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Regulus · 09-30-2011, 05:48 AM

September 30, 2006. Approximately 6:00 PM. I drove to a House in New Smyrna Beach to attend a Bible Study held by my Church (We hold Bible Studoes at Member's Houses). Many of the members have Children, so a room us usually set aside for them to do activities while we do our studies. This room had a TV Set tuned in to Nickleodeon. Before we have our Study we'll have Supper. The Host made some Lemonade, and when she finished making it she placed several cups on a platter and filled them. She then approached me and asked me to take the beverages to the Children's Room. I did that. As I entered the room the children were watching a cartoon. The program went to a commercial break. The first Ad was for a toy (Nothing unusual here, after all it's a children's show). The second ad was that infernal lizard hawking his insurance (I wonder how much money I could save if they didn't spend so much money on advertising!). Then the third ad came on. I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a Prescription Drug Ad, the one that likes to rip off an old Elvis Presley Song. Bear in mind THIS WAS A CHILDREN'S SHOW!!! I Yelled for the hosts AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS. As soon as she came in I said look at the TV Set! She caught the tail wnd of that commercial, and needless to say she was as upset as I was. She IMMEDIATLY disconnected the Cable from the set, and ran to a store to get a DVD for them to watch. We both complained to the Network and the Cable Provider, and both of us got the same runaround. I also called the Pharmaceutical Company, and was told, rather bluntly that "Those Ads are not for the Children to see, it's for their Parents and Grandparents, who are watching with them." I was also told how much money they were spending for those Commercials each month, which was more than 1,000,000 times what I was spending for the "Privelige" of watching them. Over the past five years I had seen the overall quality of TV Programming do nothing but head south. Dozens of decent programs were cancelled, and replaced with cheaply produced Game Shows, News Shoss, and something called "Reality" Shows. The Commercials that sponsered these shows also took a turn for the worse, as it seems most of them present their product in an "In Your Face" Manner. In 2004 the type of Commercial I saw aired on that Children's Show made its debut during the 2004 Superbowl BEFORE that infamous Halftime Show "Wardrobe Malfunction" Debacle. (I'm sure CBS got

FLAMED

for those ads as much as they did for the Halftime Show). The Commercials also increased in number. 10-12 minutes in the mid 1990s, 12-15 in 2000, in 2006 the 20 minute mark had been passed. I begun questioning WHY was I PAYING to see all this nonsence. On this day I made up my mind. Television had passed the point where IMO, it was no longer worth paying for. The Following Thursday, I went on Vacation, attending an Amusement Park Club's Autumn Convention in Pennsylvania. Returning home the following Tuesday, I had a little over $300.00 in unused Traveler's Checks. I cashed them in, and beelined to a Shopping Center. I rifled the "Bargain Bins" of four Stores (Circuit City, Best Buy, Targhee and Wally's) looking for Cheap DVDs. I picked up over a dozen COMPLETE TV Series Box Sets(Over 600 episodes), along with over 20 Movies. This was only the beginning. Over the next three months, I scrounged enough money to double that Collection, and at Christmastime, I added another half-dozen TV Series, along with a dozen more Movies. I did a calculation and determined that at the rate of four hours each evening, it would take over a year to see them all. Cable TV was now redundant in my house, so as soon as the Cable Headquarters was open after the Holidays I gathered up all their equipment and BEELINED to their Office and told them I was FINISHED with them. This gave me an additional $65.00 a month to spend on Home Video Products, my signature bears testimony to what $65.00 a month can purchase over five years. I don't regret what I have done. I enjoy it. I no longer have to sit in front of my TV with my finger on the remote's "Mute" Switch waiting to blot out an offensive commercial. I watch what I want WHEN I want, and the only time I get interrupted is when the Phone Rings (A quick check of the Caller ID to see if its "Important"), Someone calls at my Front Door, or if the Weather Radio alerts me to the presance of Severe Weather. Reruns are at my discretion, as I can do that anytime I want, because the Disks are mine to keep. In the five years since I did this the times I HAVE seen Broadcast and Cable TV IMO it has only continued to head south. The Commercials have increased to absurd amounts, Some Networks reverting to what is called "Off-the-Clock" Scheduling, just to stuff in MORE COMMERCIALS. (If what I have calculated is true at least one network has SURPASSED the 50% mark with Advertising, showing 18 minutes of commercials to 17 minutes of programming.

INSANE! The Price of Subscribing has done nothing but increase, what cost me $65.00 a Month in 2006 would cost me $118.00 a Month today. NO WAY! And last year something I saw happening in 2006 FINALLY began happening. The Pay-TV Industry began reaping what they have sowen. Subscriber Numbers, which since 1948 (The year Cable TV began on a Mountaintop near Allentown, Pennsylvania) had always increased, did something unprecidented. They DECLINED! They have done nothing but decrease since then. Oh, you can say it's "The Economy" (I've been forced to curtail my DVD spending, but I'm not complaining, as I have a HUGE Library to programs to watch).

But people I have talked to are also as fed up as I was five years ago, and they are not the only way to get TV these days. Many CHEAPER Alternatives abound, and people are turning to them to get what they want. So rot in your Corperate Greed Pay-TV. You're finally getting what was coming to you! I do not feel sorry for you.

James · 09-30-2011, 01:16 PM

AKA · 09-30-2011, 06:45 PM

Congratulations?

Penny Lane · 10-01-2011, 11:27 AM

Back when "Pay TV" started there were no commercials. Now besides paying sometimes exhorbitant prices for the service we now have to pay higher prices for products because of the money the companies spend on their ads.I'm not sure when the commercials started up on cable but it really is not right as pay tv was offered as commercial free in the beginning!

The sponsors pay the cable companies to run their ads so why do we have to pay for them too?

LUNCH · 10-01-2011, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penny Lane

Back when "Pay TV" started there were no commercials. Now besides paying sometimes exhorbitant prices for the service we now have to pay higher prices for products because of the money the companies spend on their ads.I'm not sure when the commercials started up on cable but it really is not right as pay tv was offered as commercial free in the beginning!

The sponsors pay the cable companies to run their ads so why do we have to pay for them too?

I agree 100% with everything you mentioned Penny Lane!The viewer who pays for television is the REAL sponsor,so realistically there should be zero commercials on ALL cable/sat stations.And of course when the stations were either commercial free or showed alot less commercials the programming was alot better too.

LUNCH · 10-01-2011, 12:20 PM

Plus if I'm not mistaken, why is it if you pay for tv in alot of other countries like the countries of the UK for example,they do not have commercials or have a very small amount of ads.And I'm not even talkin' about the commercial free BBC.

Janice · 10-01-2011, 05:56 PM

Yelled at the top of your lungs because a drug ad was mistakenly played during children's programming? A bit of an overreaction, in my opinion. Your post is simply too long for me to read, but if my perusing skills are in working order, I'd say you gave up tv for watching DVDs. As long as it works for you, but I love tv way too much to give it up. Our cable bill, with phone and high-speed internet, is $205 a month, and worth every penny.

My husband gets all his sport's stations. Right now, we're watching two shows that are worth the $50 a week alone. Breaking Badly (AMC) and Boardwalk Empire (HBO) with Steve Buscemi. HBO has the best original shows going. My husband and I don't go at night much these days, so $205 a month for hours upon hours of quality entertainment is a small price to pay. I wish my bill would stop rising, but everything is high these days.

09-30-2011, 05:48 AM	#1
Regulus Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 07, 2011 Location: Port Orange, Florida Avatar - Poiuyt Posts: 3,374	Five Years Ago TODAY September 30, 2006. Approximately 6:00 PM. I drove to a House in New Smyrna Beach to attend a Bible Study held by my Church (We hold Bible Studoes at Member's Houses). Many of the members have Children, so a room us usually set aside for them to do activities while we do our studies. This room had a TV Set tuned in to Nickleodeon. Before we have our Study we'll have Supper. The Host made some Lemonade, and when she finished making it she placed several cups on a platter and filled them. She then approached me and asked me to take the beverages to the Children's Room. I did that. As I entered the room the children were watching a cartoon. The program went to a commercial break. The first Ad was for a toy (Nothing unusual here, after all it's a children's show). The second ad was that infernal lizard hawking his insurance (I wonder how much money I could save if they didn't spend so much money on advertising!). Then the third ad came on. I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a Prescription Drug Ad, the one that likes to rip off an old Elvis Presley Song. Bear in mind THIS WAS A CHILDREN'S SHOW!!! I Yelled for the hosts AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS. As soon as she came in I said look at the TV Set! She caught the tail wnd of that commercial, and needless to say she was as upset as I was. She IMMEDIATLY disconnected the Cable from the set, and ran to a store to get a DVD for them to watch. We both complained to the Network and the Cable Provider, and both of us got the same runaround. I also called the Pharmaceutical Company, and was told, rather bluntly that "Those Ads are not for the Children to see, it's for their Parents and Grandparents, who are watching with them." I was also told how much money they were spending for those Commercials each month, which was more than 1,000,000 times what I was spending for the "Privelige" of watching them. Over the past five years I had seen the overall quality of TV Programming do nothing but head south. Dozens of decent programs were cancelled, and replaced with cheaply produced Game Shows, News Shoss, and something called "Reality" Shows. The Commercials that sponsered these shows also took a turn for the worse, as it seems most of them present their product in an "In Your Face" Manner. In 2004 the type of Commercial I saw aired on that Children's Show made its debut during the 2004 Superbowl BEFORE that infamous Halftime Show "Wardrobe Malfunction" Debacle. (I'm sure CBS got FLAMED for those ads as much as they did for the Halftime Show). The Commercials also increased in number. 10-12 minutes in the mid 1990s, 12-15 in 2000, in 2006 the 20 minute mark had been passed. I begun questioning WHY was I PAYING to see all this nonsence. On this day I made up my mind. Television had passed the point where IMO, it was no longer worth paying for. The Following Thursday, I went on Vacation, attending an Amusement Park Club's Autumn Convention in Pennsylvania. Returning home the following Tuesday, I had a little over $300.00 in unused Traveler's Checks. I cashed them in, and beelined to a Shopping Center. I rifled the "Bargain Bins" of four Stores (Circuit City, Best Buy, Targhee and Wally's) looking for Cheap DVDs. I picked up over a dozen COMPLETE TV Series Box Sets(Over 600 episodes), along with over 20 Movies. This was only the beginning. Over the next three months, I scrounged enough money to double that Collection, and at Christmastime, I added another half-dozen TV Series, along with a dozen more Movies. I did a calculation and determined that at the rate of four hours each evening, it would take over a year to see them all. Cable TV was now redundant in my house, so as soon as the Cable Headquarters was open after the Holidays I gathered up all their equipment and BEELINED to their Office and told them I was FINISHED with them. This gave me an additional $65.00 a month to spend on Home Video Products, my signature bears testimony to what $65.00 a month can purchase over five years. I don't regret what I have done. I enjoy it. I no longer have to sit in front of my TV with my finger on the remote's "Mute" Switch waiting to blot out an offensive commercial. I watch what I want WHEN I want, and the only time I get interrupted is when the Phone Rings (A quick check of the Caller ID to see if its "Important"), Someone calls at my Front Door, or if the Weather Radio alerts me to the presance of Severe Weather. Reruns are at my discretion, as I can do that anytime I want, because the Disks are mine to keep. In the five years since I did this the times I HAVE seen Broadcast and Cable TV IMO it has only continued to head south. The Commercials have increased to absurd amounts, Some Networks reverting to what is called "Off-the-Clock" Scheduling, just to stuff in MORE COMMERCIALS. (If what I have calculated is true at least one network has SURPASSED the 50% mark with Advertising, showing 18 minutes of commercials to 17 minutes of programming. INSANE! The Price of Subscribing has done nothing but increase, what cost me $65.00 a Month in 2006 would cost me $118.00 a Month today. NO WAY! And last year something I saw happening in 2006 FINALLY began happening. The Pay-TV Industry began reaping what they have sowen. Subscriber Numbers, which since 1948 (The year Cable TV began on a Mountaintop near Allentown, Pennsylvania) had always increased, did something unprecidented. They DECLINED! They have done nothing but decrease since then. Oh, you can say it's "The Economy" (I've been forced to curtail my DVD spending, but I'm not complaining, as I have a HUGE Library to programs to watch). But people I have talked to are also as fed up as I was five years ago, and they are not the only way to get TV these days. Many CHEAPER Alternatives abound, and people are turning to them to get what they want. So rot in your Corperate Greed Pay-TV. You're finally getting what was coming to you! I do not feel sorry for you.
	__________________ Grail Shows: *Doc Elliot, Owen Marshall-Counselor of Law, Here's Boomer, Three for the Road, Holmes and YoYo* Bucket List Shows: *Hot Wheels, Skyhawks, Run Joe Run, Westwood* Last edited by Regulus; 09-30-2011 at 09:19 PM.

09-30-2011, 06:45 PM	#3
AKA 509 for life. Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Location: Southern California Posts: 16,689	Congratulations?
	__________________ Works on contingency? No, money down!

10-01-2011, 11:27 AM	#4
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 51,465	Back when "Pay TV" started there were no commercials. Now besides paying sometimes exhorbitant prices for the service we now have to pay higher prices for products because of the money the companies spend on their ads.I'm not sure when the commercials started up on cable but it really is not right as pay tv was offered as commercial free in the beginning! The sponsors pay the cable companies to run their ads so why do we have to pay for them too?
	__________________ Vulgarity is no substitute for wit- Lady Violet Crawley

10-01-2011, 12:20 PM	#6
LUNCH Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 23, 2010 Location: New York State Posts: 1,304	Plus if I'm not mistaken, why is it if you pay for tv in alot of other countries like the countries of the UK for example,they do not have commercials or have a very small amount of ads.And I'm not even talkin' about the commercial free BBC.
	Last edited by LUNCH; 10-01-2011 at 01:03 PM.

09-30-2011, 01:16 PM	#2
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370

10-01-2011, 05:56 PM	#7
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Yelled at the top of your lungs because a drug ad was mistakenly played during children's programming? A bit of an overreaction, in my opinion. Your post is simply too long for me to read, but if my perusing skills are in working order, I'd say you gave up tv for watching DVDs. As long as it works for you, but I love tv way too much to give it up. Our cable bill, with phone and high-speed internet, is $205 a month, and worth every penny. My husband gets all his sport's stations. Right now, we're watching two shows that are worth the $50 a week alone. Breaking Badly (AMC) and Boardwalk Empire (HBO) with Steve Buscemi. HBO has the best original shows going. My husband and I don't go at night much these days, so $205 a month for hours upon hours of quality entertainment is a small price to pay. I wish my bill would stop rising, but everything is high these days.