The American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Inc., is the television and radio network in the United States that first aired and created Lost.
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In the 1920s, NBC and CBS were the two main radio networks available. NBC had two different networks, the Blue network and the Red network. In 1943, NBC sold its Blue network to Edward Novel, who changed its name to ABC, in 1944. The ABC network began its airings on April 19th 1958. The three letters of its acronym have earned it the nickname, "the alphabet network."
On February 9th of the same year, the ownership of ABC was transferred to UPT, and in 1953 it was owned by Capital Cities company. In 1996, ABC was eventually sold to The Walt Disney Company, which has maintained its ownership until the present day. Specifically, the network's full name is American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., and is owned by the acronym-named parent company ABC, Inc. (formerly Capital Cities/ABC Inc.), which is owned by Disney. Disney also owns Touchstone Picutres, and therefore also owns its subsidiary ABC Television Studio, formerly Touchstone Television, which produces Lost. Disney's Buena Vista Television is the entity responsible for the management of ABC Television Studio's and ABC's television syndication, including that of Lost.
Back at the time when ABC dropped to fourth place in the ratings, behind NBC, CBS and Fox, Lloyd Braun, the chairman and head of ABC, looked for a TV-series that could beat NBC's ER. He read two versions of a script by Jeffrey Lieber about a group of castaways on an island, which he did not like. Eventually, he turned to J.J. Abrams, the award-winning scriptwriter, and creator of ABC's Alias. Abrams warned Braun that if he wanted him to re-write Nowhere, the show would no longer be about a regular island, but would be in the category of science fiction, to which Braun agreed.[source needed]
After 6 days, the pilot script was born, with the efforts of Abrams and a new writer, Damon Lindelof. Lloyd loved it, and felt "Lost" will be the savior of ABC. With Braun's green light, the episode soon became the most expensive pilot ever made - $12 million. Although Lloyd felt satisfied with its quality, his bosses such as Disney CEO Robert Iger were shocked and regarded Lost as "a crazy project that is never going to work", and moreover, "a waste of time".[1] Thus, before the shooting of the pilot episode ended on Oahu, Disney fired Lloyd, who later found employment with Yahoo! as the head of media and entertainment.
ABC Television Studio, formerly Touchstone Television, produces Lost for ABC. The Los Angeles office of Lost's production company Grass Skirt Productions is located at ABC at Disney Studios, and is the home base for the writers and post-production crew such as the editors, except the FX supervisor, who is now based in Hawaii [2]. The official video podcast with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse is filmed here. These offices are the home base for most of the executive producers of Lost, with the exception of Jack Bender and Jean Higgins, who are based with the film crew at the Hawaii Film Studio offices of Grass Skirt Productions in Honolulu, Hawaii. The ABC offices at the LA Disney lot are featured in the extra feature "Lost in a Day" on the Lost: The Complete Third Season (DVD).
The LA office of Grass Skirt Productions is at:
The Hawaii offices of Grass Skirt Productions at Hawaii Film Studio, which is also used for fan mail, is at:
Lost-related production memorabilia are on display at the ABC Commissary at the Disney Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) theme park near Orlando, Florida. These include scripts, Charlie's checkered shoes, and outfits worn by Jack and Kate. This location is a restaurant which is a reproduction of the ABC Commissary in New York City. The displayed items rotate frequently across ABC's various programs, and are located within display cases on both sides of the restaurant.
ABC maintains several presences on the web related to Lost. These include the ABC website, and Oceanic-air.com, a tie-in site that pre-dated The Lost Experience. However, ABC is not involved with the Lost creative team's official forums at Thefuselage.com. Therefore the canonicity of content unique to ABC's websites has been disputed by fans.
ABC was one of the early adopters to offer video downloads of several of its shows, including Lost and Desperate Housewives, available for purchase via Apple's iTunes Music store. Starting with Season 3, Lost episodes and clips are available for free viewing within ABC's own website.
The ABC website has several sections for getting content related to its programming, including video clips, full episode viewing, and mobile content. ABC's website was the first network website to offer full-length streaming episodes online, from such shows as Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Ugly Betty. Starting in July of 2007, ABC started offering HD streaming of shows, including Lost, in 1280x720 resolution. The episodes are uploaded to the website the day after they are aired on ABC, however only viewers from the United States can use this service.
The Lost section of ABC's website includes episode recaps, promotional still gallery, store, Official Lost Podcast, Lost: Missing Pieces, and more. Prior to Season 3, it also included a diary, purportedly from survivors of Flight 815. However, since the authorship of this material was from ABC, rather than from the creators of Lost, many fans do not consider the storyline of the diary to be part of Canon. From 2007, the Lost section also included external feeds from unofficial fan forums and fan blogs, an apparent marketing attempt to capitalize on the fan universe and possibly any viral marketing potential.
On April 18, 2008 the website launched LOSTscape, a minigame where fans are able to explore and interact with iconic items from the series set within an "island landscape", and view clips from the shows in which the items are used.
ABC produces audio podcasts, available on the Lost website and at iTunes, where Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse discuss the show. In each podcast, released after an episode is aired, the two writers and producers discuss the previous episode, preview the next episode, and answer fans' questions.
They also occasionally provide video podcasts. The latest installments are available on the Lost website, and the backlog is available from the iTunes feed.
In October 2006, ABC "adopted" a relatively small Lost encyclopedia, a wiki system based on Wetpaint software that had existed since May 2006. The website was moved to be a part of the ABC website and re-launched as the official Lost Wiki. On October 15, 2007, ABC's contract with Lost Wiki expired. ABC did not renew it, therefore, Lost Wiki became "unofficial".
LOST Book Club is a feature of the ABC Lost website in 2008-9.
LOST: Showdown is a feature of the ABC Lost website in 2008-9. [3]
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Everything happens for a reason. In LOST: Showdown, some of the most memorable happenings from the series will vie for your vote in weekly competition to determine the ultimate moment from the past four seasons. Watch the video clips and vote for your favorite moment every week until the winner is revealed on Wednesday, February 11th. |
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The favorite moment selected through the Lost Showdown was Charlie's sacrifice, "A selfless act, Charlie sacrifices his life in order to save Desmond's in 'Through the Looking Glass.'"
Another Lost Showdown is a vote to determine the best couple in the Love Quadrangle (Jack and Kate, Jack and Juliet, Sawyer and Kate, Sawyer and Juliet).
LOST: New Transmissions [4] is an official blog hosted on the ABC Lost website, and written by Paul Terry, editor of Lost: The Official Magazine.
ABC's Lost website also hosts a message board, a discussion forum for fans.[5] (This forum is different from Thefuselage.com forums, which are operated by the creative team behind Lost, rather than by ABC.)
Inside the Experience is the blog by Speaker, who was one of the official bloggers for the first Lost alternate reality game, The Lost Experience. However, occasional posts have continued through at least October 2008.
The Oceanic-air.com website is owned and operated by ABC (as indicated by the site's WHOIS listing), and not by Lost's creative team.
The site included several hidden messages and a reference to the Mapinguari. The canonic nature of some information from this site, such as unseen characters and their storyline, is marginal, as it was not part of The Lost Experience, and the authorship is from ABC rather than directly from the creators of Lost.
Oceanicflight815.com is an official ABC-operated website that is designed as a puzzle known as a "webmaze". This site was discovered by navigating through Oceanic-air.com: If the row numbers on the seating chart are clicked in the order of the Numbers, a Season 2 promo was played, after which the browser is redirected to the previously-unknown website Oceanicflight815.com. The site also features the "zombie season" joke script page.
ABCmedianet.com is ABC's official distribution point for press release content.
ABC Enhanced TV is ABC's viewer-interactive programming.
Lost (along with Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy, among others) is often credited with helping to "revive" ABC in its maiden, 2004-05 season[6]. Prior to that, ABC had been falling behind other networks with unpopular derivative shows and low ratings. Thanks to Lost and other new shows of that season, ABC was revived as one of the stronger networks and has remained so since. The success of Lost (as well as Fox's 24) also spawned subsequent attempts at various networks at serial dramas with continuous storylines[source needed], especially those with flashbacks and an element of mystery, such as ABC's own The Nine[7] and Daybreak, even though serial dramas tend to be less popular, and therefore less profitable, in syndication. Recent serial drama attempts include Six Degrees, Ugly Betty, Kidnapped, Vanished, Brothers and Sisters as well as NBC's Heroes, [8] which also includes an ethnically diverse cast, science fiction roots, and even an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) reminiscent of The Lost Experience.
Lost has been notable for also being at the forefront of "new media" and unorthodox approaches and extensions to the episodes themselves.[9] These include alternatives to traditional broadcasting such as iPod and cellphone downloads, streaming downloads, and video on demand (VOD [10]), as well as creator commentary such as the official podcasts and the official discussion forum The Fuselage, ancillary metafiction (Bad Twin), and original content released during broadcast hiatuses such as the international alternate reality game The Lost Experience between Seasons 2 and 3, and the mobisodes (Lost: Missing Pieces) released between Seasons 3 and 4. Disney CEO Bob Iger has noted that these new corporate strategies are possible partly because fans of Lost are "unusually engaged." [11] [12] The contracts completed for the creation of the latter with the Screen Actors Guild, especially regarding residuals for new media distribution, were the first of their kind. There have also been various merchandising efforts to tying into the show. There has also been a accompanying unofficial fan ecosystem of blogs, forums, websites, and even columns from mainstream media that has emerged[13], partially dedicated to the relatively unusual task of fan theories and analysis, and actual content has even referenced these fan media, such as the Desmond's "snowglobe" quip ("Live Together, Die Alone") and the self-referential The Final Episode parody screened at CES. Internationally, many broadcasters have launched dedicated websites for Lost, and even the marketing for Lost: Series 2 Part 1 (Region 2) was accompanied by a "viral marketing" website (whatislost.com).
Boston Legal, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Flashforward, Good Morning America, Grey's Anatomy, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Lost, October Road, Ugly Betty, The View, and Wife Swap.
Alias, Charlie's Angels, Commander in Chief, Dharma & Greg, Fantasy Island, Full House, Home Improvement, NYPD Blue, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The Drew Carey Show, Who's the Boss?, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Schoolhouse Rock!, Monday Night Football, American Bandstand, Donny and Marie, The Dating Game, Family Feud, Full House,The Newlywed Game, The Lawrence Welk Show, Kung Fu, Batman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Battlestar Galactica, Max Headroom, The Outer Limits, The Fugitive, China Beach, Moonlighting, Taxi, The Partridge Family, The Odd Couple, McHale's Navy, The Love Boat, Leave It to Beaver, Mork & Mindy, The Addams Family, Barney Miller, Bewitched,Diff'rent Strokes, Home Improvement, Roseanne, Soap, Three's Company, The Wonder Years, Baretta, Matlock, The Mod Squad, Starsky and Hutch, Twin Peaks, Ryan's Hope, The Fall Guy, Zorro, Maverick, Politically Incorrect, The Bugs Bunny Show, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, The Mickey Mouse Club, and Battle of the Network Stars.
ABC employees with relevance to Lost include:
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| Release date | 6 December 2004 (Update unknown) edit |
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| Members-only? | Yes |
| Location | Unknown edit |
| Skill requirements | None |
| Quest requirements | Started Monkey Madness |
| Unlock hint | This track unlocks during the boss fight in Monkey Madness. |
| Track duration | Unknown edit |
Showdown is a pay to play music track unlocked during the Monkey Madness quest.
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This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
| Game-related | |
| List of music tracks |
Free-to-play music • List of recent music • List of boss music • List of all music tracks |
| Musical instruments |
Bells • Church organ • Cowbells • Enchanted lyre • Organ (player-owned house) • Penguin bongos • Slayer bell • Snake charm • Windchimes |
| Other items with music | |
| Holiday items with music |
Chocatrice cape • Easter carrot • Rubber chicken • Snow globe • Yo-yo |
| Emotes with music |
Air Guitar • Around the World in Eggty Days • Beckon • Freeze and Melt • Trick • Dramatic Point • Skillcape |
| Showdown | |
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Showdown is a comic strip written by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by Al Williamson. It was published by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
Dengar is mistakenly referred to as "Zuckass" in this story.
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Donny Finkleberg tries to escape from Ravage, and gets some help from Skids and a new friend.
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Donny Finkleberg is on the run from the Decepticons, and Ravage is hot on his trail. Stumbling across a temporarily vacant camp site, Donny steals some clothes and buries his old costume. Realizing that he needs to find the Autobots, Donny unwittingly passes the injured Skids by. Not far behind him, Ravage destroys the campsite, momentarily fooled by the abandoned Robot Master uniform.
Elsewhere, in a small town several miles away, register girl Charlene is given a lift by her co-worker Wendell, as her car has recently broken down. On the drive she discusses with him how she wants some adventure in her life, and persuades him to pull over so they can explore an old trail. There, they find Skids with his radio playing, and arrange to have him taken to Bob's Service. Bob gets the van up and running, and Charlene drives off, leaving Wendell with the bill.
As she pulls out, the van catches the eye of Jake Dalrymple, who recognizes it from an earlier encounter and tries to run it off the road. Skids takes over the driving, outmaneuvering Jake and leaving him with a windscreen of green paint. On the outskirts of town, Skids reveals himself as a Transformer, explaining to Charlene that he had been trying to find peace as her car. He goes on to reveal he was a scientist, and had no desire to fight or die, that all he wants to continue his scientific studies with her. Meanwhile Jake is ranting about the crazy van and its driver, which gives Donny a clue...
The next day, Skids asks Charlene about her old west memorabilia. She tells him of how it was a great time of adventure, and even though she didn't live then, she can still dream of it. Skids laments that all his dreams are memories of war so the pair go out to make him some new ones. The pair grow closer, with Charlene brushing off Wendell's invitation to see a new movie to give Skids a wash (which they both enjoy waaaay too much). Before Charlene can give Skids his wax and buff job they are (thankfully) interrupted by Donny, who had been listening in on her talking to her 'ordinary van'.
Skids' attempt to stay hidden is finally undone by Ravage who pounces at Donny, firing. Charlene and Donny dive into Skids who speeds off at top speed. The two humans argue — Donny patting himself on the back for finding an Autobot, and Charlene pointing out that he only found Skids because Ravage is trying to kill them. Rushing through the town (and past Jake), the trio head to an abandoned mining town to battle their pursuer away from civilization.
Arriving in the town, the Autobot tells the humans to hide, but just after they leave, Jake arrives and smashes his windscreen with a tire iron. Rendered unconscious, Skids has a dream that he has to face Megatron in a showdown to save Charlene. He realizes even though he doesn't want to fight, he has to to protect her... unfortunately, it doesn't go so well for him, but it was only a dream. Back in reality, Charlene and Donny argue with Jake, but a renewed attack by Ravage scatters them. Before Ravage can finish Skids, he is rammed by Jake in his Lamborghini, giving the others enough time to bring the Autobot around. His resolve to fight strengthened by his need to protect Charlene, Skids fights a desperate battle with Ravage, eventually tricking the Decepticon into falling down an abandoned mine shaft.
With Ravage gone, Charlene tries to convince Skids to come back with her but he says he is going with Donny back to the Autobots. He cannot avoid his responsibility, and he would be living in a dream if he stayed, no matter how much he wants to. Charlene tells him she'll miss him, but he did better than the last car she loved — its transmission went and she junked it.
Script: Bob Budiansky
Pencils: Herb Trimpe
Inks: Ian Akin and Brian Garvey
Colors: Nelson Yomtov
Lettering: Janice Chiang
Editor: Michael Carlin
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
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