The Price of Fame

 

A little over 40 years ago, I co-hosted If Your Parents Split. It's a half-hour show about children impacted by the divorce of their parents that cuts between dramatic segments and audience interaction. 

Yesterday Jeff noticed my Memory Wall includes a button that says "I'm Nearly Famous." One of the actors on If Your Parents Split gave me that button after we finished shooting the show. Thankfully, I'm not famous, but I value the button nonetheless, and Jeff's comment prompted me to see if the show has any online presence at all. 

Indeed, in a way the show lives on--or at least there's potential for it to do so. Early this morning, I discovered that If Your Parents Split can be licensed for broadcast. Here's the CBC's sample price guide: 

If I'm reading this correctly, if you wanted the rights to screen If Your Parents Split anywhere in the world in perpetuity, you could do so for $105 dollars per second. 60 seconds in a minute times 30 minutes equals 1,800 seconds...1,800 seconds times $105 per second equals a mere CAN $189,000. Of course, the price goes down if you license in a single country or for a shorter time. 

Here's TV Earl wondering if he's going to get residuals. 

During my investigation, I also learned my co-host, Reni Potrebenko, earned a Gemini nomination in 1987 for sound in a documentary for Shooting Stars, about the Edmonton Grads women's basketball team--belated congratulations, Reni! That's Reni to my right. She was cool, and I'm glad she found at least a little more success in the film and television world than I did.