1 of 1- RadioActive
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An Inexplicable Move For A New/Old Fox Network Show
I have never been a fan of reality TV of any kind, because it's generally cheap and often sleazy programming that accomplishes nothing. But there was always one exception for me - America's Most Wanted. It was the only reality show (and one of the first) that actually accomplished something by helping take more than 1,100 wanted and dangerous felons off the streets.
So when it returned to Fox on Monday night, I was curious how they'd adapt it to a different world than when it left the air. The show promised to make use of media and technology that wasn't available when John Walsh hosted it, and on the premiere, they tried to demonstrate that to varying degrees of success.
But there was one thing I noticed that is completely insane, at least for Canadians. The show has established a website to get tips on fugitive whereabouts. But for reasons that are completely incomprehensible, it's geoblocked in Canada.
Now if there's one thing we've learned from the show over the years it's when a fugitive goes on the run and disappears, he or she might stay in the U.S. But very often they make a run for the border. That could mean Mexico. But in many cases, it also means fleeing north to this country. Why they would cut off The Great White North from their website is simply inexplicable. While the phone number is accessible here, the site isn't.
And it can't be a rights issue, because all it does is allow you to leave a tip.
But when you go to AMWtips.com in Canada, all you see is a rather insulting notice saying, "This experience is not available in your region." Do you guys want our help or not? If so, take off the restrictions. Otherwise viewers on this side of the border may feel like America's Least Wanted. And that's one tip you should definitely not ignore. 
- Radiowiz
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Re: An Inexplicable Move For A New/Old Fox Network Show
In current pandemic times, the person on the run MUST blend in with essential workers in order to cross the border anyway.
There is no way that will ever happen, so there is no need to ungeoblock anything until the borders open...
- RadioActive
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Re: An Inexplicable Move For A New/Old Fox Network Show
I suppose you could make that argument, but the borders are still open for flights, and the show is also revisiting long missing felons, who could easily have come to Canada years ago. (In fact, they opened the remake on Monday night with a long cold case that was featured on the original AMW - and they have no idea where the guy might be now.) So under that logic alone, they should open the site to those who live here.
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Thread Starter- MJ Vancouver
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Re: An Inexplicable Move For A New/Old Fox Network Show
RadioActive wrote:
I suppose you could make that argument, but the borders are still open for flights, and the show is also revisiting long missing felons, who could easily have come to Canada years ago. (In fact, they opened the remake on Monday night with a long cold case that was featured on the original AMW - and they have no idea where the guy might be now.) So under that logic alone, they should open the site to those who live here.
Plus we have a very long, undefended border. There is always the possibility someone could sneak across, either before or during the pandemic and not necessarily be detected. (Probably more of a possibility in Western Canada or Quebec than in Ontario where you'd have to swim across a river or lake)
There are areas near Vancouver where the border is marked by nothing more than a narrow ditch or even a generic sign and one can simply step off the shoulder of a road and you're in Canada (or vice-versa you've entered the US), and there is one beach I've seen where the border isn't even marked and if you don't know what you're doing you can unknowingly walk across. Nowadays there are plenty of cameras so there's a very good chance you'd get caught and the applicable forces will swoop in (and there are several stories of Canadians getting caught doing this either accidentally or knowingly, including in my beach example), but I would imagine there was probably a time not long ago (probably before 9/11) where it was far less monitored.
Last edited by MJ Vancouver (March 16, 2021 11:17 am)
- Norman peters
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Re: An Inexplicable Move For A New/Old Fox Network Show
I guess the producers of the current AMW don't feel it's likely any of the bad guys would leave the U.S.A.? I guess they are hiding in plain sight. Like that Whitey Bulger ( not sure about the spelling, or if I've got his name quite right). guy caught a few years back. One reality show that I though was a decent program about catching the bad guys was Top Cops. It ran in the late 80 s early 90 s.After it had been on the air for a year or so, I was getting regular calls from my agent to appear on the show . Mostly as an extra, but sometimes I was chosen to be the best buddy of the criminal that was the focus of that particular episode.It was work, and paycheck for a while, but there were occasions where I got the stink eye from some people thinking that I was actually one of the bad guys.
- RadioAaron
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Re: An Inexplicable Move For A New/Old Fox Network Show
That's a weird one. Even if they don't expect many/any tips from Canada, why go out of your way to geoblock? I looked at the site with my VPN on, and it's not like they're streaming full shows -- so no rights issue.
- the original hank
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Re: An Inexplicable Move For A New/Old Fox Network Show
it's a good time for bad guys... you can wear a mask and nobody becomes suspicious. on a side note, i was in a bank (a month ago or was it 2 months ago?) and i mentioned to the teller, "back in my day, when someone entered a bank, while wearing a mask, the cops would be called. these days, the cops are called if you entered a bank without wearing a mask." go figure.
- fybush
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Re: An Inexplicable Move For A New/Old Fox Network Show
I went to the site, since I'm on the "right side" of the border for them.
I suspect the issue is simply that "amwtips.com" just forwards behind the scenes to the Fox broadcast network website, and I'm guessing most/all of that site is inaccessible to Canada because Fox buys broadcast and streaming rights to its shows for the US only. While the amwtips site doesn't include streaming of full shows, it does have video clips and a bunch of reminders to "Watch on Fox," which is probably all it took for the IP lawyers to step in and say "geofence this."
(VPNs are a wonderful thing.)
- RadioActive
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Re: An Inexplicable Move For A New/Old Fox Network Show
Wouldn't be without mine! A Very Practical Necessity!
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