posted on September 2, 2001 02:46:38 PM new
OK, I was surfing the channels the other day, and noticed that things are getting seriously weird. Maybe it's been this way for awhile, but I don't channel surf that often....
Court TV [the show devoted to airing live court proceedings] is now airing reruns of "The Profiler" [a series about an FBI "profiler" who has the psychic ability to "see" what the killers saw]. Nice show, but what does it have to do with court proceedings?
On CNN [the Cable News Network], they have a newscaster who used to play a telepath on the series "Babylon 5". She wasn't a particularly gifted actress, and she seems like a pretty wooden newscaster. She wasn't even that famous, so I can't see this as a publicity stunt.
On TNN [the Nashville Network, devoted to all things country] is showing Star trek movies and will soon be showing reruns of "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Now, I like Star Trek as much as the next geek, but I can't recall a single country music song ever being sung on the show.
AMC [American Movie Classics] is showing Godzilla movies all this month. Not that I mind, of course [you can never have enough Godzilla], but Godzilla movies certainly weren't American. Whether they can be considered "classics" or not is a matter of opinion...
I dunno... I always thought the whole beauty of cable TV was "niche" programming -- a channel for every taste. Now it looks like they're all trying to turn into generic network channels.
Barry
[edited because I just noticed I accidentally said that the actress was gifted when I meant that she wasn't. Oooops....]
[ edited by godzillatemple on Sep 3, 2001 07:54 AM ]
posted on September 2, 2001 03:42:52 PM new
I think TNN was bought out or something. On the plus side, now they show late night reruns of Miami Vice and Starsky & Hutch and, if you need a dose of Daisy Dukes, the Dukes of Hazzard.
Court TV runs police-related dramas (and not just the profiler) to flesh out their programming. I suppose they could run recorded broadcasts of courtroom coverage, but they seem interested only in live broadcasts. And perhaps with the backlash against the camera in the courtroom, the pickings are slim these days.
As for AMC, their definition of what constitutes a "classic" seems to have relaxed quite a bit.
Actress-turned-newsreporter isn't unheard of. I'm pretty sure the actress who played the butch blonde on NYPD Blue quit that show to become a newscaster.
posted on September 2, 2001 03:42:54 PM newCourt TV [the show devoted to airing live court proceedings] is now airing reruns of "The Profiler"
They need to fill 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. That means that at times they will need "filler." While having nothing to do with court proceedings, Profiler does have "law enforcment" in its theme.
CNN [the Cable News Network], they have a newscaster who used to play a telepath on the series "Babylon 5".
One of three reasons for her to be in that job: a) she likes newscasting & this is something she's always dreamed of; b) acting jobs can be hard to come by & she likes to eat, so... c) she is researching being a newscaster for an upcoming acting job.
TNN [the Nashville Network, devoted to all things country] is showing Star trek
Two reasons: Star Trek attracts viewers (& hence ratings) or the PTB for TNN like Star Trek & are running it because of that...
AMC [American Movie Classics] is showing Godzilla movies all this month
Godzilla movies *are* loved by Americans, though. And they are considered cult classics. Plus there is the fact that AMC is struggling in face of competition from TMC as Ted Turner has bought the rights to an incredibly huge amount of movies. For that reason you will see less variety on AMC, and what they do show is shown more often. It is also the reason that AMC has commercials on betweent he films.
I dunno... I always thought the whole beauty of cable TV was "niche" programming --a channel for every taste.
posted on September 2, 2001 05:22:07 PM newspaz: I'm pretty sure the actress who played the butch blonde on NYPD Blue quit that show to become a newscaster.
I think that's the same actress I'm talking about. I never watched NYPD Blue, but I seem to remember hearing that is where she went after leaving Babylon 5.
As for Godzilla movies on AMC, my question wasn't whether they were truly "classics" or not. It's just that I thought that channel ONLY showed American made movies.
As for TNN, at the risk of alienating people, my impression was that their programming was geared toward the, er, less sophisticated viewers. It doesn't suprise me a bit that they would be showing Dukes of Hazard [especially since that show has a strong country western flavor]. And WWF wrestling seems like a perfect match. But Star Trek? Seems like a bit of a stretch to me....
What's next? The Food Channel showing reruns of "All In the Family"? Comedy Central showing NASCAR races? The Discovery Channel showing Monty Python's Flying Circus?
I'm so confused....
Barry
---
The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
posted on September 2, 2001 05:42:30 PM newNow, I like Star Trek as much as the next geek, but I can't recall a single country music song ever being sung on the show.
I think I do.... It was the episode where they woke up (and saved) 3 frozen people from the 21st century.
posted on September 3, 2001 01:01:06 AM new
It's all about "Dumbing Down" what we see, IMO. I like C-SPAN and news channels, but I also like Science documentaries not related to emergency rooms, surgery, cops, serial killers, animals, and World War II and Adolph Hitler. Yet, TLC is filled with crap about dating and marriage during the day and emergency rooms, surgery, and medical stuff 99% of the time. Discovery shows more Law Enforcement shows and documentaries about Serial Killers than any other so-called "law" or "cops" channel. History Channel can't seem to get enough of World War II - particularly about Adolph Hitler. And no matter what the World War II program may be about, it almost ALWAYS shows Jews in death camps being starved or bulldozers pushing bodies into mass graves. I am sorry that it happened and I don't want it to happen again anywhere to anyone at anytime -- but I'm sick of seeing it and often, it does get thrown in there for no god reason other than to remind us about the Holocaust. Then, the Travel Channel reruns programs from Discovery, TLC, and History while concentrating on ghost stories and endless documentaries about the Loch Ness Monster. >>YAWN!<<
The problem with cable TV is that it is a MONOPOLY. Originally, monopoly status was granted to cable companies to defray the cost of installing cable in the area -- at a great expense admittedly and then also being required to provide content. However, it's been about 25 years here since cable was put in and it's installation costs have long, long been paid off.
I've read about many a time how some citizens push and get new city council members into office and they change the ordinance banning competition for the local cable company and end up with lowered prices and excellent programming. Of course, once those activists are out of seat, the politicians change the charter back to a monopoly status and rates get raised and quality of programming falls though the floor.
The only thing that we can do is to have a Pro-Consumer Federal and State Government and have them give US something worthwhile for a change!
sp.
[ edited by Borillar on Sep 3, 2001 01:03 AM ]
posted on September 3, 2001 04:32:20 AM new
I watch the History Channel quite a bit. I've noticed where the small H is denoting the network often appears the logo for China Beach. China Beach on the History Channel???
I have never watched China Beach, but I'd bet it has little to do with history. Or am I wrong on this one?
posted on September 3, 2001 05:02:19 AM new
China Beach was set in some wartime (WWII maybe?)
Ditto on everything you said, Borillar. I thought I would like getting the History Channel, but I haven't watched it in years.. except for the other night, I turned it on to find the last few minutes of "Where Eagles Dare," (I think), and then Sandy Van Ocher (sp?) came on afterwards, with some guests, probably introduced as "the two most boring guys in the world," and they put the finishing touches on this movie, just in case it had any life left in it. It was like they were beating it into a pulp with a pillow. Ack.
When I was a kid (I say this all the time), life was good. You bought a tv, you plugged it in, and there you were. You'd get CBS, NBC, ABC, the Mets on channel 9, Yankees on 11, PBS on 13. And, if you were lucky and had a tv that could get UHF, you'd get to see a very fuzzy Japanese movie or rollerderby on Saturdays. There was always something to watch and we were happy.
posted on September 3, 2001 07:38:07 AM newdonny: Well, somebody once said [I don't remember who, but I don't want to take credit] that with cable TV it now takes ten times as long to discover there's nothing worth watching on TV.
I don't watch much network TV [mostly just my favorite FOX shows like X-Files, Boston Public, and The Simpsons], but I have always been excited by the promise of cable TV. As Netweork TV got dumber and dumber, pandering to the lowest common denominator in order to boost ratings and get more money from advertisers, I found that most of the intelligent and/or interesting stuff made it's way to cable. I've enjoyed watching the Discovery and Learning channels over the years [remember when they used to show "Connections" with James Burke?] Shows like "Battlebots", "Junkyard Wars", "Biography", etc. always warmed my heart. I love the SCI-FI channel, especially since they started creating their own programming instead of relying solely on old reruns from the 60's and 70's.
I also appreciate the fact that there are channels like the travel Channel, the Food Channel, Court TV, etc., etc., etc., that are able to meet the needs of niche audiences without having to worry about satisfying every viewer on the planet.
It seems, however, that the "glory" days of cable [such as they were] are coming to an end. Now, more and more cable channels are trying to reach a wider audience instead of the niche demographics they were originally created to target. Now, all the channels are starting to look alike, and so many are rerunning network shows that I start to wonder "what's the point?"
Barry
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The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
posted on September 3, 2001 07:43:02 AM new
China Beach was based on a book by a nurse who served in Viet Nam. A wonderful show, I thought, but I don't know how historically correct it was - the show focussed on the effects the war had on different characters.
posted on September 3, 2001 07:49:10 AM newgodzillatemple, I agree with your description of cable TV's offerings. I dropped cable TV about eight years ago - not enough variety and the price crept up each year. I satisfied my TV craving by watching "The Simpsons" and "Seinfeld". But my husband likes to watch more TV than I do and the reception here is poor without cable - too many trees and hills - so we signed up again last month. Now we pay a hefty price to be able to see crappy TV clearly.
posted on September 3, 2001 11:11:39 AM new
And there's the irony.
We have to keep paying more while the quality of the programs gets worse.
Plus, we get more reruns and more commercials.
I love old movies but AMC keeps showing the same ones over and over. Every once in a while, I'll catch a good one on TMC or HBO. It ticks me off that Turner owns so many of the good ones and I can't see them. I refuse to pay even more for the privilege.
In a perfect world, all movies would be public domain.
Years ago when I got cable, I saw "The Little Foxes" with Bette Davis for the first time. I would dearly love to see it again, but it looks like that won't happen.
Network TV has very little that interests me. I watch "Frazier" and "60 Minutes". I use to enjoy "Dateline", but even that is starting to bore me. I'll watch "Will & Grace" unless there is something better on.
Don't watch any of the dramas, even though one of my sweeties, Martin Sheen, is a regular on "West Wing."
I watch A&E more than any other channel. I like "Biography", "American Justice", "Investigative Reports" and, my favorite, "City Confidential." The latter has clever writing, which is superbly delivered by actor Paul Winfield.
posted on September 3, 2001 11:54:37 AM newOn CNN [the Cable News Network], they have a newscaster who used to play a telepath on the series "Babylon 5". She wasn't a particularly gifted actress, and she seems like a pretty wooden newscaster. She wasn't even that famous, so I can't see this as a publicity stunt
Andrea Thompson is the actress. After B5, she was on JAG for a year and then on NYPD Blue for 4 years. I believe she left the show to spend more time with her family. She became a reporter on the CBS affiliate in Albuquerque. And, then, quickly moved up to CNN. She did get a lot of publicity for that move. Mainly from journalists who were upset that an actress with little news experience got the job over journalists who have been working their way up through ranks. Also, for 2 years she was married to Jerry Doyle who played Garibaldi on B5.
On TNN [the Nashville Network, devoted to all things country] is showing Star trek movies and will soon be showing reruns of "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Now, I like Star Trek as much as the next geek, but I can't recall a single country music song ever being sung on the show.
The Nashville Network is now The National Network. That's why they have ST. If you like Battlebots, TNN has Robot Wars.
posted on September 3, 2001 12:02:41 PM newIt ticks me off that Turner owns so many of the good ones and I can't see them. I refuse to pay even more for the privilege.
I get HBO, Showtime, The Movie Channel, CineMax, etc. and over 70% of the time I'm watching Turner Classic Movies. They do have the lion's share of the classics. If I could keep only one channel that played movies it would be Turner Classic Movies. AMC would probably be second in my movie viewing time. The HBO, SHOWTIME, CINEMAX, etc. seem to be resigned to showing movies I wouldn't play to see at the theaters or rent from the video stores lately. after 10pm they all seem to be specializing in softporn which would be a delight for me if I was 14, but I'm not.
posted on September 3, 2001 12:34:41 PM new
Let me start by saying, we have not had cable, satalight dish or any other mainstream TV networks for 3 years now. We got VERY tired of the same-same junk, the hype, the non-kids kid shows. We went out and bought 2 top of the line VCR's. We buy, not rent movies, all the time. Classics are the best (Cool Hand Luke, Willie Wonka, etc). We screen newer movies to see if they are viable to our family taste (7 out of 10 never come home with us). Turner has a major monopoly on the old movies, and I am not fond of the man personally, but he has done great things revamping old movies (though watching the b/w movies in color is still very odd).
Well, there is my 2 cents on this subject. We welcome yours.
posted on September 3, 2001 01:50:53 PM new
I think Turner might have given up on the idea of colorizing the movies. Twenty odd years ago, one of my profs characterized Turner as an idiot savant. I guess buying up the movies would be a savant part, and trying to colorize them would be an idiot part.
Turner does have some great movies, but irk me with bad programming choices. I'd like to see some of the foreign films I know they have in their library, but foreign films mostly get relegated to 2 am Friday nights, and 90% of the time it's some blah Truffaut movie. Yet, I know they have "The Satyricon," as well as other Fellini films, several Kurasowa films (including "Dreams," which I'd love to see again), some Bergman and, I think, "M," as well as a few other German movies. Please, more Fellini dwarves, less smoking Frenchmen, unless it's "The Sorrow and the Pity," which was definately worth seeing, even if they did cut out Robert Osborne's after-movie comments about Maurice Chevalier in the second showing.
posted on September 3, 2001 02:22:31 PM new
The colorization that Turner did was a mistake and that isn't done on TCM anymore. TCM is one of the few that makes an effort to show movies in Letter Box Format now, I appreciate that, it really makes a big difference. TCM shows silent films, and some great foriegn films. TCM aired 27 Akira Kurosawa movies in one month, some of them had never been shown in the US before. I taped almost all of them.
posted on September 3, 2001 02:23:46 PM newThe Nashville Network is now The National Network. That's why they have ST. If you like Battlebots, TNN has Robot Wars.
I didn't know about the name change, but I guess it explains the radical shift in programming. As for Robot Wars, I used to watch the original British version on PBS but I prefer Battlebots. I did catch one episode on TNN, just for the heck of it, and was sorry to see how much they had dumbed it down, what with all the robot operators having to wear silly costumes and the like.
Barry
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The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
[ edited by godzillatemple on Sep 3, 2001 02:25 PM ]
posted on September 3, 2001 09:50:22 PM new
I can't get cable. Too remote literally on the side of a volcano, lol
Got the Dish Network Satellite tho with 100 channels but until I get the rabbit ears I'm bidding on I'm SOL for receiving the networks.
Just as long as I have it in time for The Mole and Survivor...
