Good Evening. I logged in to add some missing episodes to 'Girl Meets Farm' and noticed that episodes were added just a couple of days ago by another user. However - I question whether the edits are accurate. The user who added does have a lot of entries on TMDB, so I want to double-check before making any changes Although this question is in regards to sources for 'Girl Meets Farm' - it could be for any content on Scripps-owned networks.
Generally (as I'm sure you know) Scripps networks have 2 different 'sources' - one the Scripps controlled websites like foodnetwork.com or travelchannel.com - and one the Discovery-maintained sites like watch.foodnetwork.com or watch.travelchannel.com. As you also are probably aware - the Scripps sites use production numbering for episodes and season assignment which does not always match to aired order. The Discovery-maintained sites have a straight aired-order numbering.
In the past, I've noticed moderators favor the airing-order 'watch' sites if problems arise. This makes sense as the 'watch' sites follow airing order and more easily reconcile with policy. The Scripps sites with their production order often 'jump' seasons in airing order and make for unreliable sources if tracking airing order.
I wanted to get clarification if that policy can be extrapolated here specifically - but also more generally for other Scripps sites.
In the case of 'Girl Meets Farm' - this would mean that the current S05E02 should really be S05E01, for example. The current S06E01 doesn't match either source - so I'm not sure what was being used to validate those episodes. In addition - everything from S06E06 on are 'compilation' episodes. These are episodes marketed as 'new' - however they are themed episodes using clips from previous episodes around a theme of cakes or pizza or etc. S06E06, for example, is simply clips of pizza recipes from S02E09, S01E06, and 4 other episodes.
In fairness, I should point out that both Gracenote and Rovi are treating these repackaged episodes as 'new'. They are listed as specials on the Scripps-maintained sites, and simply not listed at all on the Discovery-maintained 'watch' sites (as there is no new content). Perhaps this is why the user has added them.
The question would be first, for confirmation that the repackaged clip episodes should not be included. Second - that the watch.foodnetwork site be the source to use for verified season and episode numbering (as it has been for 'Ghost Adventures', for example in another thread).
Thank you for your attention as precedent will, I'm sure, be helpful in other Scripps-site production order numbering discrepancies.
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Reply by Rebecca
on July 22, 2020 at 3:48 PM
Hello, and thanks for the report.
All that you need to know about editing on the episode level can be found here. The most important of these is that episodes should be entered (in the main episode listing) exactly as they first aired, since we are trying to mirror how they were originally broadcast/released. TMDB has an episode group feature for other orders such as the production order. The staff also knows that the Scripps-owned networks are more complicated to deal with, especially when trying to fill in missing data that is years old.
In terms of the compilation episodes, if the content is not new, then they do not belong in season 6, unless they were aired on the Food Network as a part of season 6. I pulled up Food Network's schedule from the day the pizza episode aired, and the episode code is "SP06". Based on that, I think these compilation episodes should be re-entered in the specials season (season 0).
Reply by eherberg
on July 22, 2020 at 4:29 PM
thanks for the reply. With viewing the episode, the only 'new' content is the host introducing each clip. As I mentioned, S06E06 is simply clips of pizza recipes from S02E09, S01E06, and 4 other episodes. In looking at the contribution bible - I didn't see a portion that dealt with 'clip' episodes. So those compilation episodes are OK to be in specials? Or should not be included at all? I can move them this evening and handle the episodes aired order using the 'watch.foodnetwork' site as well this evening.
Reply by Rebecca
on July 22, 2020 at 4:42 PM
Yes, I think they fall under the specials, along with recap episodes and best of episodes.
If you want to, you'll have to manually re-enter the episodes into the specials. If you need to move any episodes around a season (episodes cannot be moved from season to season, they have be manually re-entered in the correct season), I advise you change the episode number instead of moving any titles/airdates/overviews from one episode to another; if you change the title/overview in one translation (ie., English), without checking the other translations, the data between translations may become mismatched.
Reply by eherberg
on July 22, 2020 at 10:35 PM
The 'clip' episodes have been created under specials (using the episode description from the network site as opposed to the Rovi description they had on the original entry). S06E06 through S06E10 would now be eligible for deletion (as they are duplicative entries to the listings in specials).
Follow-up task will be to match airing order (and season breaks) to the Discovery-sourced watch site.
Of possible interest to others: While working through an issue on this show for a user over at that other tv database - I emailed Discovery fan relations and got a response. Confirming what I thought, the old scripps sites like foodnetwork.com, travelchannel.com, etc are maintained by different people than watch.foodnetwork.com or watch.travelchannel.com
Scripps personnel still maintain the old Scripps sites -- but after the merger with Discovery, the 'watch' sites are maintained by Discovery personnel. So while the Scripps-controlled sites have production numbering on episodes and episodes that seem to 'jump' seasons if trying to follow airdates (an extreme example being 'House Hunters' that according to scripps hgtv.com has episodes in this year alone jumping between nine ... yes nine ... seasons) - the Discovery-controlled watch site is the source providing aired order and more importantly providing that numbering to consumer-facing streaming outlets as well such as Vudu, Google Play, Amazon, etc. Even better - occasionally when there is an error on the site, I've had good luck getting corrections done by emailing my contact at Discovery Fan Relations (just 2 months ago getting them to correct an episode of GMF that had been mistakenly put in a previous season while they were still in mid-season).
Reply by Rebecca
on August 5, 2020 at 1:29 PM
Thank you for creating the special episodes, I've removed them from season 6.
Also, thanks for information re:Scripps and Discovery.