Tag Archives: Jericho Fridays

[As part of Cultural Learnings’ Jericho Fridays, I think that it is necessary to perhaps be able to state certain things that might not be seen as “positive” or popular. I, admittedly, began this campaign by pouring salt in the wound of Jericho fans, and while I have since been inspired to drop this position I think that being open and honest is still an integral part of the process.

These are things that need to be said not because they’re undeniably true, but rather so that it is out there and able to create a reaction that could spark something new. This week on the Jericho Forums at CBS.com, there was a thread about how more people should go onto the forums, and all of a sudden a huge flow of ideas emerged. That needs to happen again, and here’s some things to perhaps start it off.]

No Holds Barred:

What Needs to the Said About ‘Jericho’

1. CBS’ Fan Central is Worthless

I spent last week analyzing Fan Central at an indepth level with the assistance of fans, and kind of hoped that some of that might be taken to heart. And, to an extent it was: they ripped off JerichoMonster wholesale, creating the Jericho Fan Central Fan of the Week.

It’s clear that Shaun has essentially been brought in to run the site, but he doesn’t seem to be doing anything but rewriting forum posts out and then linking back to them. The problem with this is that, if one of the posts works in sending people to the boards, why would they need to be told what’s on them if they’re already there?

The answer is that they don’t: right now, the site is basically just a few blog posts a week that aren’t about bringing fans together, or providing some sort of new content, but rather reposting old content with a fairly slow reaction time thanks to a low volume of postings.

As it is, the site just sits there as Shaun’s not even daily blog, and one that isn’t offering any new perspectives. Unless they’re willing to bring someone in to raise actual issues and give fans a reason to return to the internet, the site is pretty much just wasting bandwidth. And that’s something that I think fans should be concerned about.

2. The Jericho Fanbase Needs Fewer Blogs

I have absolutely nothing against the large assortment of bloggers who talk about Jericho: they have been incredibly good to me, and I have tried to return the favor as much as physically possible. But, I’ve got to be honest with you: I think there’s too many blogs about Jericho.

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Amongst tight-knit internet communities, the real identities of the people involved are often shrouded by the user names or avatars that they use to identify themselves. And yet, within certain communities, the passing of one of their members does not go unnoticed. You hear stories regarding funerals in World of Warcraft, and I’m sure the same can be said for Second Life. And, this week, a similar blow struck the Jericho community, as news reached fans that user GaTravelGal passed away unexpectedly.

In my interaction with this fan community, GaTravelGal was best known for starting the Jeriatric Boomers Ward, the lengthy thread that inspired my most professional piece of journalism written at Cultural Learnings. She was a facilitator of memories, discussion and a fantastic fan environment in which older fans overcame any computer issues they had to reminisce about the good ol’ days in a wonderful new medium.

I think that the outpouring of love and support in response to her passing reflects how close this Jericho community has become: there is not a scent of cynicism or jaded perspectives amongst their ranks, and I envy them for the relationships they’ve created. They really do serve as a family, and one that they should all be proud to be part of.

There are currently efforts being made to reflect GaTravelGal’s contribution by dedicating a second season episode of the series to her memory. I fully support this idea, as abstract as it may sound to those not part of the community, and would like to offer my own memorial of sorts. In writing that Boomer article, GaTravelGal (A 56 year old boomer from Georgia) filled out a set of questions. Here are her answers, inspiring words that mean no less following her passing.

a) How did you become a fan of Jericho?
I had seen a promo for the show and made a mental note to watch the pilot. Since it aired on Wednesday nights, I had been at church and almost forgot to turn it on that first week. In fact, I missed the first 30 minutes. But even only watching the second half, I was immediately hooked. I then began to tape it on my DVR in case I got in after 8 pm the following weeks!

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[Over the past week, Jericho fans have expressed their hopes for CBS’ Fan Central website. Through email and through the Jericho message boards, the very people the page was designed for have made it clear that it needs a little work…but they’re more than willing to help out with some suggestions. The following is their view, compiled from their comments, of Fan Central.]

Jericho fans are perhaps the most devoted you could imagine in television right now: their success at bringing back their show certainly made them well-loved by the cast and crew of the series. Hoping to take that catch that lightning and bottle it for the series’ future, CBS has established Jericho Fan Central, a page that gives Jericho fans links to websites, articles and information they’re looking for.

However, the distinct problem that myself and Jericho fans have observed is that they really aren’t offering anything new. If this is really a place for fans to go, then why is so much of the content simply repeating the efforts fans are already aware of, or reposting content from the message boards? There is all sorts of potential for Fan Central to be a place to offer fans more interaction with their series, and they have some ideas I think CBS should be aware of.

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[After last night’s rerun, and after some great feedback on Jericho Fridays two blog posts, it’s time to look ahead to next week, and see how Jericho fared in the ratings last evening.]

Jericho Fridays’ Question of the Week

For next week’s edition of Jericho Fridays, I want to get the opinion of Jericho viewers on the role of Jericho’s Fan Central in future months. This site, set up by CBS, is designed to let fans know of blog articles, promotional opportunities and anything else that might interest fans of the series.

I personally think that this is a fantastic opportunity to interact with fans, but right now it seems that outside of a thread where comments can be made there isn’t much interaction between the two sides. Any good blog, this one included, is best able to serve an audience when it embraces it in a real fashion, conversing with them and finding a way to best utilize their promotional power.

So, fans of Jericho, what suggestions do you have for Jericho Fan Central? Send me an email at cultural.learnings @ gmail.com and I’ll be putting your suggestions into next week’s edition of Jericho Fridays! Try to get them in before Thursday so I’ll have time to put them together.

Jericho Rerun Report – “A.K.A.”

I was able to watch this episode late last night, and it was great to finally be able to see more of Hawkins’ back story. What I like is that they didn’t try to answer too many questions: he is still mysterious, still a threat, but at this point represents someone whose mystery doesn’t render them good or evil but rather an integral part of this universe. I still think that Heroes’ Company Man is the best back story episode of the season, but this was darn good as well.

Wikipedia – “A.K.A.” 

Viewers seemed to think so as well: Jericho came extremely close to matching the Household numbers from last week’s Preseason football game.

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[As part of Jericho Friday, Cultural Learnings has gotten some great feedback from fans who want to get the word out about their efforts in the era after the nuts barrage that saved their show. It’s a tougher road now, with many fans having stepped back from message boards and fan groups, but some fans are working hard and making their voices heard. These are their stories of the Post-Nuts Era.]

Jericho in the Post-Nuts Era

DVDs for Troops: Sending ‘Jericho’ to Real-Life War Zones

While there is certainly political and social turmoil in the world of Jericho, it is admittedly nothing compared to the real life war facing the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. No matter one’s opinion of the politics of the wars being fought in either country, it is impossible not to empathize with the soldiers who are fighting there. And, some Jericho fans want to give them something to help them through.

A group of Jericho fans are working with Staten Island Project Homefront to ship Jericho DVDs to the troops overseas through fan donations, much in the vein of the nuts shipments sent to CBS earlier this year. In fact, many of those nuts actually made it over to the Middle East via CBS and Project Homefront, so this partnership is not new. However, it is a great way for fans of the series to continue to both spread the word about Jericho and spread some much-needed love to the troops.

For more information on the campaign, and how to donate, head to this thread on the Jericho Message Boards. While this could end up being a good PR opportunity, more importantly it’s a good cause. The A special thanks to Jackie (Ahma, on the Jericho boards) for bringing this to my attention! She says that Project Homefront reports that the troops loved the nuts, so they might just love DVDs even more.

Jericho on the Big Screen: Fans and CBS Unite

For two Jericho fans in Massachusetts, the post-Nuts era was about celebration: celebrating their show being saved, celebrating the show itself, and celebrating the men and women who came together during the campaign to get ‘er done, if you will, in the New England area. But while they might be working on a small scale compared to nationwide nuts campaigns, they’re dealing with a big screen. In fact, they’re taking Jericho to the Movies.

I’ll post a link to all of the information in a second, but this is really the perfect example of synergy between fans and CBS. The fans needed to get permission, and the high-resolution copies of the show, from CBS in order to make it work, and through a lot of hard work forum members Rhinogirl1 and ccpdppr pulled it together. This might not be a nationwide campaign, but it’s a powerful symbol of working with CBS to promote Jericho, and they should be commended for their creativity.

The result is the screening of two episodes of Jericho at a theatre in Milbury, Massachusetts at 2pm on Sunday, August 19th.

[For all of the information, see this thread on the Jericho Boards]

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