I don't know why it is, but MSW fans can't catch a break from cable. Despite the fact that we constitute a wide and varied demographic, for the past several years now it has been a battle - usually a losing one - to get the series aired at predictable intervals and in reasonable time slots. Since the Hallmark Channel got hold of the syndication rights, things have not gotten any better.
Have you looked at the schedule on the Hallmark Channel's website lately? After not showing any MSW at all for pretty much the entire month of June, they have brought it back - but only once a week, and only at one and two o'clock in the morning. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm asleep at that time of night. The eleven o'clock and midnight airings they had before were irritating, but at least I could occasionally stay up to watch if I didn't have to work the next day. Now? The only way I'd ever catch these airings is if I TiVo-ed it - and I don't own TiVo.
And what, exactly, has taken MSW's place in Hallmark's line-up? Golden Girls, which now airs not only at 11 and 11:30 PM, but also runs in solid blocks from 12 to 2 AM and 8 to 11 in the morning. Now, ordinarily I'd say that Hallmark (or its advertisers) are afraid of the MSW demographic, which for some bizarre reason they sometimes feel isn't worth advertising to - this has been raised as an excuse for its cancellation on more than one occasion. But that argument falls flat when one considers that Golden Girls targets the exact same age groups. Actually, it probably has a more narrow audience than MSW enjoys - I'd be willing to bet that more teenagers and young adults have become fans of MSW since it went into syndication than have become ardent followers of the Golden Girls, Bea Arthur's wonderful portrayal of Dorothy notwithstanding.
I'm not sure what is to be done, or if anything can be done. The wails and protests on the Hallmark MSW messageboard has been significant, but the executives in the front office don't appear to be paying any attention. We could write to the advertisers directly ... but who's willing to stay up until the wee hours of the morning to find out who they are? Our only source of consolation may be the DVD sets (Season 10 is due to be released on July 7th). Once MCA/Universal finishes releasing all twelve seasons and the post-season movies on DVD (fingers crossed that they do), then we can watch episodes of MSW whenever we darn well please, and turn our backs on these fickle cable stations - a just reward for them turning their backs on us.
