support. I know that all of you have already told your friends about EPSO, so any of your friends who are EE fans will have already joined. But we came up with two other ways in which almost every member could help find more members: 1) send a letter (like Rob did) to your local newspaper; it doesn't have to be a large newspaper--in fact, you probably have a better chance of getting your letter printed in a smaller, local newspaper (but don't be afraid to write to the Globe and Mail, the National Post, etc. if you feel so inclined).

2) make a card which includes your name and phone number to post in a local shop (especially Brit-related shops). Then EE fans can contact you and find out how to join EPSO as an internet or phone member. If you don't feel comfortable about posting your name and phone number in public (it doesn't sound like a good idea when you put it that way, does it?!), then just print our web site on the card instead <members.tripod.com/epso> (little tear-off portions on the bottom would be even better, come to think of it---you know, like people do when they're advertising something, so that you can tear off a bit of paper with their phone number on it). Be creative---make it eye-catching!

Now for our campaign strategy. As you know, our next task will be to lobby the CRTC to add BBC America to their broadcasting schedule. It will be a difficult job to convince the CRTC, but think how many people would sign a petition in favour of BBC America! Not only do we have the support of EE fans, but of everyone who supports British programming (like Coronation Street, British drama, and the ever-popular Britcoms!). This has been a busy couple of weeks for me, so I haven't had time to do more research on the CRTC, but it is worth going to the trouble of making sure that we are contacting the right department, and going about it the right way. Would anyone like to help find out more about the various angles we need to address? Maria Frieri has already suggested that the title "BBC Canada" might be better. There are also various rules about Canadian content which we should look into. In addition, we need to know whether the CRTC would even be swayed by a petition. If not, what sort of arguments would be most effective? Anyway, I will try to find out more in the next week, but would appreciate any info that other members are able to find.

Other things on the EPSO to-do list:-contacting the British Tourist Authority to find information on upcoming British-themed events where EPSO could find new members

-contacting Gwen Jones of the BBC to find out whether their Canadian representatives have made any progress finding a home for EE

-follow-up e-mails to the heads of programming of target TV stations (after we've found out who's actually in charge!), to find out whether our requests are still being considered

WEB CHAT

Our next official web chat will be on Monday July 3rd, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm. <members.tripod.com/epso>Hope to see lots of you there!

PHONE MEMBERS

We've gained lots of new phone members since Sunday! We are currently in need of members living in the 416, 905, 519, and 705 area codes to be Local Liasons, calling a few members in their area a weekly or bi-weekly basis, giving them a summary of newsletters, and passing on any ideas they may have. If you are interested, please contact me at <

FUN STUFF

If you don't watch WNED any more as a matter of principle, then ignore what follows. For the rest of you, check out next week's (final) episode of The 1900 House, a kind of Victorian 'Survivor' show. The Bowlers are a British family of 1999 who have accepted the challenge of spending 3 months living Victorian-style, in a house without any modern conveniences. The family has already cheated once; they bought some shampoo, unable to stand not being able to wash their hair properly. I read in Judy's newsletter that they cheat again: one of the daughters in the family calls one of her friends to find out what's happening with EastEnders! Well, some things you just can't live without.....

EPSO Newsletter #12, 14 June 2000

ROGERS AND BBC AMERICA

There has finally been a development of sorts this past week! I received a letter from Natalie LeMay-Calcutt, Director of Programming Affiliations at Rogers Cable. Here is what she said:

"Dear Ms. Frank,

"Thank you for your letter and inquiry with respect to the distribution of the BBC America service on Rogers Digital Choice Television. We thought it would be useful to provide you with an overview of the broadcasting regulations imposed by the CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission) for all channels broadcast within Canada.

"The CRTC is the Canadian broadcasting regulator and is mandated to enforce the Broadcasting Act. It therefore is the only one with the authority to determine which channels, foreign and Canadian, are eligible for distribution within Canada. The BBC America channel is currently not authorized for distribution here and therefore, Rogers Cable Inc. cannot include it on any of its channel lineups. You may want to consider sending your petition (which we are returning to you) to the CRTC asking [that] they review your request when they undertake an overall review of the eligible list of foreign services later this year.

"Please note that an alternate service, BBC World, is on the CRTC's list of eligible services for distribution in Canada and is carried on Rogers Digital Choice Television. We hope this information will help you better understand the broadcasting industry and the regulations we must follow as a broadcasting distribution undertaking in Canada.

"Sincerely,Natalie LeMay-CalcuttDirector, Programming Affiliations"

Ok, so it looks like we now have to target the CRTC :p . I checked out their web site <http://www.crtc.gc.ca>, and they give the following mailing address:

55 St. Clair Avenue EastSuite 624Toronto, OntarioTel: (416) 952-9096

Before we officially start an e-mailing campaign, we need to make sure our facts are straight. It would be really helpful if someone could do a bit of research on BBC America, and compile a list of reasons why it would be valuable to the Canadian public. Also, we need to make sure that we are contacting the right place. Of course, since the CRTC is connected with the government, it is just a bit complex. On the web site, under "Contact us", they say "For complaints and inquiries regarding the Commission contact info@crtc.gc.ca". I don't know if this is the right place for us to go---we're not really complaining or inquiring (well, maybe inquiring). The other e-mail address doesn't seem quite right either:"For electronically filed documents only: Documents may be filed with the Commission by electronic mail at the following Interventions should indicate if a true copy has been sent to the applicant. Each paragraph of the document should be numbered. In addition, as an indication that the document has not been damaged during electronic transmission, the line ***End of document*** should be entered following the last paragraph of each document. Please note that confidential material should not be sent electronically since all documents received at the above addresses will be published on our web site."

I'm really not sure what we should do, so let's wait a week or two before we start our e-mailing (or snail-mailing) campaign; that way I can get some feedback from you first.

STATION FOLLOW-UPS

Still no reply from Bonnie Gold of CBC's programming department. In one of John Allemang's TV columns in the Globe and Mail last week, there was mention of Doug Hoover, the man in charge of programming at Global. Since e-mail addresses for Global employees tend to follow the pattern of <(initial)(last name)@globaltv.com>, I decided to try sending an e-mail directly to <dhoover@globaltv.com>, giving the usual pitch about EE being an excellent show, complete with quotations from newspapers (from a BBC publication), and also mentioned that we received no acknowledgment of the petition we sent. Let's hope it works.

EPSO GATHERING

So far we are officially expecting 10 guests at the EPSO gathering. Thanks to everyone who RSVP'd. Again, you can still come if you don't RSVP, but it's nice for us to know how many people are coming. So RSVP to <anthos11@hotmail.com>, and find further info (directions, etc.) posted on the EPSO web site <members.tripod.com/epso>

WEB CHAT

We haven't had an official EPSO chat for a while; let's have our next one on Monday June 19th, at 8pm. Hope to see lots of you there!

PHONE MEMBERS

We still need some of you to volunteer to call members who don't have access to the internet, and let them know what's going on with the club. If you live in one of the following areas, we need your help!Barrie, Peterboro, Toronto, Willowdale, Etobicoke, and North York. Nobody has volunteered the past couple of times I've made this appeal---PLEASE e-mail me if you could even handle phoning ONE person in your area every week or two!

TAPE TRAINS

This week I had a message from a woman living in the US who had a few questions to ask about running Canada-US tape trains (Judy had given her my address). The woman said that she still had about seven spaces left on her train, so if you contact Judy now, maybe there is a space for you! E-mail <HOSTWLVJudy@aol.com>, mentioning that you are an EPSO member, if you would like to join a tape train and receive videos of EE every few weeks, for a nominal fee.

PROGRESS

If you've checked our web site since last Tuesday, you'll have seen the bad news: TVO is no longer considering EE for its broadcasting schedule, because of the cost (as we might have predicted, and in spite of how willing we were to support them), and since they were unwilling to accept the BBC's requirements in terms of committing themselves to broadcasting the show for a certain length of time.Still, it's better that we know, and to that end, I have begun contacting some of the other stations. First of all, Bonnie Gold at the CBC, to find out how our requests are coming along. I explained to her that we really need to have open communication with the various stations we have targeted, and that some definite replies, yes or no, would be really helpful. I also mentioned that EE won out over Corrie at the latest British TV awards (BAFTAs). (This was last week---no reply yet). And that brings us to our next item....

PUBLICITY

If you had a chance to listen to the CBC's phone-in show from 1 to 2pm on Wednesday, they had an official from CBC television to answer questions about programming. At first, it seemed like it was only to address the question of the CBC showing local news, but it was actually open to all manner of questions and comments about CBC television programming. Unfortunately, by the time I realised this, they had stopped giving out the phone-in number, as it was nearing the end of the show. But interestingly enough, the official was asked to outline some of the changes they are planning for the fall season, and when he said that they were planning to revamp their Sunday morning programming, the interviewer stopped him to say "I'm sure many of our listeners are saying 'What about Coronation Street?'" and I had to smile, as I thought so too; the interviewer added that he himself wasn't a fan, and the official advised him not to admit that, or he'd get into trouble, and the interviewer replied "Not as much trouble as you'd be in if you were cancelling it!". We EE fans need a bit of that same respect! The CBC is going to have a phone-in in a similar vein at the same time next week (ie: tomorrow), so if anyone would like to phone in on behalf of EE and EPSO, please feel free. BTW, no word back from TVGuide yet.

GATHERING

So far 4 people have RSVP'd to <anthos11@hotmail.com> to say that they're planning to attend our gathering on June 25th from 2-5pm at York University's Cock and Bull Pub. Rob has now posted directions on our web site. Look forward to seeing you there!(but RSVP if you're planning to come)!THIS WEEKI'm continuing to contact the stations again to ask about the progress on their fall schedules, and whether there is still a chance that they may include EE. In John Allemang's column in the Globe and Mail today, he talks about Global's new fall schedule (and the fact that it has little Canadian content in important time slots). He mentions that the name of their Chief of Programming is Doug Hoover (hmmm....at least we've got a name now....wonder how we could talk to HIM?), who says that the schedule is "open to change" (good!). So that means that this is still a peak time for influencing fall programming schedules. Well, I'm sorry guys, there isn't much more for me to tell you this week---I'd been putting off sending out the newsletter until something news-worthy developed, but it never happened....oh, wait, there was one thing I wanted to share with you....

FUN STUFF

If you have a minute, you could take a look at <http://www.madabouteastenders.emagcentral.com/>, where you can sign up for a weekly e-mag for free---you don't even have to give that many details about yourself to get it. The e-mag is brief and newsy, with colour pictures, all about the stars of EE. There is even some weekly trivia. Though it's a British-based publication, there's not much danger of spoilers, since it's mainly about actors, rather than characters and storylines (there IS a section that tells you what will happen this week on EE, but they give you ample warning, so you don't have to read it). Anyway, you receive it once a week, and it doesn't take long to read----definitely worthwhile.

EPSO Newsletter #10   24 May 2000.

EPSO GENERAL MEETING

Mark your calendars! 

EPSO's General Meeting will be on Sunday June 25th at York University's 'Cock and Bull Pub'. from 2:00-5:00pm. The address is: Cock and Bull Pub Basement, Founders College York University 4700 Keele St, ON North York 416-736-5348 (directions to be posted on web site) 2:00 - 3:00 Strategy Discussion (agenda to follow) 3:00 - 5:00 Social Gathering ('Who wants to be an EastEnder' trivia contest, screening of Naked Truths, etc) Thank you to Rob for organising this. It's going to be lots of fun! *Please RSVP to <anthos11@hotmail.com>, so we have an idea of how many of you are going to come.

PHONE MEMBERS

For those of you who have joined the club more recently, phone members are EPSO members who don't have access to the internet. What happens is that internet members volunteer to take a list of up to five phone members, and call them every week or two to let them know what's happening with the club. Members who volunteer to do this are called "Local Liasons", and many EPSO members are Local Liasons already! It's a great chance to chat with other fans of EE, exchange ideas, etc. Right now, we need Local Liasons in the following areas: Barrie, Toronto, Willowdale, North York, Etobicoke If just 5 or 6 of you would become Local Liasons, our phone member problem would be solved. Most of the remaining phone members have been waiting since February to be matched with a Local Liason, so you would be making a few fellow EE fans VERY happy!

WEB CHAT

Only four of us came to the last official EPSO chat, which was fine, but if anyone is toying with the idea of joining us and is unsure, don't feel intimidated, or worry that you won't have anything to say; we don't spend all our time discussing weighty matters---we spend a lot of it just having fun! You can drop by at any time, and you don't have to stay until the end of the chat, nor does the chat necessarily have to end at the appointed time, if people are really into it. One thing we discussed at the last chat was the rumour of an EE movie, but we suspect that it may have been a BBC April Fool's joke (though if anyone has proof to the contrary, let us know!). The next official EPSO chat will be this Sunday, May 28 from 8pm to 9pm.

PUBLICITY

Last week, I contacted John Allemang of the Globe and Mail and told him about EPSO, suggesting that it might make an interesting focus for one of his Television columns. Here's his reply: "Why not make it your goal to get Buffalo PBS off the Toronto cable system and replaced by a more enlightened PBS channel. Their programming decisions are hopeless. Thanks for the info. Will circulate around here." Though it would probably take even more work than our current campaign, it's a nice thought.... No promise of an article, but maybe our story will catch someone else's interest. If you read TV Guide, you may have seen their monthly column on BritTV. Also, some of you may have noticed that they did a cover feature on Coronation Street a few weeks ago. They seem to have recognised the popularity of British programming, so I e-mailed them some info about our club and our campaign. No response yet. Also, on the BBC EastEnders web site <http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/home.shtml>, they have a list of links to other good EE web sites. I sent a recomendation to the BBC to add our site to the list. It would be a good place to have a link, because many EE fans in Ontario looking for EE on the web might check the BBC's site first. (Keep an eye on the BBC Teens web site, "So" <http://www.bbc.co.uk/so/>; they have a frequently-updated soap feature (earlier this week, it was an interview with Ian Beale, now it focuses on the soap awards coming up on May 31st) Also, there is a direct link to the EastEnders homepage; choose "EastEnders" from the pull-down list and click "Go").

DIGITAL TV In last week's newsletter, there was an e-mail from Gwen Jones, who mentioned the BBC's efforts to get their own channel on digital TV. Jane Patterson e-mailed me to ask for an explanation of digital TV, so I expect that many of you had the same question. Here is part of a message that I received some time ago from Timothy Brown, a member who works at Rogers; this should explain things a bit better: "Unfortunately not all areas in Canada are Digital ready. But digital service is the only way Rogers or any cable company can currently add more channels, as the analog system has no more room for any additional channels. People would have to call Rogers Cable to find out if they are in a digital area. About 90% of the GTA is digital ready, either with Rogers or Shaw."

FUTURE CAMPAIGN DIRECTION

This is a crucial time, since TV stations are now probably planning their fall lineups (if they haven't planned them already). If you haven't yet had a chance to e-mail all the stations listed on our web site, please do it as soon as you can. Aside from that, it's difficult for us to know what to do next. The problem is that, aside from TVO, we don't really have a contact person at each of the stations to let us know whether our requests are still being considered. Rob's contact at TVO has changed, and it is still difficult for him to get a definite response of "yes" or "no" from TVO. Over the next week, I will do my best to get contacts at each of the stations, or at least see if anyone can tell us how our requests are coming along. If anyone happens to know someone involved in programming at any of our target TV stations, or has any tips about how to get a contact, please let me know. I have received no further messages from Gwen Jones at the BBC, and she said that she would let us know of any developments, so it seems like they have no news for us. Again, all of you are encouraged to share your ideas about what to do next.

If we can get space at the next Heritage Associates event (the summer version of the British Isles Show), Rob thinks that we ought to find out how much money people would be willing to donate to TVO or to WNED if either of these stations picks up EE. Also, you can start approaching various small businesses to find out how much they would be willing to sponsor TVO in return for a small advertising spot on TV, on our web site, and in our booth at the summer event. (At the moment, the TV advertising spot and the booth are both hypothetical, but it will have to remain that way until we get definite replies from TVO and Heritage Associates; this could take some time, so it would be a good idea to approach small businesses ahead of time). The small businesses don't have to be Brit-related, though they might benefit most from advertising to an EE audience. On the subject of advertising, EPSO member Mandy Way works for an ad agency, and wonders if this could be of use in our campaign. Any ideas?

OTHER

A number of you are familiar with Denny's web site, Designhse, where you can buy all manner of EE-related merchandise, and a portion of the purchase price goes towards keeping EE on the air. Designhse has a snail mail newsletter; if you would like to receive this newsletter, contact Denny at <Designhse@aol.com>

For new members, if you would like to join a tape train, and periodically receive videos of EE to tide you over until we get it back on television, e-mail Judy Hirsch at <HOSTWLVJudy@aol.com>, mentioning that you are a member of EPSO.

Also, on the subject of the EastEnders novels mentioned in the last newsletter, Val Faulkner says that she has read them, and that they are excellent, but if you don't want to buy them, check your local library, as that is where she found them.

EPSO Newsletter #9

12 May 2000

Hello again! Well, it's been a long time since the last newsletter, but EPSO has still been quite active....

THE NEWSLETTER ONLINE

Our Webmaster Rob Bishop is posting the newsletter online! Don't forget to check out <members.tripod.com/epso> every so often---our web site has been remodelled since the last newsletter, and it looks quite snazzy!

WEB CHAT

Here's another good reason to visit EPSO's web site: to sign up to chat with other members! You may remember that an official club chat was scheduled a number of weeks ago. Unfortunately, only about 4 of us showed up. Maybe by now more of you have had a chance to sign up for EPSO's chat group. So the next official club chat will be on THURSDAY MAY 18, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Let me know if you find that the scheduled chat times are inconvenient. We can experiment with various days/times, if it means that more people will be able to share ideas online.

TAPE TRAINS

Many of us who joined tape trains some time ago now have the pleasure of receiving exciting mail---our own personal EE video marathons every couple of weeks! For the benefit of new members, you can join a tape train by contacting Judy Hirsch <HOSTWLVJudy@aol.com>, and mentioning that you are an EPSO member.

BBC

Here is a copy of my correspondence with Gwendoline Jones, Coordinator of Programme Sales and Co-productions at the BBC's Toronto offices. (I first got in touch with her back in February, looking for EE promotional material for the British Isles Fair).

"Dear Ms. Jones,

Thanks again for the EE material that you sent along. It has been invaluable, as EPSO members have quoted parts of it in their e-mail messages to help convince various TV stations to purchase EE. On this subject, do you think that the BBC would be willing to work with EPSO to help get EE back on the air? I have heard that the BBC is actively promoting EE to Canadian stations, particularly those in Toronto. If the BBC could give us advice, or help us in any way at all, I think it would make the campaign much more effective. As it is, we have targeted all the major Canadian tv stations with e-mail campaigns, asking them to pick up EE; most have sent the same reply, thanking us for our messages, and promising to forward them for consideration. We are currently trying to figure out where to go next, and thought that the BBC might be able to give us some ideas and/or assistance.

Sincerely, Alison Frank, Current Coordinator, EPSO"

"Hi Alison,

Thanks so much for your support with this. We, just as much as you, would like nothing better than to see Eastenders back on the air in Canada. As you mentioned in your e-mail, we have pitched the programme to various Canadian stations. I feel very confident that the series will be picked up in no time. I know how anxious you are to get it back on the air and you are not alone. We have had several calls from the public sharing the same opinion. In fact, I too would love to have it aired in Canada. During my last trip to London, I got quite addicted and would love to feed my addiction from home!! Hang in there and if you would like I could e-mail you with any updates. Many thanks again for your interest. Cheers,-g-"

"Hi Gwen,

Do you mind if I share your reply with the other EPSO members; it is very encouraging to hear such an optimistic view---I do hope you're right. Do you think that it would be worthwhile contacting the BBC in the UK to let them know what EPSO is doing? Maybe you have an e-mail address I could write to. I speak for the entire club when I say we would love to hear updates on the situation! I don't know if I gave you the URL of our web site before:<members.tripod.com/epso> As an EE fan, you can join the club if you like; I send out a weekly [I promise it will be weekly again from now on ;) ]newsletter that includes progress reports, and various ideas being discussed for the future direction of our campaign. Maybe you or other people at the BBC would be able to tell us if some of our ideas are worth pursuing, as you may have some insights that we don't. Look forward to hearing from you. Alison :D"

"Hi Alison,

We are continuing negations with various Canadian clients and are very confident that we will be able to reach an agreement soon. In addition (and as a fall back for EastEnders) as you may or may not already know, the BBC has applied for a new digital channel in the latest round of CRTC's call for new licenses. If the channel is approved, its approximated launch will be in September, 2001. If EastEnders is not picked up by an external Canadian broadcaster or is only picked up for a short Term, know that it will always have a home on BBC Canada (assuming the channel is approved). I realize that is not very reassuring at this time as 2001 is a long ways away, however I thought you might take some comfort in that. As I said earlier, we are currently doing all we can to promote to other interested parties. I don't think there is anything more you can do. I haven't had a chance to check out your website as of yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I will keep your e-mail address on file and be sure to let you know if and when the current situation changes. Cheers,-g-"

September 2001--pretty bleak. BUT we won't give up! I think there's lots we can do in the meantime---and if we work really hard this summer, maybe we can get EE onto the fall lineup of ONE of these TV stations we've been targeting. Rob has mentioned to me that many of you are getting restless, as we haven't had much going on in the way of club activities lately. It is time for us to look for new directions. Most of you will remember that we had an EPSO social gathering at the Duke of Gloucester a while ago; Rob is suggesting that we have another in-person meeting, but a business meeting this time. Until we sort out a date for such a meeting, do try to come to one of our online chats (as mentioned, next one is this Thurs, 8-9pm)

WALFORD GAZETTE

Those of you who came to the Duke of Gloucester get-together might have had a chance to read one of the copies of the Walford Gazette which the editor, Larry Jaffee sent to me. He was kind enough to send me the latest issue, and it was, again, excellent. The Gazette even has a special page now dedicated to the WNED cancellation (and it was great to read some EPSO members' letters there!). If you enjoyed reading the Walford Gazette, or would like to take a look at the online version, check out <http://www.spacelab.net/~albertsq>. BTW, if you decide to take out a subscription to the newspaper (no pressure or anything :) ), mention that you are an EPSO member, just so they know that we appreciate the publicity that the Gazette is giving to the club through their focus on the WNED issue.

CALLING ALL BRITONS

Here's a follow-up to EPSO's radio publicity---nice to know some fans were listening!

"Can you send me an update on how your campaign to get 'EastEnders' back on television is progressing? I have had some enquiries from listeners regarding the situation. Are you close to securing the return of the show to another television channel? Please let me know. With best wishes, Colin Hoare, Host, "Calling All Britons."

Rob sent Colin a detailed update, and indicated that he and I would be willing to do another radio spot in the future.

BRITANNIA

At the British Isles Fair, I met Tony Fletcher, Editor and publisher of Britannia magazine, a Toronto-based bi-monthly publication about all things British. I wrote a short article about EPSO, and it is printed on page 57 of Issue 2 2000, which just came out last week. I'm really pleased, as it takes up half a page, and has been given the title "EastEnders Fans Unite!", with a picture (admittedly a rather old picture, ca. late 80's) of a number of cast members standing on a corner of the Square. Hopefully we'll gain some new members as a result of this publicity!

HERITAGE ASSOCIATES In return for our space at the British Isles Fair in February, I had to agree to give Heritage Associates our club e-mail list (just e-mail addresses, no names). I sent this to Tony Messum, the show director, a few weeks ago, but I have asked that the list not be shared with any other companies. Heritage Associates is going to use this list to let you know about upcoming events. There is another show coming up, an outdoor one this time, during the summer. I hinted in my e-mail to Tony that EPSO would really like to have space at the next event, if possible. No reply on this as yet, but keep your fingers crossed.

FUN STUFF

I visited a used book store on Mount Pleasant last week, and what should be there but EastEnders novels! I didn't even know these existed. The author of the books, Hugh Miller I think it was, must have written them when the show first started. They give background to the show, the first book telling about the war years, as Lou et al. experienced them, and, in about 12 volumes, take you up to the 'present-day' EastEnders (first episode). I think the novels cost about $1.50 each, or something like that---not a bad deal, even though they're just paperbacks (no colour pictures aside from the cover). Anyway, if any of you are interested in these, the store is Second Time Around Books, 518 Mount Pleasant Rd., Toronto. Looking forward to chatting with you on Thursday.

Alison

Top of page

EPSO Newsletter #8 April 9 2000

BRAVO! AND CTV WEEK 

New member Mark Incitti tells me that "WQLN Erie is threatening to cancel EE on May 1st"; this would affect EE fans in London Ont.

TAPE TRAINS

PHONE MEMBERS

There are still 12 phone members (members who don't have access to the internet) who need a buddy (Local Liason) to call them every week or so and let them know what's going on with EPSO. If you are interested in taking on a list of about 5 phone members, let me know. I only need 2 or 3 people, and our problem will be solved! The remaining phone members live in the following areas: Barrie, Peterboro, Toronto, Willowdale, Etobicoke, and North York, so if you live in any of these areas, WE NEED YOU! There are already 12 Local Liasons. Once I have all the Local Liasons I need, I'll list all their names and say a big THANK YOU!

WEB CHAT

If you haven't already done so, be sure to join EE's web chat group through our web site. Go to <members.tripod.com/epso>, and click on "Web chat", then sign up with Yahoo. *Let's have our first EPSO chat next Sunday, April 16th, from 8pm-9pm. We can discuss all things EE-related, and share ideas about the future direction of our campaign. Look forward to chatting to you then!

CAMPAIGN DIRECTION

FUN STUFF

EPSO Newsletter #7 28 March 2000.

Sorry the newsletter is a bit late this week; as you can imagine, this is rather a busy time of year in the academic world!

GLOBAL AND PRIME WEEK

Thanks to everyone who participated. I received a reply from Global (the usual sort of reply). No reply from Prime as yet.

CTV AND BRAVO! WEEK

DUKE OF G GATHERING

A number of you came out to the EPSO gathering at the Duke of Gloucester on Sunday; it was so nice to meet some of you in person (sorry I didn't get to talk to all of you---I've been a bit drained lately!). Thanks to Sylvia Beyke and Cathy Shotter for all their efforts! Though we had a few technical problems, a good time was had by all. For those of you who weren't there: picture a big (about 20) group of EE fans chatting or perusing copies of the Walford Gazette and EE episode summaries, surrounded by Queen Vic decor, and scrummy pub fare to order! We will try to plan another one of these gatherings in the future.

TAPE TRAINS

LOCAL LIASONS

We still need a couple more people to volunteer to be Local Liasons. This entails phoning EPSO members who do not have e-mail to let them know what's going on with the club. If you live in the Barrie/Peterboro or Toronto/Etobicoke/Willowdale/North York areas, we need your help! You get a title ("Local Liason"), and you get the gratitude of a few of our non-internet members. It is not a big time commitment. You just have to call a couple of people once every week or two, and give them a summary of the newsletter, sending me any ideas they have to be included in the next newsletter.

WEB CHAT

THE CAMPAIGN--STAGE 2

As we complete our e-mailing campaign this week, we need to decide where to go from here. Some things to consider: -we should try to make use of both the number of members in EPSO, and the connections and expertise of individuals. Our e-mailing campaign relied mainly on numbers; our strategy was to get most of our 200+ members to e-mail TV stations in order to make an impression and show support for EE.

As we move into Stage 2, we should consider such questions as: Does anyone have connections with any of the stations? Does anyone have a job in advertising? Who has special skills in writing/speaking/public relations? If each of us can help EPSO's campaign his or her particular way, our effectiveness will increase 100-fold (or 200-fold!)

An EPSO Chat would be an excellent forum for discussing this. Try to join the Yahoo chat group this week, as explained in Sher's message (above) and we will set a special day for a big club chat next week. To save time (and get this newsletter out before Wed.!), I'm going to directly cut and paste the ideas that people sent me this week:

this from Nancy Harris: "Just the other night, I was chatting with Avis Woods, who is also a member of this group. We were discussing our frustration at the reluctance of stations to carry EE. Avis brought up, what I consider to be a great idea. Since the stations quite often say that the cost factor is what stops them from airing EE, then it might be time to contact sponsors. After all, it is the sponsors that pay for the programs. Now, I am sure that quite a number of us also watch Coronation Street on CBC. Whenever it is pre-empted, or a time change occurs, or a mistake is made in the order in which the shows are shown, the viewers immediately clog up the phone lines. This happened very recently, and CBC changed the whole Sunday schedule this past week to show Coronation Street from 8:30 to 1:00. The sponsors who pay large sums of money to advertise during CS, know what appeal and following it has. No mistake about it, companies such as Ford, Johnson's, Proctor & Gamble, and others, know what a faithful strong following there is for that British show. They invest large sums of money, so I am sure they have done all their homework, and all the studies, and they know they are reaching a very large audience every week.

"I would think that if they were aware of the facts, that CS, and EE, are always rated #1 and #2 British soaps, they may consider sponsoring it. I would think that EE fans are every bit as loyal as CS fans are. I would also think that sponsoring EE could be just as much of a gold mine for them as CS is.

"I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to how we could go about this, but I just thought it would be a great idea if we could get sponsors on our side. Their financial backing could well be very persuasive."

Mike Thurnell brings up the following concern: "I just read Nancy's idea about approaching sponsors. I think it's a great idea in theory but I can tell you there might be a few problems. "I've spent most of my life working in broadcasting and the problem is that virtually every major sponsor (Ford, McDonalds etc.) doesn't actually make the decision of what show to buy themselves...they rely on Advertising agencies. These agencies don't buy shows they buy numbers. If they have a show that has the right demographics and the cost is good (they use a cost per thousand calculations) then they buy.

"However, not to put the idea down...I think she might have something to go to TVO or (God forbid one more shot at WNED) with. That is get enougth sponsors and here I mean small busineses who wouldn't advertise on Television to pay for the series. What I might suggest is try to rally some of these small businesses, (fish & chip shopps, British Gift Shops, pubs...you know what I'm getting at) to sponor EPSO as an organization and then go to someone like TVO, WNED or even Vision (stations that will allow "corporate sponsorship") then it's very hard for these stations to say no.

WNED's argument all along was (if we believe what they say at least) that they didn't have the ratings, and more importantly that they didn't have the member support...so say that EPSO comes up with enough to buy the show for a year, the organization then in return has the right to "sell" commercials or sponsor mentions to cover the cost."

These are some very good points, brought up by both members. On Sunday, I spoke with Natalie Bose, and she thinks that we should contact the BBC to tell them about what we're doing. Patrick Doyle also suggested that we get in touch with the BBC: "I was wondering, why we don't we lobby the BBC TO LOWER ITS PRICES for those TV stations that cannot afford their regular prices? After all if these stations are cancelling EE because of the cost then the BBC are also losing revenue from these stations.

Wouldn't it be better for the BBC to get some revenue rather than none???????" A very good idea. If we put all of these suggestions together, then, we should: -contact the BBC to tell them about our campaign; in a message Rob sent out a few weeks ago, he said that the BBC is "actively promoting" its shows to tv stations, especially in Toronto. If they do not offer any support, then we could lobby them to lower their prices -try to get demographics from the BBC and from Canadian/US stations about EE viewership (especially from those stations that are still airing EE!) -approach small businesses and ask them to sign agreements to give a certain amount of money to a station (this would work best for TVO) in return for some form of advertising

Now this leaves the question of whether to keep working on WNED, or whether to give up on them. Maria Frieri thinks that WNED could still be a possibility, provided we approached them the right way, with good arguments, thorough research, AND pledge agreements. Patrick Doyle agrees that we should still consider WNED, and all offer pledges, on the condition that they put EE back where it was. Gary Morris and Jaqueline Swartz also think that WNED is still worth a try. However, Mark Stewart and Arnie Lipsey believe that WNED was simply looking for an excuse to give EE the push, and that, in the long run, we would do better to give up on WNED. Bruce McCrae and Michael Thurnell agree that WNED will not be interested in anything we have to say. So, given that we seem to be divided on this issue, may I suggest the following compromise: We pursue other options (finding sponsors, getting demographics, working with the BBC), and if we still seem to be hitting a brick wall, THEN we go back to WNED, as a last resort. Think about the ideas outlined above, come up with a few of your own, and sign up for the chat group through our web site. We can have a big online brainstorming session next week, and make some final decisions about where we're headed.

***One quick note: PLEASE, if you have something to say that you would like to share with the whole club, e-mail it to me ONLY. A number of you have been sending out messages to everyone on the recipient list of the newsletters you receive. This is a problem for 2 reasons: 1)my e-mail server allows me to send out messages to only 50 people at a time, so when you reply to everyone on the recipient list of your newsletter, you are not sending out a message to the WHOLE club, only to 50 members. When I repeat it in the newsletter for everyone's benefit, it is redundant for people who have already read your message. 2)a couple of people who joined the club at the British Isles Show subsequently asked to be removed from our mailing list, because they found the 1-2 messages/week to be overwhelming. If too many people start sending out mass-mailings to lots of other members, I'm afraid that some people will find it excessive. It is for this reason that I also avoid giving out our e-mailing list. Now that we'll be able to chat online, you can share your ideas directly with other members that way. Please, if you are chatting and come up with any really good ideas, send them along to me, and I'll include them in the newsletter so everyone can hear about them. 

Top of page

EPSO Newsletter #6 20 March 2000.

CITY TV AND YTV WEEK---REPORT

Most of you who contacted YTV last week will have received their non-comittal reply. City tv also sent out a general e-mail saying that it may take "several days" for viewer feedback to be processed, as they receive such a large volume of it. I received the same message at the end of January, but "several days" has turned into several weeks, and there has been no further reply. It might be a good idea for a few members to do some independent research, and see whether we can go higher up, to someone who will really listen to our request. Again, copies of the petition have been sent out to City and YTV, so that should strengthen our appeal.

ACTIVITIES

15-20 people are coming to EPSO's get-together at the Duke of Gloucester Pub in Toronto, on Sunday March 26th, at 1 pm. It should be a great success, and lots of fun! When you arrive at the pub, there will be a sign so that you know where to go.

PHONE MEMBERS

Again, many thanks to our Local Liasons, who keep our non-internet members informed about what is going on. Our current Local Liasons are: Sharon Ellis, Cara DiRaimo, Dorothy Cox, David Sherwood, Marion Demone, Kelly McKenzie, Jennifer Abbott, Linda Hewett, Brett Parker, Rob Bishop, and Sherri Curtis. 

If anybody else would like to sign up, we still need Local Liasons for the following regions: Barrie, Toronto, St. Catherines, Peterborough, Willowdale, North York, and Etobicoke.

TAPE TRAINS

Don't forget to send e-mails to Global and Prime. In a couple of weeks, we will have contacted just about every Canadian station on our list. Now is the time to start thinking about the direction our campaign will take next. We cannot just sit back and wait for the stations to decide. Having shown them that there is an audience for EE, how else can we convince them of EE's appeal and excellence? Send along any ideas you have; let's make it a big brainstorming session. We need to have some concrete plans ready, so that we don't slow down or lose our momentum once the official e-mailing campaign is over.

Top of page

WTN AND SHOWCASE WEEK

Again, many of you sent messages to say that you had contacted both stations; great work everyone. Some of you may have received Showcase's automatic reply (a nice viewer-relations feature). Has anyone received a reply from WTN yet? Jaqueline said that she phoned WTN, and they said that they were considering

EE.PETITIONS

The deadline for signing our petitions was 6 March. Get ready for the grand total of names:-the Rogers Cable petition, asking for BBC America to be added to their Digital Services: 578-the general petition, asking for EE to be added to the station's broadcasting schedule: 814Pretty impressive. On Friday, I mailed a photocopy of the Rogers petition to Timothy, who will be able to make sure that it gets to the VP of Marketing. Also, copies of the general petition were sent to TVO, CBC, and WTN, and, in the absence of a mailing address, I hand-delivered a copy to Showcase's offices on Bloor Street. More copies of the petitions will be sent out to the other Canadian stations as we focus on them in our e-mailing campaigns.

CITY TV AND YTV WEEK

This may seem like a random combination for the focus of this week's e-mailing campaign, but let me explain the reasons behind it. Brett sent a message this week saying : "I sent a couple of letters to 'Prime' and City tv. They've both been approached about EE; Prime is waiting for some demographics to come in, and City said they'd be interested in any new programming if we could prove a decent viewership from the get-go, although they said it would probably be an early am show to start with. So get everyone e-mailing these two stations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"Unfortunately, I could not find the e-mail address for Prime; if anyone else can find it, please send it along, and we can include Prime in our e-mailing campaign next week. The snail mail address is also needed, so we can send a copy of the petition to them. The stats collected on the website will be a good tool for persuading Prime (see "web site" section of this newsletter for details on the questionnaire).Meanwhile, YTV seems worth a try. EastEnders appeals to a wide demographic, and YTV already shows a number of British programmes (though mainly comedies).

Here are the addresses:City tv299 Queen St. W.Toronto, OntarioM5V 2Z5programn@citytv.comYTV Programming InquiriesP.O. Box 369Station CToronto, OntarioM6J 3N1info@ytv.ca

Other members have suggested we target Bravo as well. Their response to my letter was non-comittal (as most responses are) ("Bravo! currently has no plans to add EE to its programming schedule, but I will certainly pass your suggestion along etc."). But one of you sent along an e-mail response which was more direct: they stated that response to Brit TV programming in the past had been disappointing, and that they don't really show drama series like EE. If any of you still strongly feel that we should try Bravo next week, let me know.Nancy has suggested advocating OnTV, the station based in Hamilton. Anyone with thoughts on this?

WNED

This is a message that Maria sent along from Dave Horne, head of an EE Club, with advice for us:'Our North Carolina EastEnders Fan Club began in May 1997 when thelocal PBS station threatened to cancel EastEnders. Fans from allover the state rallied to the support of our favourite show by calling the station and sending letters and donations. EastEnders was renewed, and we succeeded again in 1998 after our club staffed the UNC-TV Festival fundraiser!'I started by gleaning e-mail addresses off the various web sites looking for fans in N.C. The same could be done for EE fans for WNED. I know that it's tempting to flood the station with angry mail, but that usually does not give station management a good impression. Instead, an organised campaign that says, "I'm a supporter of WNED (giving XX dollars to you) and I also want EastEnders brought back. As one of many EE fans, we have a lot of support for the show, and we can prove this to you with our contributions and volunteer support." 'I think that most of us feel too bitter to send donations to WNED at this point. But we could certainly include WNED as a focus of our 'organised campaign'. Lots of you sent along e-mails re: whether or not we should contact WNED. (Sorry, I told many of you that I would cut-and-paste your comments into the newsletter, but in the end, there were so many, that the newsletter would have become much too long). I know that a few of you feel that it would do absolutely no good to contact WNED. Some think that WNED not only doesn't care about EE, but feels actual animosity towards the show. Still, the majority of you agree that it's worth a try, 'anything to get EE back'--it can't hurt. Therefore, we will advocate WNED sometime in the next few weeks. Some of you felt that we should use our normal tactics, having a WNED Week. However, Maria sent me a message suggesting that we use a slightly different approach for WNED, and I feel inclined to follow her method. Maria recommends that:-we should submit the proposal [see Rob's proposal on the web site] first and give WNED time to evaluate it .....my feeling is that they are pretty sick of hearing from all of us (I'm sure they got a lot of calls in the past week or so about the error in the TV listings), and they have spent a lot of time and money responding to our phone calls and e-mails. It might be a good idea where WNED is concerned to tread a bit lightly, as I'm sure we'll only get one shot at proposing that they reinstate [EE], so it had better be a good, well thought out effort.-Ron Santora has indicated that the reaction [to EE's cancellation] has not been overwhelming. But I still think we should hold off on bombarding them. If you and/or Rob act as the liaison between EPSO and WNED, you can tell our concerns to WNED and relay their response back to us. "Look, here is our proposal outlining the concerns you had about WNED running 'EE', and [here is] what EPSO can do for you to alleviate those concerns". We decided to hold back on contacting WNED until we could get a proposal together (this [will explain] the low (according to him) number of contacts. I also think some people just thought it wasn't worth it to contact them).-If you start out by stating that you are sympathetic to them and understand how they must feel you...diffuse their anger and (hopefully) make them a bit more receptive. (We thought it would be better at this time to have one/two EPSO representatives contact them rather than deluge them with requests, which we realize takes up a lot of their time, etc.)."If any of you have other thoughts on this, send them along. Of course, any of you are free to contact WNED if you want to, but I think it would be better for us not to have an official e-mailing campaign.

PUBLICITY

Many of you have suggested that we contact various newspapers, asking them to run an article on EE and our campaign. I have said that people should go ahead and contact them on their own initiative. Jaqueline has already contacted the Globe (who said maybe) and Star TV. A number of weeks ago, James Hockley, Webmaster of Walford Station, posted a message about EPSO at: <http://www.masterworkdesign.com/uk-am/wwwboard/index.html>, if anyone would like to have a look at this site. Also, we were mentioned in Judy's EE Newsletter this week, as a result of our involvement in the tape train. The newsletter is really very interesting; if any of you would like to subscribe, send an e-mail to<HOSTWLVJudy@aol.com>.

TAPE TRAINS

Speaking of our tape train, it has been really popular. After 24 of you signed up, Judy arranged a new tape train for any more EPSO members interested in joining the tape train, so that the tapes will circulate as quickly and efficiently as possible. For those of you who have not joined a tape train yet, but would still like to, you can contact Judy directly at the e-mail address mentioned above, mentioning that you are an EPSO member. She says that there are 3 tape trains ready and waiting to go, but they are nearly empty, so it's a great opportunity to join one now.

WEB SITE

Rob is trying to come up with a new logo for EPSO's web site. If you have any ideas, you can contact him at <rbishop@YorkU.CA>.Also, if you haven't had a chance to fill in the questionnaire, you can do so by logging on to our web site <members.tripod.com/epso>; the information collected will help with our campaign.

ACTIVITIES

A reasonable number of you expressed interest in our get-together scheduled for 26 March at the Duke of Gloucester pub on Yonge St., Toronto. Sylvia, who is organising the event, sends the following details and directions:"The space we'll be in is called the snug. It's a room somewhat closed off from the rest of the pub (the noise and the smoke). It seats about 20 to 22.The Duke of Gloucester 649 Yonge On Yonge Street between Bloor and Wellesley. The street right next to it is Isabella. It's the corner where the House of Lords hair salon is. Go a couple of stores north, you will see an entrance to an Indian restaurant. Enter there and stick to your left. The pub is upstairs. If you are walking on Yonge street you will see about five flags hanging outside the place. Hope this helps."We'll send along more definite details (what time to meet, how many people are expected, etc.) next week. Cathy has volunteered to bring a tape of EE episodes from about where we left off, so you don't need to worry about BBC America spoilers! Again, if any of you are interested, and have not yet contacted Sylvia, her address is <cidercik@hotmail.com>.

PHONE MEMBERS

Three cheers for our Local Liasons:Cara DiRaimo, Dorothy Cox, David Sherwood, Marion Demone, Linda Hewett, Brett Parker, Rob Bishop, Sherri Curtis, Kelly McKenzie, Jennifer Abbott, and Resna Vanzeyl. These are EPSO members who have kindly volunteered to give telephone updates to our members who don't have internet access. This is such a big help!If anyone else would like to become a Local Liason, there are still a number of names and phone numbers left, in the following areas:Barrie, Willow Beach, Keswick, Toronto, Hagersville, Peterborough, Willowdale, North York, Etobicoke, and Bramalea. 

Top of page

TVO AND CBC WEEK

WEBSITE

MEMBERSHIP

Here are our current membership statistics:
e-mail members:158
phone members: 71
Friends of EPSO: 6

TOTAL MEMBERS: 235

ACTIVITIES

TAPE TRAINS

BBC MAIL

That's all for now.

Top of page

BI2000---NEW MEMBERS AND PETITIONS

EASTENDERS TAPES!!!!

PUBLICITY

PROGRESS

COMMUNICATION

CLUB EVENTS

OTHER BUSINESS

Okay, that's about all for now.

WEBSITE

THE BRITISH ISLES SHOW 2000

-PETITIONS

-THE BOOTH

-WHAT TO SAY

-THE CONTRA-DEAL

-OTHER

Thanks for your support everyone.

WEBSITE

CAMPAIGN PROGRESS

IDEAS

Bruce says: