What has happened to television?
It used to be used for entertainment, to make us laugh at the end of a hard day. It grew into a fantastic educational tool, a way to see far off places and exotic species.
Television has "evolved" into a voyeuristic way to watch others lives. "Reality TV" that is so unreal that people cannot pry their eyes from the screen. But why do we find it so enthralling? Really? It is closer to unbelievable then believable, closer to appalling then it is to something we just cannot miss.
As we head into the summer of the Olympic Games I am filled with angst. In the US it will be carried by the stations of NBC. Watch most programs on there and pay attention not to the show but to the commercials. Look and see just how many there are. For the first time in a long time they have lost their first place rating in the morning time slot to ABC. Why? My belief is they have become too contrived. Couple that with an over abundance of commercials...and people change the channel. I do. The network fails to remember that while they may be centered in NY City, the rest of the country really is not all that invested in the rat race there. The hosts have come from other places but have become NYers. Note to Networks: there is a lot that folks in the rest of the country that do not like NYers and their methods ....and attitudes!
I digress...have we really evolved into only being able to watching "snippet TV"? Does the average American TV viewer have ADHD? And is the average American TV viewer dumb enough to believe they will actually see LIVE coverage, in primetime, of Olympic events. Your hint.... London is 4 hours ahead of east coast time. Those 8pm primetime events would be taking place at midnight in London.... I think not. Is it any wonder that the majority of Americans watch 200 channels on cable or satellite? And always feel that there is nothing on? And this summer I have to watch the reruns of programs of recent shows...or here in S FL we get to see infomercials in primetime on the weekends. Give me a break....
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