| It all began in the 1980's. Ronald Regan
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| | in the newly created infomercial
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| was president and one of the many
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| | industry. There was Jane Fonda who
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| controversial things he did in that
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| | captured lightening in a bottle with her
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| office was to deregulate the TV industry.
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| | exercise tapes simultaneously boosting
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| Why did he do it? Well, as a conservative
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| | the video business along with the
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| Republican he lived and breathed by the
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| | infomercial business. There was Ron
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| "free market rule," which stated that the
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| | Popeil, who marketed every gadget and
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| government didn't belong in business, and
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| | device people didn't even know they
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| businesses should live and die by the
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| | needed and made the switch from printed
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| success or failure of their own practices
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| | contact to electronic contact so
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| and market forces.
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| | successfully he's still doing it today.
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| At the same time, cable TV was just
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| | And there was Kenny Kingston who made the
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| starting its expansion into the American
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| | Psychic Hotline into one of the largest
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| television marketplace, and that opened
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| | businesses in the world without even
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| up a huge broadcast venue which simply
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| | having anything to sell! Only in America
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| didn't exist beforehand. Anybody with any
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| | and only in infomercials could such
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| experience in the broadcast industry was
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| | overwhelming success happen so quickly.
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| starting his own channel and pretty soon
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| | Soon, everybody with an idea was trying
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| cable channels were commonplace. The most
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| | to come up with the next big thing. As is
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| successful channels at the time were
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| | always the case with any new industry,
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| religious based channels which were
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| | immediately following the initial success
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| basically used for fundraising purposes.
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| | there comes a huge wave of imitators and
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| There were literally hundreds of them,
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| | innovators trying to cash in. And as
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| from local, small time reverends and
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| | always happens - most fail. There was
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| ministers with dubious backgrounds, to
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| | such a huge crush of wannabes flooding
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| nationally broadcast spiritual and
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| | into the business that production rates
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| religious shows, utilizing well-known
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| | skyrocketed and broadcast time became
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| religious figures.
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| | more and more expensive and less and less
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| At this point, two things happened. For
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| | available. Almost overnight, the
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| one, many of the young, fledgling
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| | infomercial industry went from nothing to
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| channels and networks who counted on ad
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| | today's enviable haul of billions of
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| revenue to keep themselves afloat
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| | dollars annually. And that's just in
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| attracted less than stellar ratings and
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| | America. Successful infomercials, like
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| starting going under. And at the same
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| | Hollywood movies are translated into
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| time, the religious channels started to
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| | foreign languages and played all around
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| realize that their fundraising efforts
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| | the globe especially when they are
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| were failing miserably in the late
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| | celebrity driven.
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| evening and wee hours of the morning.
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| | The newly created infomercial industry
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| Cheap broadcast space was born! And
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| | was the precursor to the Home Shopping
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| enterprising businessmen, more like
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| | Network and QVC which are essentially 24
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| vultures than saviors, swooped down and
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| | hour mini infomercials, product driven,
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| began to chew on the dying carcasses of
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| | price driven and celebrity driven. And
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| the young cable industry, buying up
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| | now we have The Infomercial Channel - 24
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| blocks of cheap, late night, off peak
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| | hours a day of infomercials. Gone are the
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| broadcast time and running 30 minute or
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| | days of loud mouthed hucksters, snake oil
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| 60 minute, inexpensively produced
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| | salesmen yelling into the camera, hawking
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| commercials refashioned as entertainment
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| | the latest "it slices! it dices!" home
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| programs.
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| | improvement device. Today, infomercials
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| Pretty soon there were infomercial
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| | are slick, expensive and if they work,
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| superstars. Celebrities, as well as a
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| | highly profitable.
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| cast of unknowns, found fame and fortune
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