I don't even know where to start... I could write a book on this topic. (Maybe I will.)
Remember when the concept of "Pay" TV (what we now call Cable or Satellite television) was that when customers are paying for television there will be no need for sponsors and thus no commercials? That's just one issue to start with.
Then there are content issues - like when people say, "800 channels and nothing to watch."
Can anyone tell me why, in wee-of-the-morning hours, cable TV reverts almost entirely to info-mercials? Specialty channels that we PAY for, and which are supposed to serve up a genre of programming (whether it be comedy, science, drama, old-time programming, news, etc.) serve up nothing but advertising from 2:00 - 7:00 in the morning! This is really unfair to shift workers.
But one of the most unforgivable scourges inflicted on modern TV audiences is advertising on the screen DURING your show. And it's everywhere - pop-up ads; ads telling you what's on next; ads telling you what you're watching right now (instead of letting you watch it); giant pop-up banners that cover a third of the screen selling something or other; screens within your screen showing movement in advertisements while you're trying to watch the only thing that's supposed to be on the screen.
They even have on-screen ads with sound that plays during your program!!!
One of the ironies I find perplexing are network logos (some are more intrusive than others). The only time they MIGHT be at all helpful is during commercials - to let you know what network you're tuned into, and yet (and I know you saw this coming from a mile away...) the ONLY time they are NOT on the screen is DURING the commercials!!!
Modern TV has become ridiculous and I can't understand why the populace stands for it. Everything from cutting off the ends of movies for commercials, to minimizing credits so you can't read them, to covering captions and sub-titles with logos & ads telling you what ELSE is on that network.
Remember when the concept of "Pay" TV (what we now call Cable or Satellite television) was that when customers are paying for television there will be no need for sponsors and thus no commercials? That's just one issue to start with.
Then there are content issues - like when people say, "800 channels and nothing to watch."
Can anyone tell me why, in wee-of-the-morning hours, cable TV reverts almost entirely to info-mercials? Specialty channels that we PAY for, and which are supposed to serve up a genre of programming (whether it be comedy, science, drama, old-time programming, news, etc.) serve up nothing but advertising from 2:00 - 7:00 in the morning! This is really unfair to shift workers.
But one of the most unforgivable scourges inflicted on modern TV audiences is advertising on the screen DURING your show. And it's everywhere - pop-up ads; ads telling you what's on next; ads telling you what you're watching right now (instead of letting you watch it); giant pop-up banners that cover a third of the screen selling something or other; screens within your screen showing movement in advertisements while you're trying to watch the only thing that's supposed to be on the screen.
They even have on-screen ads with sound that plays during your program!!!
One of the ironies I find perplexing are network logos (some are more intrusive than others). The only time they MIGHT be at all helpful is during commercials - to let you know what network you're tuned into, and yet (and I know you saw this coming from a mile away...) the ONLY time they are NOT on the screen is DURING the commercials!!!
Modern TV has become ridiculous and I can't understand why the populace stands for it. Everything from cutting off the ends of movies for commercials, to minimizing credits so you can't read them, to covering captions and sub-titles with logos & ads telling you what ELSE is on that network.