By Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com
A few years ago, I pitched a local radio show idea to Mark Cuban. It could be successful, I explained to him. A vehicle for Mavs exposure, I explained to him. Heck, I said, dreaming big, maybe we could even eventually get it syndicated throughout Texas!
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‘Sounds great,’ Cuban replied politely. ‘But I don’t need to do a radio show. If I was ever interested in something like that, I could just take one of the offers I have to be on network TV.’’
To be honest, I considered Tony Cubes’ response to be a polite blowoff, a way to let me down easy by drowning my ambition in a sea of his own celebrity.
Now, of course, I realize that Cuban wasn’t letting me down easy – he was just waiting until the right network TV offer came along.
And now it has.
Cuban – who long ago, before AudioNet, before achieving business and basketball fame and fortune, aspired to perform in Hollywood – now has his wish.
He’ll star in “The Benefactor,’’ a reality game show to air in six episodes this summer on ABC. The point of the show: to give away, to me, to you, to somebody, a million of his dollars.
"I want every U.S. Resident 21 and older to apply,’’ Cuban says. “Everyone has dreamed of getting rich, and I want to help one lucky person get there. This isn't a traditional contest. You don't need special talents. I'm not looking to find out who is the grossest, funniest, prettiest, smartest or able to go without food or water the longest. The right person is going to get on my good side at the right time, and whoever that is is going to walk away with a check from me for one million dollars."
Cuban and the braintrust behind the show (which includes business partner Todd Wagner) have yet to create the manner in which the money will be won. Cuban is suggesting their might be 30 finalists who “take a journey’’ in a game in which “some rules will be made up along the way.’’
Says ABC exec Andrea Wong: “'The Benefactor' is a show without boundaries. It can take infinite twists and turns, and Mark's sense of fun and adventure is going to make this a great ride."
How can Cuban afford to do this? The answer isn’t in the spare $1 mil he has in his wallet. The answer is, ‘How can he afford not to do this?’’
NBC’s ‘The Apprentice’’ stars Donald Trump offering a chance to work alongside him. Trump, it seems, is doing it for reasons of fun and ego.
Cuban? Oh, there’s some fun and ego in there, too. But bet on ‘The Benefactor’ to feature plenty of cross-pomotional ties that result in more Mavs attention and revenue, more HDNet attention and revenue.
So Cuban’s got a TV show. And there goes my radio show idea. Leaving me with a consolation prize: I’m going for Cuban’s million.