I found this advice on another blog, and wanted to pass it along. Many people have asked how they can help. Please read the advice from some industry insiders.
LA TV industry insider said...
I've worked in the tv industry (NOT at TLC/Discovery) for 20 years and am embarrassed by the J&K show. We are not all like this. Let me offer some info and advice.
Smart comment made earlier by someone that the window to affect the show's status is right now. But you must have impact in front of the people who are making advertising, merchandising, investment decisions. That means posting your comments in places they read. Not People, TMZ or Access Hollywood.
--You need to post in places that reach the entertainment business industry such as that Flackback column about the Discovery ceo at TheWrap; the New York Times Media Decoder column; Advertising Age; Broadcasting & Cable magazine.
--Contact your cable or satellite company's main office - remember that they pay Discovery a fee to carry their channels, which comes from your monthly bill.
--Write the discovery board. Go to corporate.discovery.com and write to the business partners mentioned in their press releases.
**And remember that Discovery also owns/programs Discovery Channel, Military Channel, Animal Planet, Oprah's coming network, etc. Mention them. Expand your focus.
The show is on hiatus in terms of airing new episodes ONLY. That doesn't mean they are on hiatus in regard to filming. I believe they are probably still in production now, filming everything imaginable as they try to figure out how to continue the show without alienating viewers. The 6 weeks between today and the return of new episodes is very little time to try and sort out what this new animal will be.
And finally, pay attention to the frequent discrepancies in their stated timelines about problems and plans. Note that all they really say during the show is that they've decided to separate. And realize that due to routine TV post-production, scheduling and network review steps, this episode has to have been fully completed at least a week earlier than its airdate. And K's filing of divorce papers was done AFTER the episode was completed. She seems to have only given the producers enough information and advance warning for them to add the small written update at the end. Did K do it, and time it, to win the publicity war? Probably. But the "big announcement" that TLC planned on seems to have been just the separation. And to bring this all full-circle, K's filing successfully threw the entire series into a level of chaos and uncertainty that Discovery could never have imagined. What it does is open the door wider for people to have more influence on its future.
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Advice From Someone In Marketing said...
Hello All:
I have been a long-time reader of this site but this is my first time posting. I work in marketing (unrelated to TLC/Discovery) and I wanted to follow up on "LA TV Insider's" advice.
This person's advice is dead on. The trade publications (AdAge, PRWeek, Media Decoder et al) are where you want to go if you want to get the ear of those who make decisions. NOT, TMZ, Just Jared, People, Us etc...
You also want them to know something about you when you post so they can quantify the market they are losing. You don't have to tell them too much, but just a little something. Without this information they are likely to write you off as a "crazy," or a "nut."
Your comment/reply should tell them 1.) What type of consumer you are 2.) You are unhappy with the situation 3.) You have taken actions because of your dissatisfaction.
For Example:
"I am a 32 year old divorced mother of 2 with a household income of $45k/yr. I am outraged by the continued exploitation of these 8 children and can no longer tolerate it. I was once a loyal [viewer/shopper] of [show/channel/store/product] but due to the [show/channel/store/product] role in this situation I no longer [view/buy.]"
I hope this helps.