Patty
Shared on Tue, 03/25/2008 - 19:33Dear Television Industry,
RANT ON:
To the writers: I hear you are back at work. That's what the news tells me. Jay Leno and others have fresh dialog about current events, instead of the obviously dated shows that were on during your strike. I don't know the particulars about your strike; as usual, network news programs probably terribly oversimplified the issues, so I'm under no illusion that I know what the real issues were. One thing I heard was that you wanted more of a cut from the DVD and online sales. I have some advice for you.
Next time you want to take issue with what you get for DVD sales and online sales, you might want to ask why so many folks have turned to DVD or online delivery. Fewer commercials. (Online content is trying hard to bring them there, so I would expect online delivery to die a tragic death if they start what the networks have done; polluted whatever viewing there is with so much advertisement that there's no way to keep your focus on the show any more. Hard to remember where things left off after 7 minutes of commercials.
After sydication to cable networks, especially the "T's" (TBS, TNN, etc.) cut further and add more commercials, they advertise other shows while yours are playing. It used to be a little corner with just their channel logo. Then it became animated. Then it crept across the bottom of the screen, and now up the side, until it seems like they've converted fully a fourth of the screen to advertisements of other shows, blotting out whatever is in that portion of the screen, and distracting the viewer from the show. You guys haven't got a chance.
Why tell you? Because now that I've gone off to either watching DVD's or playing interactive games on my Xbox, I haven't felt any desire to return to the few shows I used to watch semi-religiously. I'm having far more fun with the full screen, non-interrupted, interactive story. I had forgotten how annoying all these commercials were until I was without them for a few months. Wild horses couldn't drag me back. You guys have lost some folks' attention for good. Consider a good game development company if you're looking for work.
To the Networks: oversaturation is reached. You've gone way overboard. Too many commercials. My evening news (local) is supposedly 30 minutes long. 20 after excising commericals (drugs, cars and food..but mostly drugs). Then cut that in half and remove sports (which isn't news...it's sports. It should be a separate show). So, in the ten remaining minutes, two is weather. One is teasers for news stories we MUST see but they won't air until next week, so if the problem they warn about hits you between now and then, you're outa luck, bud! Two minutes of feel-good non-news, personal human interest story that has nothing to do with anything. So, five minutes for whatever news is happening in town. Anything to do with the war, politics, natural disasters, crime, local goings on, are relegated to three minutes an evening. You guys call that a news cast? It's propoganda, advertising and Oprah without the Oprah.
Reality TV. What, did you guys all just get lazy, greedy, or both? One is good, so twenty must be better? Have you guys given up on trying to do anything interesting and complex? Do you network and TV folks realize that the worst video games have more writing and talent in them than the best of your reality garbage? You realize that many of us don't watch most of it? Reality TV, what a cop-out. The caliber of the shows that are on TV are abysmal.
What is it about thinking that we need to know what Levitra and Celebrex are? Why are most of the prescription drugs of the day (the expensive ones) are now household names? How do we explain to a 4-year-old what Viagra is? What is wrong with you people? If you folks did not sell out to the pharmacuetical companies, maybe some of us could afford healthcare again! And having 1/3 of your 'show time' blotted out by commercials?
I can't even tell you how often I see some movie on one of your networks, decide I do actually want to see it, and throw the DVD in the player so I can watch it without your ridiculous advertising. You're rich enough. We don't need to know how much our neighbors will think of us if we buy a Volvo or how wonderful all women will view us if we can't get rid of our, um, er...improved virility. WHAT NONSENSE!
If you want to know where we went, check on XBox Live, or see how well the WII and PS3 sets and games are selling. We don't miss you and we aren't all that interested in being reminded why we stopped watching so much TV in the first place. The longer I play, the more ridiculous your lack of talent, resources, and imaginination really are. Not to mention the fact that all the 'entertainment" is just a cover for your real goal; ONE LONG ADVERTISEMENT. Bah, humbug!
I can get the news right from AP or whomever on a news clipping service page on the Internet, I can read as much or as little as I want. If there are ads, I can either block them, cover them, or leave. I don't HAVE to watch your stupid ads and it feels great. I can only hope that everyone out there learns how empowering it is not to have the tripe you call programming shoved at us.
One last thought. If you go off ala Fox Network and try to discredit the genre out of fear of losing market share, just beware; if you're lying, we'll go out and prove it to everyone we know. We know you feel intimidated and nervous. You should. Perhaps you should reconsider your business practices instead of just attacking those you don't understand. They have plenty to offer or you wouldn't be losing your share.
Once the DTV goes into effect, I know a lot of seniors who are just going to forget TV all together because they don't think what's on now is worth anything. It's not worth a box or a tv upgrade, and more of the same swill is just poisonous. Hey, what happened to all those easy home-loan commercials you guys used to run? I suppose you guys don't think the money you made airing all those 'easy credit' commercials is in any way part of profiting from the problem?
So, television officials, try turning the telescope on yourself, and fixing your egregious errors, or you'll just keep bleeding marketshare to a wonderful alternative, videogames. You guys need to pick yourselves off the gutter floor and try creating interesting, engaging content, without most of the commercial advertising overtaking it, and maybe, just maybe, some of us might come back for a fraction of the time we used to watch. Every time you lose a viewer, you are only paying for pushing things way too far, and not being truthful with yourselves or your audience about it. Most action video games are downright tame (sex and violence) compared to some of your prime time offerings. If you slam the content of the games, it's very likely your words will return to haunt you, along with hard core examples of how hypocritical you are (Fox, can you hear me?).
I am almost certainly cutting back on my satellite service as a result of having found a better form of entertainment. And it's primarily your fault for taking me for granted. Good luck getting me back.
RANT OFF.
A too old to play lady.
RANT ON:
To the writers: I hear you are back at work. That's what the news tells me. Jay Leno and others have fresh dialog about current events, instead of the obviously dated shows that were on during your strike. I don't know the particulars about your strike; as usual, network news programs probably terribly oversimplified the issues, so I'm under no illusion that I know what the real issues were. One thing I heard was that you wanted more of a cut from the DVD and online sales. I have some advice for you.
Next time you want to take issue with what you get for DVD sales and online sales, you might want to ask why so many folks have turned to DVD or online delivery. Fewer commercials. (Online content is trying hard to bring them there, so I would expect online delivery to die a tragic death if they start what the networks have done; polluted whatever viewing there is with so much advertisement that there's no way to keep your focus on the show any more. Hard to remember where things left off after 7 minutes of commercials.
After sydication to cable networks, especially the "T's" (TBS, TNN, etc.) cut further and add more commercials, they advertise other shows while yours are playing. It used to be a little corner with just their channel logo. Then it became animated. Then it crept across the bottom of the screen, and now up the side, until it seems like they've converted fully a fourth of the screen to advertisements of other shows, blotting out whatever is in that portion of the screen, and distracting the viewer from the show. You guys haven't got a chance.
Why tell you? Because now that I've gone off to either watching DVD's or playing interactive games on my Xbox, I haven't felt any desire to return to the few shows I used to watch semi-religiously. I'm having far more fun with the full screen, non-interrupted, interactive story. I had forgotten how annoying all these commercials were until I was without them for a few months. Wild horses couldn't drag me back. You guys have lost some folks' attention for good. Consider a good game development company if you're looking for work.
To the Networks: oversaturation is reached. You've gone way overboard. Too many commercials. My evening news (local) is supposedly 30 minutes long. 20 after excising commericals (drugs, cars and food..but mostly drugs). Then cut that in half and remove sports (which isn't news...it's sports. It should be a separate show). So, in the ten remaining minutes, two is weather. One is teasers for news stories we MUST see but they won't air until next week, so if the problem they warn about hits you between now and then, you're outa luck, bud! Two minutes of feel-good non-news, personal human interest story that has nothing to do with anything. So, five minutes for whatever news is happening in town. Anything to do with the war, politics, natural disasters, crime, local goings on, are relegated to three minutes an evening. You guys call that a news cast? It's propoganda, advertising and Oprah without the Oprah.
Reality TV. What, did you guys all just get lazy, greedy, or both? One is good, so twenty must be better? Have you guys given up on trying to do anything interesting and complex? Do you network and TV folks realize that the worst video games have more writing and talent in them than the best of your reality garbage? You realize that many of us don't watch most of it? Reality TV, what a cop-out. The caliber of the shows that are on TV are abysmal.
What is it about thinking that we need to know what Levitra and Celebrex are? Why are most of the prescription drugs of the day (the expensive ones) are now household names? How do we explain to a 4-year-old what Viagra is? What is wrong with you people? If you folks did not sell out to the pharmacuetical companies, maybe some of us could afford healthcare again! And having 1/3 of your 'show time' blotted out by commercials?
I can't even tell you how often I see some movie on one of your networks, decide I do actually want to see it, and throw the DVD in the player so I can watch it without your ridiculous advertising. You're rich enough. We don't need to know how much our neighbors will think of us if we buy a Volvo or how wonderful all women will view us if we can't get rid of our, um, er...improved virility. WHAT NONSENSE!
If you want to know where we went, check on XBox Live, or see how well the WII and PS3 sets and games are selling. We don't miss you and we aren't all that interested in being reminded why we stopped watching so much TV in the first place. The longer I play, the more ridiculous your lack of talent, resources, and imaginination really are. Not to mention the fact that all the 'entertainment" is just a cover for your real goal; ONE LONG ADVERTISEMENT. Bah, humbug!
I can get the news right from AP or whomever on a news clipping service page on the Internet, I can read as much or as little as I want. If there are ads, I can either block them, cover them, or leave. I don't HAVE to watch your stupid ads and it feels great. I can only hope that everyone out there learns how empowering it is not to have the tripe you call programming shoved at us.
One last thought. If you go off ala Fox Network and try to discredit the genre out of fear of losing market share, just beware; if you're lying, we'll go out and prove it to everyone we know. We know you feel intimidated and nervous. You should. Perhaps you should reconsider your business practices instead of just attacking those you don't understand. They have plenty to offer or you wouldn't be losing your share.
Once the DTV goes into effect, I know a lot of seniors who are just going to forget TV all together because they don't think what's on now is worth anything. It's not worth a box or a tv upgrade, and more of the same swill is just poisonous. Hey, what happened to all those easy home-loan commercials you guys used to run? I suppose you guys don't think the money you made airing all those 'easy credit' commercials is in any way part of profiting from the problem?
So, television officials, try turning the telescope on yourself, and fixing your egregious errors, or you'll just keep bleeding marketshare to a wonderful alternative, videogames. You guys need to pick yourselves off the gutter floor and try creating interesting, engaging content, without most of the commercial advertising overtaking it, and maybe, just maybe, some of us might come back for a fraction of the time we used to watch. Every time you lose a viewer, you are only paying for pushing things way too far, and not being truthful with yourselves or your audience about it. Most action video games are downright tame (sex and violence) compared to some of your prime time offerings. If you slam the content of the games, it's very likely your words will return to haunt you, along with hard core examples of how hypocritical you are (Fox, can you hear me?).
I am almost certainly cutting back on my satellite service as a result of having found a better form of entertainment. And it's primarily your fault for taking me for granted. Good luck getting me back.
RANT OFF.
A too old to play lady.
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Comments
Submitted by Raider30 on Tue, 03/25/2008 - 20:15
Submitted by microscent on Tue, 03/25/2008 - 22:03