This is a little off-topic for me, but I just have to bring up a pet peeve of mine--something I've never heard anyone else mention.
It's on my mind right now because I've watched more TV than usual the past couple of weeks. I usually don't watch much television, partly because I don't have time and partly because I can't find shows I want to watch. But I've been wrapping presents and finishing up some homemade Christmas gifts, and I enjoy keeping one eye on Christmas movies while working. So I was reminded again of one of my complaints about TV today.
Apparently it isn't enough that we're subjected to about twenty minutes of commercials out of every hour. Now, the channels run commercials across the bottom of the screen, right during the show. I particularly love it when you're watching a dark, moody drama, and you get to some intense scene. Someone is about to confess to a secret love, or the killer raises the knife to strike. And there comes a dancing frog across the bottom of the screen advertising tomorrow night's episode of Idiot Pets and their People, or something like that. Frankly, the mood is broken for me.
Not only does this annoy me as a viewer, but if I were the writer or producer of the television show, I'd be livid. You pour your soul into creating a story, a vision that will totally captivate your viewer. And the folks who present it make every effort to interrupt, distract the viewer, and get them thinking about upcoming shows rather than whatever they're watching at the time. And really, what's the point? Whatever is coming on tomorrow night, they're no doubt going to ruin that, too.
As I said earlier, I've never heard anyone else complain about this. So let me hear from you. Does this bother any of you? Or have you just gotten wise and given up on television, anyway?
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I watch about 2-3 shows a week, and I have just the local stations. The rest of TV shows I watch on itunes or the TV station's web site. I also have a large collection of DVDs so that I can watch with no commercials. I'm wondering how long TV broadcasting can last the way it is now. It is very annoying in numerous ways. I'm not intending to switch to HDTV, even when they stop broadcasting in anything but HDTV.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I never watch TV either (rarely anyway) and noticed last night that this guy in a Santa hat kept popping up every few minutes on the bottom of the screen and he had a banner that said what was coming up next. Sheesh. It was distracting.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds awful! Idiot Pets and their People! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI actually don't watch TV. Any. We don't have cable, and my kids watch PBS Kids shows, and we let them watch America's Funniest Home Videos and tape Extreme Makeover Home Edition every Sunday night (that I remember to). And that's it. So I have never seen this. TV is so trashy these days, it depresses me.
This drives us crazy at our house! I hardly ever watch tv anymore for precisely this reason. But, it's so much better here than in some countries. A friend of the family was overseas studying and brought back a DVD for my father with nature scenes and traditional music from that country. The commercials ON THE DVD run all over the screen. You can be watching a gorgeous waterfall and suddenly have a huge medallion with written advertising all over in the center of the screen. It's very obnoxious!
ReplyDeleteI watch so much TV it's absolutely crazy and I know exactly what you mean! It does get annoying and distracting, but I just ignore it. ;)
ReplyDelete