WKRP in Disappointment

What were they thinking? How cheap could they possibly be to ruin such a great and in my case highly anticipated thing? I'm sick to my stomach over this injustice and I don't know what I'm going to do.

I'm not a huge TV fan. Sure I'll spend countless hours sitting on the couch in front of the boobtube but it's more of a companion or a way to help fill empty time in my day. There aren't many television shows on today that I'd say I'm addicted to. I'll watch sporting events like hockey, baseball and football. Heck I even suffered through a very boring Masters Tournament this past weekend but only because the Stanley Cup Playoffs haven't begun yet.

When it comes to actual sitcoms or dramas on TV, the only one's right now that I'm truly interested in include LOST, The Office, Survivor (but not like I used to be), Amazing Race, Family Guy and Simpson's. Sure I also enjoy reruns of Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond and NYPD Blue but I don't plan my day around them.

Over my lifetime, which has almost been 39 years, there have been very few sitcoms that I've fallen in love with and would class as my all-time favourites. In that list we would find classics like M*A*S*H, Cheers, Gilligan's Island and The Cosby Show.

I'm happy to say that each of those classics have been released on DVD for fans to purchase to view at their own leisure. But there is one show that I've been waiting for since the very first TV program was released on DVD. I patiently bide my time year after year waiting for the time to come when my absolute favourite television show will be released, knowing they'll do it right and the wait will be worth it.

Today I learned that finally the First Season of the 1978 sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati is finally being released on DVD on April 24, 2007. This is the show that started many past and present radio personalities (like I used to be) on the road to a career of odd hours and little income as "Disc Jockey's". Who can forget characters like Dr. Johnny Fever, Venus Flytrap and Les Nesman. We'll always remember where we first heard the word "Booger" and found out that Turkeys couldn't fly. About the only negative and unrealistic trivia from the show is how the "Jocks" rarely used headphones in the booth. As anyone in the business will tell you, in real life, you can't hear the music if you don't wear them.

Some of my favourite moments from the show include: The Phone Cops, The Ferryman Funeral Home and Red Wiggler Jingles, Silver Sow Award, Hirsch the Butler, Bobby Boogie and so many other classic moments.

On top of the great comedy, this show was a hit for the music they played in each episode as they featured some of the greatest rock music of the time. As a fan of music and in particular classic rock, this made the show even more appealing. Thus you might understand my disappointment when I learned that the majority of the original music that was used in the series when it was first aired has been cut from the DVD release and replaced by generic music to avoid having to pay royalties. Scenes where there was dialog over the music have also been cut.

This is a slap in the face to the true fans of the show like myself. The whole point of purchasing these shows is to relive our youth in a way and the original music is a huge part of it. Whomever decided to make these changes to avoid having to pay the royalties may have just cut off their nose to spite their face. I'm extremely upset by this and what would have been a no-brainer purchase is now in doubt.

It is truly a day of mixed emotions for fans of this great show. What will I do?

In case you've never been blessed with ever seeing this show or you'd just like to relive one of the great moments in its history, I've provided a link to a classic moment from the very first episode when the station changes format. Enjoy!