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The Crappification of Cable Programming

Sitting here after a long work day, and trying to relax with a little entertainment.. I can't help but think back to when "cable television" was fairly new.

One of the draws to having cable television was it's claim to be "commercial free!". After all, the money you spent in a monthly cable bill was to take the place of paid advertisements. I know for my folks, that was a HUGE draw. Uninterrupted, no-commercial television and movies appealed to many people back then.

Of course, this was back when Mtv really was "all music, all the time" and where all the movies shown on HBO were new and not the same sad reruns from decades past. Back before Showtime, Starz and the 80 bazillion 'specialty' channels or the reality shows that are aired ad-nauseum these days.

Now we pay a pretty penny for commercialized sub par programming and aren't getting close to our money's worth. Do we have ourselves to blame for this? Perhaps if subscribers demanded better programming, less (or better yet - NO) commercials.. would that have overridden companies like Time Warner's, greed?

And now that everything is digital and they've done away with analog broadcasting, we don't really have a choice NOW.. do we. Either pay for basic cable or buy a crappy box to decode a signal so you can watch three local channels.

Wow. We've really screwed ourselves, haven't we.

I believe so. We have become so apathetic toward so many things, that we really have ourselves to blame for not demanding more for our money.

If the people are willing to pay for crap... they will continue to get crap.
 
Television/film isn't made for artistic/entertainment value anymore, it's made pure and simple for profit. Sure, profit has always been a factor, but it's never been the only factor.

I've gone back to literature. Works for me. Video games are also excellent at the moment, given that you buy the right ones.

:peace
 
I totally agree. I tried to watch "The Queen" on BBC America tonight. I had to turn it off because of the frequency of the commercials.

Nowadays, I usually have the TV on for noise while I work on the computer or read a book. When I don't feel like having the TV on, I usually use my computer to stream internet radio. There's a few local talk shows I listen to that way. Also, I'll put my TV on to the cable music channel that airs different genres of music but not the music videos. Which is fine with me.

If it's something to watch you need, I suggest getting Netflix and reduce your cable programming to cut out the movie channels. For what you're paying per month for those channels you could probably get via Netflix for cheaper and without the commercials. And if it's a show you want to watch, you can always get the DVDs from Netflix.

Reading is a good alternative too. :) I've been reading the Honor Harrington series lately.
 
I totally feel you on this girlfriend and yeah we pretty much did this to ourself but Time Warner Cable is the f-ing DEVIL
 
Samsmart... I don't subscribe to any movie channels.. but I do have over 200 channels (and still nothing to watch). I already subscribe to Netflix and stream it through my Wii. :D Without that, I don't know if I'd ever turn the TV on, which is a shame since I just bought a new 62" LCD flat television... which is AWESOME for watching football on!
 
Right on. I can't believe all the crap I have no interest in on the satelite. I have the TV on to keep me company in the shop during the day, and sometimes just have to turn it off in disgust. Even the weather channel isn't just about weather anymore and what in the heck is Cash Cab doing on Discovery? (But I do like Cash Cab.)

I counted 21 commercials in a row during a program the wife and I were watching one day. Thank God for the DVR. Most of the time we just zoom past the damn commercials.

Yeah must be nice to charge a fee for cable or satelite, then charge an advertiser for commercials. They must be really raking in the dough!
 
Anybody reading have WindStream? I have been thinking of getting that.
 
I vote ‘Crappification’ to be added to Webster’s… Along with ‘Disgustified.’

There are only 2 channels I watch on a fairly regular basis, plus my internet. It would be nice if I could just pay for that without having to buy the basic cable package – just my two channels. Of course, they’d actually have to start putting something decent on their hundred+ channels, which means I can keep dreaming…

Has anyone noticed how some stations do very little commercials near the start of a movie, but by the end, it’s like you’re watching commercials with a movie break?

I think you hit the nail on the head. It’s our own fault. I mean, really, we shouldn’t even complain, should we? If we bend over in front of a known rapist, what do we expect? Oop, gotta go, Pale Rider is on again, and I won’t be around at 3, 7, or 9 o’clock tonight…

Peace :peace
 
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