WKRP to DVD - Give it to me straight doctor, I can take it

Finally, it looks like we have a DVD release date of April 2007 for Season One of WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982), one of my favourite sitcoms and a show that was unlikely to ever show up on DVD in a format that would satisfy fans and the shows creators. And they've solved the music issue.

WKRP was long speculated as being "unreleasable" on DVD, due to the music rights issues. WKRP revolved around the eclectic staff at a rock and roll radio station, so the authentic contemporary music of the period was a large part of the show: The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix songs all were part of the scenario. The original licenses for the music only included the original run of the show and didn't cover any future plans for syndication or collections. To put WKRP on DVD in its original format would be hugely expensive due to having to pay licensing fees in order to use the original tunes.

Even the copies of WKRP that were used to air the show on cable reruns in the 1990s showed significant changes (aka butchering) of the show, with slapdash substitutions and clumsy re-dubbing of dialogue to reflect the changes. Basically it meant the show wasn't being seen as it was originally intended. Do you ever see the two versions of the season 2 episode "The Americanization of Ivan"? The original had the Russian quoting Elton John's song "Tiny Dancer" to the uptight Les Nessman in a side-splitting bit. The syndicated version didn't have the rights to the song, so new voiceover dialogue was dubbed in. The new line didn't even make any sense and you were left wondering why the studio audience was laughing.

It now appears we have a solution with this DVD set. While not every original piece of music originally used will be intact, where a replacement is needed "Fox has tried hard to keep the music within the spirit of the original song used in the scenes", thanks to a music coordinator was brought on to replace any unattainable songs with sound-alike songs. I'm guessing think this will result in more of the original tunes showing up, particularly those that are key to the story like the Elton John tune.

Hopefully this extra effort from Fox Studios will please the many fans of the show like me, who would have screamed bloody murder if the WKRP available on DVD was the syndicated version. Season One includes the classic "Turkeys Away" episode and the one where Johnny and Venus do an on-air demo on the effects of alcohol ("Fish Story").

And yes, I watched the show when it first aired. I also saw MASH when it was originally aired on CBS. I am that old.

WKRP In Cincinnati - Wikipedia

WKRP Season 1 Release Date and Details - TVShowsonDVD.com