The Ledger
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Cartoon music generates higher royalties than sitcoms due to wall-to-wall scoring
“If you look at a sitcom there are musical stings, so they have cumulatively maybe two minutes of music, maybe three. But on a cartoon, you have wall-to-wall music. And because these collection agencies pay based on the number of minutes that air, you would mak…”
How masked Japanese fight footage enabled ultra-low-cost American TV production
“It all of a sudden dawned on me that once they turn into superheroes, meaning into Power Rangers, and they have their masks on, and they're kicking monster butts, it could be anywhere. So all of the action scenes, which is what costs the most money, ah, were b…”
Saban: Faced overt ethnic racism from European Jewish families in Israel
“I had a girlfriend whose parents were from Poland, and her mother said to her, if, ah, you bring that schwarze chaye, that black animal, to the house, I'm gonna jump off the balcony and kill myself.”
Saban: Cartoons generate far more music royalties than hit sitcoms
“If you look at a sitcom there are musical stings, so they have cumulatively maybe two minutes of music, maybe three. But on a cartoon, you have wall-to-wall music, and because these collection agencies pay based on the number of minutes that air, you would mak…”
Saban built Power Rangers cheaply by dubbing masked Japanese action footage
“It all of a sudden dawned on me that once they turn into superheroes, meaning into Power Rangers, and they have their masks on, and they're kicking monster butts, it could be anywhere. So all of the action scenes, which is what costs the most money were basica…”
Saban countered Fox's $500 million valuation of his stake at $2 billion
“They told me that they thought my share was worth half a billion. I told them that my share is worth two billion.”
Saban's first record produced in France achieved platinum status
“Well, this first record that I produced, ah, went platinum.”
Saban sold 18 million records on his independent label in France
“And I sold over a period of eight years that I lived there on my own label, ah, more than eighteen million records.”
Saban and his music partner were once BMI's top writers
“At one point, my music partner and I were the top writers at BMI.”
Saban pitched the Power Rangers concept for eight years before selling
“No, I bought it in 84, and I, ah, schlepped it. Remember, cartoon schlepper, schlepper? Yeah. And I schlepped it for eight years.”
Power Rangers delivered double to triple the ratings of Fox Kids hits
“Across it generated the highest rating of any show on Fox Kids. It beat, at the time, you had Looney Tunes or Tiny Toons, you had Batman, you had all these shows that were the hit of Fox Kids, and it delivered double, triple the ratings of all these shows.”
Saban accumulated $600,000 in debt by age 29 as promoter
“Despite
My success, quote unquote, I was in debt of 600,000 dollars.”
Saban lost money every night on sold-out shows after currency devaluation
“We had big shows lined up, where all of the expenses were in dollars, and the revenues were in Israeli pounds, with the devaluation of the pounds, we played to full houses, and were losing money every night.”
Saban sold over 18 million records in France over eight years
“I started a production company, then I set up my own label, And I sold over a period of eight years that I lived there on my own label, ah, more than eighteen million records.”
Saban: He and his partner were once the top writers at BMI
“At one point, my music partner and I were the top writers at BMI.”
Saban: Bought Power Rangers rights in 1984 and pitched for eight years
“No, I bought it in 84, and I schlepped it, remember, cartoon schlepper, schlepper? And I schlepped it for eight years.”
Saban: Power Rangers delivered double to triple the ratings of Fox Kids hits
“And within less than a week, it beat every other show. Across it generated the highest rating of any show on Fox Kids. It beat, at the time, you had Looney Tunes or Tiny Toons, you had Batman, you had all these shows that were the hit of Fox Kids, and it deliv…”
Saban refused to sell to Murdoch, demanding a cashless joint venture
“And he has all kinds of concepts that he's putting on the table, and I was holding firm for no money would exchange hands. We would put our content into a joint venture, and he would put The network into that joint venture.”
Saban: Margaret Loesch told Murdoch replicating Saban would take five-plus years
“Well, he asked Margaret Lash, who was running Fox, he said, to duplicate what Chaim has done, including his international distribution and presence worldwide. How long will it take you? And she said, I can do it, but it might take me five years plus.”
Saban's family shared a flat with a sex worker and a pimp
“It was one room in an apartment that had three rooms and the other two rooms. Were occupied by another couple, and by a hooker and her pimp, and, ah, it was the five of us, and my father basically had a job, ah, selling pencils and erasers door to door, and so…”
Saban promoted Israel tours for Ray Charles and Jose Feliciano
“Well, first I became a tour promoter in Israel, and I brought many artists to Israel, from Ray Charles to Jose Feliciano, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and many others.”