Shouting into the Wind Saying my piece in a windy world.

I think so.

Let’s consider for a moment the model which was used to finance “Knight Rider” for NBC.  It isn’t the cheapest show – it’s got some special effects and flash.  The way to make the show affordable was to tie in a corporate sponsor.

Enter Ford.

Ford sponsors the show.  The show features Ford vehicles heavily, basically acting as an hour long commercial for them.  A symbiotic relationship is born.

And then…trouble.  Ford suddenly finds itself in a financial mess.  They start looking around and what can easily be cut.  Advertising is one area where car companies spend, spend, spend.  Here’s this show that’s only performing moderately well and is fading.  Is it really a great deal for Ford anymore?

No.  I’m sure there was a conversation that went something like this:

“Yo Benny!”

“What up Deeeeeetroit?”

“We need some help.  You gotta do something about that Knight Rider show.”

“Dude, Hasselhoff canceling on us was harsh, but we’ll figure something out…”

“Don’t know if you’ve heard, Ben, but we’re bleeding here.  Asking Congress for billions of dollars.”

“Billions?  With a ‘B’?”

“You got it.  So, we need to trim a little.  I mean, we’ll still buy some Super Bowl ads, but we gotta cut back somewhere.  And this show…it kinda sucks.”

“Okay, well, what if you get the bank you want from Congress?  Would things be a little different then?”

“Well of course, man!  We could support ten Knight Riders!  But we gotta get the money first.”

“Well…Knight Rider is kinda my baby.  If I cancel it, it’s gonna look really bad for us.  So, what if we just…cut the season short?  We’ll wait it out to see if you guys get your money, and if you do…”

“…if we do, we’ll talk about how to fix the damn show while still showcasing fine Ford automobiles and trucks.”

“Sweet.”

So, there.  It’s up to you, Congress.  If you want “Knight Rider” to live, you’ll have to give Ford a lot of our money.  Of course, I’d rather see my money go toward fixing some friggin bridges or something, but hey, who am I to judge?  This is Knight Rider, people!

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