Once and Again Fans Steadfastly Refuse to Give Up the Fight: Billboard in West Hollywood Rented and Ready To Go!

For Immediate Release
April 28, 2002
The fight is not over for the ever-loyal, always vocal and doggedly determined fans of the ABC series Once and Again. On April 15th, ABC aired what was, for all intents and purposes, Once and Again's final episode. But even that dark cloud has not deterred the show's viewers from continuing their efforts to do the seemingly impossible: convince ABC executives to retract its cancellation and put Once and Again back on the air next season.

The fans have rented a 14'x48' billboard at the intersection of La Cienega Blvd. and Halloway Dr. in West Hollywood at a price of over $12,500. The billboard (to view please go to the following address, http://www.saveoanda.com/Billboard/BillboardMechanical3.jpg ) will go up on May 1, 2002, and stay up for the entire month. Thus far, the fans – united via the Internet -- have raised over $22,000 in their ongoing campaign to save the critically lauded series that has stolen their hearts. The following are just some of the accomplishments of the fan campaign to date:

1. Contacting ABC: Tens of thousands of fans have written letters, sent emails and made phone calls to Michael Eisner, Susan Lyne and Lloyd Braun, letting them know that viewers are watching Once and Again and pleading with them to renew the show for another season.
2. Online Petition: Over 41,500 (and counting) people have signed an online petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/OandA/petition.html) asking ABC to renew Once and Again for another season. Copies of the petition have been hand delivered to the offices of Susan Lyne, Lloyd Braun and Michael Eisner.
3. Fan Sites: Since January 2002, when the series fate became questionable, over 200,000 people have visited Once and Again fan sites for information about the campaign. Over 80,000 of these visits came after ABC announced Once and Again's official cancellation. Over 50,000 came after the April 15th finale.
4. Advertisements in Trade Magazines: Fans have already placed advertisements in both The Hollywood Reporter (January 29, 2002, for $2,800) and Variety (March 4 & April 22, 2002, for $3,300 per ad). Each time, the money needed for the ads was raised through fan contributions in less than seven days.

ABC has a chance to show audiences, advertisers and the entertainment community at large that they listen to their viewers and that they are serious about their oft-voiced commitment to air quality family programming. Tens of thousands of Once and Again fans have spoken out repeatedly in a very public way. The above efforts prove that Once and Again is not just a show that fans watch -- it's a show that touches them deeply, inspires devout loyalty, and one the viewers are undeniably passionate about.

Campaign coordinators have also vowed to launch a similar very-public campaign in support of ABC if they do, indeed, bring Once and Again back for a fourth season. Hope springs eternal for the grassroots group, whose goal is simple and whose arduous, sometimes-disheartening mission goes boldly forward, once and again.

Anyone interested in learning more about the show and other aspects of the campaign is encouraged to visit the following websites:

https://www.angelfire.com/tv/onceagain/
http://www.oandafans.com/
http://www.saveoanda.com/

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