I'm talking about those "Remember When" segments or whatever they're called. They have that "frame" around the video and then they show a clip from one of their shows. I mean, it's fine that they do it, but they're Soooooo long! The other day I was sitting on the couch watching Bewitched and I dozed off. I woke up and they were showing one of those things with a clip from Gimme A Break" but it made me mad b/c I thought that they had interrupted Bewitched to air the other show and it made me mad. I almost changed the channel until I realized that I was basically watching a commercial for "Gimme A Break". I saw another one where they had Coach featured and it too seemed really long. It woudl be better if they showed a shorter clip like maybe thirty seconds or something.

I agree. I dislike those, and the ones they play during credits.

I also dislike the ones they play that are actual ads. One is for a tax service, and I could almost take a shower during them.

Actually I like those.

I really like Antenna A LOT. For a FREE channel it’s great.

Actually I like those.

I really like Antenna A LOT. For a FREE channel it’s great.

Antenna TV used to be one of the best "retro-channels" then they started that *** **** credit crunch and now they're unwatchable. Shame because they have some shows I'd love to see again.

I'm talking about those "Remember When" segments or whatever they're called. They have that "frame" around the video and then they show a clip from one of their shows. I mean, it's fine that they do it, but they're Soooooo long! The other day I was sitting on the couch watching Bewitched and I dozed off. I woke up and they were showing one of those things with a clip from Gimme A Break" but it made me mad b/c I thought that they had interrupted Bewitched to air the other show and it made me mad. I almost changed the channel until I realized that I was basically watching a commercial for "Gimme A Break". I saw another one where they had Coach featured and it too seemed really long. It woudl be better if they showed a shorter clip like maybe thirty seconds or something.

And those depressing commercials

Antenna TV used to be one of the best "retro-channels" then they started that *** **** credit crunch and now they're unwatchable. Shame because they have some shows I'd love to see again.

I dont think they have any competition when it comes to retro tv but just do dumb **** like the credit crunch

and since they're doing the credit crunch to save money because their parent company-Tribune Broadcasting- is in financial trouble; unfortunately I doubt they'll stop it anytime soon.:(:(

I don't like the credit crunches either (love that word, actually!) but I do like the station. I've been DVRing I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched so I've been watching it more than I used to.

And those depressing commercials

Yeah the commercials are a pain—not so much the Shriner commercials but the ones they have for every stupid-a## product under the sun. Especially those “magic” pillow commercials. That guy claims his pillows can do everything including part the Red Sea and cure Covid. And the commercials are so looonnng too.

So, I do have to concede that Antenna isn’t what it used to be. But I still like them as they’re free. And when those looonnng commercials come on I press mute and do a few posts on S.O.

Not so sure many of the pay-for channels are a whole lot better. Much the time when I want to watch a Sitcom ep I go to Hulu or YT.

Yeah the commercials are a pain—not so much the Shriner commercials but the ones they have for every stupid-a## product under the sun. Especially those “magic” pillow commercials. That guy claims his pillows can do everything including part the Red Sea and cure Covid. And the commercials are so looonnng too.

So, I do have to concede that Antenna isn’t what it used to be. But I still like them as they’re free. And when those looonnng commercials come on I press mute and do a few posts on S.O.

Not so sure many of the pay-for channels are a whole lot better. Much the time when I want to watch a Sitcom ep I go to Hulu or YT.

Are you talking about the My Pillow commercials?

Yeah the commercials are a pain—not so much the Shriner commercials but the ones they have for every stupid-a## product under the sun. Especially those “magic” pillow commercials. That guy claims his pillows can do everything including part the Red Sea and cure Covid. And the commercials are so looonnng too.

So, I do have to concede that Antenna isn’t what it used to be. But I still like them as they’re free. And when those looonnng commercials come on I press mute and do a few posts on S.O.

Not so sure many of the pay-for channels are a whole lot better. Much the time when I want to watch a Sitcom ep I go to Hulu or YT.

I could go on another rant about their commercials, but I've done that enough on here--but I will say those 5 minute ads are the worst. And thank goodness for the mute button.

Unbelievable! Stevea, MA, Oh Nuts!, these advertisers that you are complaining about are companies that haven't turned their back on you. They pay the bills, without them METV, Decades, and all the others don't exist. It's that simple. You won't have to worry about credit crunching, Antenna TV will cease to exist. If you want to be mad about something take a look around at the products you buy that want nothing to do with the programming you watch and want to continue to see. Before blowing off the MyPillow guy, keep in mind he's on your side.

Unbelievable! Stevea, MA, Oh Nuts!, these advertisers that you are complaining about are companies that haven't turned their back on you. They pay the bills, without them METV, Decades, and all the others don't exist. It's that simple. You won't have to worry about credit crunching, Antenna TV will cease to exist. If you want to be mad about something take a look around at the products you buy that want nothing to do with the programming you watch and want to continue to see. Before blowing off the MyPillow guy, keep in mind he's on your side.

I wasn’t complaining.

Unbelievable! Stevea, MA, Oh Nuts!, these advertisers that you are complaining about are companies that haven't turned their back on you. They pay the bills, without them METV, Decades, and all the others don't exist. It's that simple. You won't have to worry about credit crunching, Antenna TV will cease to exist. If you want to be mad about something take a look around at the products you buy that want nothing to do with the programming you watch and want to continue to see. Before blowing off the MyPillow guy, keep in mind he's on your side.

And neither was I! If you bother to read my many posts ALL say nice things about Antenna. And, to make sure we have clarity, I was not really bit##ing about the commercials. I just mute them and use the time for something else. I realize commercials are necessary as Antenna is a FREE channel - at least in my area.

I personally don’t care for the MyPillow guy and his products. But if you are so madly in love with him, buy a dozen of his pillows and sleep tight.

And I’m the first to say if the credit crunches etc. ARE SO OFFENSIVE to someone - They should pay for a premium channel.

Unbelievable! Stevea, MA, Oh Nuts!, these advertisers that you are complaining about are companies that haven't turned their back on you. They pay the bills, without them METV, Decades, and all the others don't exist. It's that simple. You won't have to worry about credit crunching, Antenna TV will cease to exist. If you want to be mad about something take a look around at the products you buy that want nothing to do with the programming you watch and want to continue to see. Before blowing off the MyPillow guy, keep in mind he's on your side.

You have a good point. I do think the 5 minute (literally) ones are too much. They probably have other advertisers who could put separate ads during that time.

Until recently I had been receiving Antenna TV in a normal, full screen picture. But now some idiot has decided to mess with the picture size and I now receive the channel in a shrunken down, smaller size square picture with black bars on all four sides of the screen. :rolleyes:

Antenna TV, MeTV, and all the other retro channels, whatever their names are, all of them are junk and unwatchable. DVD's aren't always perfect either but they are much better and I gladly choose to watch DVD's instead of the crappy retro channels.

Unbelievable! Stevea, MA, Oh Nuts!, these advertisers that you are complaining about are companies that haven't turned their back on you. They pay the bills, without them METV, Decades, and all the others don't exist. It's that simple. You won't have to worry about credit crunching, Antenna TV will cease to exist. If you want to be mad about something take a look around at the products you buy that want nothing to do with the programming you watch and want to continue to see. Before blowing off the MyPillow guy, keep in mind he's on your side.Your reaction to their complaints seems extreme, makes me wonder if you are one of those advertisers... Yes they pay bills for the stations, but that doesn't mean they are on the viewer's side, their goal is making money. And TV advertising has gotten a lot worse since the ban on medical commercials was lifted, plus all the lawsuit and abused animals and now abused humans ones. Especially on a channel that airs all comedies like Antenna TV. My Pillow I don't mind like a lot do, but the worst is the say whaaat? rockin' body ad. Just muting it doesn't help as it is quite obscene visually.

Until recently I had been receiving Antenna TV in a normal, full screen picture. But now some idiot has decided to mess with the picture size and I now receive the channel in a shrunken down, smaller size square picture with black bars on all four sides of the screen. :rolleyes:

Antenna TV, MeTV, and all the other retro channels, whatever their names are, all of them are junk and unwatchable. DVD's aren't always perfect either but they are much better and I gladly choose to watch DVD's instead of the crappy retro channels.Check the picture settings on your TV, they differ depending on the set. My TV has normal, stretch, wide, and zoom options. Wide works perfect for Antenna TV as it is full screen. My parents have a bigger TV with Normal, 16:9, Movie Expand (that setting seems worthless on any channel), Zoom, and Wide. Wide used to work full screen on their TV until they got an "improved" cable box from Comcast. Now 16:9 is the best option, but it does leave blank space on both sides.

Check the picture settings on your TV, they differ depending on the set. My TV has normal, stretch, wide, and zoom options. Wide works perfect for Antenna TV as it is full screen. My parents have a bigger TV with Normal, 16:9, Movie Expand (that setting seems worthless on any channel), Zoom, and Wide. Wide used to work full screen on their TV until they got an "improved" cable box from Comcast. Now 16:9 is the best option, but it does leave blank space on both sides.

Thanks for your suggestion but I don't think there's much I can do about it. I suspect that someone at the cable outfit I'm signed up with, Spectrum, or maybe someone at the local affiliate of Antenna TV, decided to mess with the picture size and shrink it down to a smaller size square picture. :rolleyes: I seldom watch Antenna TV now anyway, I'm just glad I recorded all the Joey Bishop episodes while I was still getting a full screen picture.

Until recently I had been receiving Antenna TV in a normal, full screen picture. But now some idiot has decided to mess with the picture size and I now receive the channel in a shrunken down, smaller size square picture with black bars on all four sides of the screen. :rolleyes:

Antenna TV, MeTV, and all the other retro channels, whatever their names are, all of them are junk and unwatchable. DVD's aren't always perfect either but they are much better and I gladly choose to watch DVD's instead of the crappy retro channels.

I watch Flintstones, Honeymooners, and Dick Van Dyke Sunday nights on Me. I’ve also been watching the Waltons on Me some on weekdays as well since I was let go and stuck at home. Other than that, I watch DVDs or streaming. You are right that they are junk for the most part. Antenna with the credit crunch and the long and haphazardly places commercial breaks and Me with the same stale prime time lineup for years. Decades occasionally has some good shows but I can’t even get it anymore so I mostly stick to DVDs. Crackle and the Roku channel have some good shows to I watch sometimes.

Thanks for your suggestion but I don't think there's much I can do about it. I suspect that someone at the cable outfit I'm signed up with, Spectrum, or maybe someone at the local affiliate of Antenna TV, decided to mess with the picture size and shrink it down to a smaller size square picture. :rolleyes: I seldom watch Antenna TV now anyway, I'm just glad I recorded all the Joey Bishop episodes while I was still getting a full screen picture.

Must be your affiliate. I still get a full screen when I turn on Antenna and I didn’t fool around with the picture size.

I'm talking about those "Remember When" segments or whatever they're called. They have that "frame" around the video and then they show a clip from one of their shows. I mean, it's fine that they do it, but they're Soooooo long! The other day I was sitting on the couch watching Bewitched and I dozed off. I woke up and they were showing one of those things with a clip from Gimme A Break" but it made me mad b/c I thought that they had interrupted Bewitched to air the other show and it made me mad. I almost changed the channel until I realized that I was basically watching a commercial for "Gimme A Break". I saw another one where they had Coach featured and it too seemed really long. It woudl be better if they showed a shorter clip like maybe thirty seconds or something.As a big fan of Coach, I am jealous my affiliate has never aired that extended ad. It would definitely be preferable to some of the other ads I mentioned in my earlier post on this thread.

Your reaction to their complaints seems extreme, makes me wonder if you are one of those advertisers... Yes they pay bills for the stations, but that doesn't mean they are on the viewer's side, their goal is making money. And TV advertising has gotten a lot worse since the ban on medical commercials was lifted, plus all the lawsuit and abused animals and now abused humans ones. Especially on a channel that airs all comedies like Antenna TV. My Pillow I don't mind like a lot do, but the worst is the say whaaat? rockin' body ad. Just muting it doesn't help as it is quite obscene visually.

I'll go piece by piece:

"Yes they pay bills for the stations"

That's important, very important!


"their goal is making money".

That's true, you know who else has that same goal, the companies supplying the programming, and the companies that own the retrochannels.

The one and only way these channels will stay on is if they can sell enough advertising to make a profit. And keep in mind one other thing, if next week, next month, next year one or more of these channels figure out a way to make more money showing something else, you won't have to worry about muting them, they'll do it for you.

Your anger should be pointed at the car companies you do business with, the vacation companies you do business with, the stores you do business with, the fast food chains you frequent that will not spend dollar one advertising on programs your interested in on channels you watch.

With respect to this space, MyPillow, Colonial Penn the various animal charities, the Shriners, St Jude and all the rest aren't your best friends, they're your only friends.

With respect to this space, MyPillow, Colonial Penn the various animal charities, the Shriners, St Jude and all the rest aren't your best friends, they're your only friends.You have a twisted view of what a "friend" is. :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=catsrule;5719991]You have a twisted view of what a "friend" is. :rolleyes:[/QUO

If you watch these stations, get any value from them being around, remember who is making that possible.

And neither was I! If you bother to read my many posts ALL say nice things about Antenna. And, to make sure we have clarity, I was not really bit##ing about the commercials. I just mute them and use the time for something else. I realize commercials are necessary as Antenna is a FREE channel - at least in my area.

I personally don’t care for the MyPillow guy and his products. But if you are so madly in love with him, buy a dozen of his pillows and sleep tight.

And I’m the first to say if the credit crunches etc. ARE SO OFFENSIVE to someone - They should pay for a premium channel.

No you weren't complaining, this is very positive feedback!:

"Yeah the commercials are a pain—not so much the Shriner commercials but the ones they have for every stupid-a## product under the sun. Especially those “magic” pillow commercials. That guy claims his pillows can do everything including part the Red Sea and cure Covid. And the commercials are so looonnng too."

Again, if the pillow guy and the Colonial Penn people move their dollars elsewhere you won't have to bother muting their messages the stations will program something else, maybe home shopping or religious programming or 6 hours of King of Queens, and 4 hours of 2 Broke Girls …(the demos will be better).

No you weren't complaining, this is very positive feedback!:

"Yeah the commercials are a pain—not so much the Shriner commercials but the ones they have for every stupid-a## product under the sun. Especially those “magic” pillow commercials. That guy claims his pillows can do everything including part the Red Sea and cure Covid. And the commercials are so looonnng too."

Again, if the pillow guy and the Colonial Penn people move their dollars elsewhere you won't have to bother muting their messages the stations will program something else, maybe home shopping or religious programming or 6 hours of King of Queens, and 4 hours of 2 Broke Girls …(the demos will be better).

Not sure if you’re being sarcastic, but if you are: sorry you’re reading my post as a major Bitc*fest. That wasn’t my intention. Really, how can you complain about a station that’s free and let me see shows I never thought would see the light of day like Bachelor Father and Here Come the Brides. And just look at my “footers” —I love Antenna! Is it perfect? No but so what. It’s “”imperfections” are minor to me.

And YES, I do realize the advertisers are vital-but that doesn’t mean I have to watch the ones I don’t want to see! The ones for Shriner’s and St. Jude are absolutely not the ones that “annoy” me.

I AM grateful for the many fine thing about Antenna, whether you want to believe it or not.

Antenna TV isn't free for me, it's part of my cable TV package so I pay to receive it. I really should re-negotiate my deal and see if I can delete Antenna TV and these other retro channels to save some money. The main reason I've been keeping these channels is if they air a series I might want to record, but since episodes are usually edited and the other problem is the picture size is not full screen, none of these channels have a full screen picture anymore. I don't like recording shows if the picture isn't full screen so I should just forget about it and ditch these channels. I have so many DVD's to watch anyway, many of those have unedited shows and the picture is full screen.

Antenna TV isn't free for me, it's part of my cable TV package so I pay to receive it. I really should re-negotiate my deal and see if I can delete Antenna TV and these other retro channels to save some money. The main reason I've been keeping these channels is if they air a series I might want to record, but since episodes are usually edited and the other problem is the picture size is not full screen, none of these channels have a full screen picture anymore. I don't like recording shows if the picture isn't full screen so I should just forget about it and ditch these channels. I have so many DVD's to watch anyway, many of those have unedited shows and the picture is full screen.

I don't think that will do anything as it relates to reducing your cable bill. Some of the retrochannels are on UHF, these channels fall into the must carry category. If the signal reaches your market the cable company is required to carry the channel if it is offered at no charge. Other retrochannels are actually subchannels of the over the air stations in your area. Their cost would be folded into the cost of the mother station. All of these should be available in the basic package.

That said, the thing that makes cable so expensive can be summed up in one word, sports. The cost of this programming is outrageous. Congress has failed miserably (no surprise) in protecting the cable consumer. The cable consumer is essentially subsidizing MLB, NFL, NBA and the NHL. ESPN is the single most expensive network on the family/value tier level. Add to that regional sports networks and even more disgusting NCCA networks (BTN for example) and the ripoffs are nothing short of criminal. To make matters worse, cable companies have added sports surcharges on to cable bills, meaning you are being charged for something you are already being charged for. Cable should have gone to an a la carte system years ago. Maine passed legislation awhile ago to require cable systems to offer a la carte pricing (if there are any residents of the state reading this that could expand on my comments it would be appreciated). Whatever your cable bill is I would guess at least 40% of it relates to sports.

I don't think that will do anything as it relates to reducing your cable bill. Some of the retrochannels are on UHF, these channels fall into the must carry category. If the signal reaches your market the cable company is required to carry the channel if it is offered at no charge. Other retrochannels are actually subchannels of the over the air stations in your area. Their cost would be folded into the cost of the mother station. All of these should be available in the basic package.

That said, the thing that makes cable so expensive can be summed up in one word, sports. The cost of this programming is outrageous. Congress has failed miserably (no surprise) in protecting the cable consumer. The cable consumer is essentially subsidizing MLB, NFL, NBA and the NHL. ESPN is the single most expensive network on the family/value tier level. Add to that regional sports networks and even more disgusting NCCA networks (BTN for example) and the ripoffs are nothing short of criminal. To make matters worse, cable companies have added sports surcharges on to cable bills, meaning you are being charged for something you are already being charged for. Cable should have gone to an a la carte system years ago. Maine passed legislation awhile ago to require cable systems to offer a la carte pricing (if there are any residents of the state reading this that could expand on my comments it would be appreciated). Whatever your cable bill is I would guess at least 40% of it relates to sports.

Informative post, thanks for sharing the information. I agree that sports programming is a big part of the cable charges. And the thing is, most sports are on hold right now with this virus pandemic so the cable outfits shouldn't even be charging for this stuff right now. I also agree that cable TV is a ripoff but I've had cable since the 1980's so this is how I'm used to receiving TV channels. Each year in April I get zapped with a rate increase, this time they zapped me with a $25 increase. I need to do something about it but I think all I can do is drop down to a less expensive package that offers fewer channels, which means I'd be losing several channels that I currently have. As long as the channels I'd be losing are ones that I don't watch or seldom watch, I wouldn't be missing anything.

Informative post, thanks for sharing the information. I agree that sports programming is a big part of the cable charges. And the thing is, most sports are on hold right now with this virus pandemic so the cable outfits shouldn't even be charging for this stuff right now. I also agree that cable TV is a ripoff but I've had cable since the 1980's so this is how I'm used to receiving TV channels. Each year in April I get zapped with a rate increase, this time they zapped me with a $25 increase. I need to do something about it but I think all I can do is drop down to a less expensive package that offers fewer channels, which means I'd be losing several channels that I currently have. As long as the channels I'd be losing are ones that I don't watch or seldom watch, I wouldn't be missing anything.

I know where your coming from. In February the cable company increased the rate by $15 dollars. I had enough, so I gave them a call, after much back and forth they switched me from my current package to a promotional package that was $15 dollars cheaper than what I had been paying before the increase (go figure). They actually added more channels! I don't watch that many channels so my plan is next year when the promotion ends drop to the basic package and maybe subsidize that with one these thin bundles that one of the streaming services offers (I have to check into it a bit).

I don't think that will do anything as it relates to reducing your cable bill. Some of the retrochannels are on UHF, these channels fall into the must carry category. If the signal reaches your market the cable company is required to carry the channel if it is offered at no charge. Other retrochannels are actually subchannels of the over the air stations in your area. Their cost would be folded into the cost of the mother station. All of these should be available in the basic package.
There are three diginet affiliates in Fort Wayne I have been wanting that Comcast won't put on their system: Me TV, Light TV, and Cozi. Me TV is on a subchannel of either the ABC or NBC station, they are owned by the same company. Light TV is a subchannel of religious channel TCT, which the main station is carried on cable. And Cozi I had sent a message to, did not know they were in Fort Wayne. It was a channel number I didn't recognize for over the air, must be a UHF one.

Really, how can you complain about a station that’s free and let me see shows I never thought would see the light of day like Bachelor Father and Here Come the Brides. And just look at my “footers” —I love Antenna! Is it perfect? No but so what. It’s “”imperfections” are minor to me.

And YES, I do realize the advertisers are vital-but that doesn’t mean I have to watch the ones I don’t want to see! The ones for Shriner’s and St. Jude are absolutely not the ones that “annoy” me.




I agree with you. I love Antenna TV and I have since seen a lot of those clips from shows. I still think they're too long but some of them are funny. I just wish they would show different ones since they keep showing the Gimme A Break one over and over. I finally watched it in it's entirety, after seeing it about 10 times without paying much attention.



I usually tape the shows I really want to see and that way I don't have to watch the commercials.

Not sure if you’re being sarcastic, but if you are: sorry you’re reading my post as a major Bitc*fest. That wasn’t my intention. Really, how can you complain about a station that’s free and let me see shows I never thought would see the light of day like Bachelor Father and Here Come the Brides. And just look at my “footers” —I love Antenna! Is it perfect? No but so what. It’s “”imperfections” are minor to me.

And YES, I do realize the advertisers are vital-but that doesn’t mean I have to watch the ones I don’t want to see! The ones for Shriner’s and St. Jude are absolutely not the ones that “annoy” me.

I AM grateful for the many fine thing about Antenna, whether you want to believe it or not.

I sure wish Antenna TV would bring back Bachelor Father & Here Come the Brides--those would be great to see again! I didn't get to see Bachelor Father when Antenna TV aired it so it would be really nice to see it again. There are others I'd love to see on Antenna TV like Chico and the Man, Room 222, Love That Bob (The Bob Cummings Show), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, & Nanny and the Professor but they have a great lineup right now. I mainly just record shows from Antenna and watch them later, though, so I don't have to deal with commercials.

I agree it would be nice for Bachelor Father to return, I like it much better than dull Father Knows Best and McHale's Navy. Sadly I don't think Antenna TV is interested in bringing it back, the Bachelor Father Facebook page has posted on Antenna TV's page a few times wanting to air there.

A good thing about Antenna TV's commercials: they don't have the constant covid-19 reminders other channels shove down our throats. We all know about it! :crazy:

A good thing about Antenna TV's commercials: they don't have the constant covid-19 reminders other channels shove down our throats. We all know about it! :crazy:

you mean the "we are all in this together" commercials:lol:

you mean the "we are all in this together" commercials:lol:

That and "unprecedented." Although it is, I'm sick of hearing it!

And the TV News has become "All COVID all the time." Please, I just want the weather.

That and "unprecedented." Although it is, I'm sick of hearing it!

And the TV News has become "All COVID all the time." Please, I just want the weather.

And reports the new cases and death numbers with such enthusiasm:lol:

A good thing about Antenna TV's commercials: they don't have the constant covid-19 reminders other channels shove down our throats. We all know about it! :crazy:

My local station airs those from my local station news all the time during breaks on Antenna.

So much for that, one of my local hospitals just aired one. :wallbang