Commercials, Promos, and Sales Pitch

[mrsl]

After watching TCM and The Western Channel as much as I do, although I've always hated commercials, I'm now to the point that I detest them. I especially get mad at the ones who trick you.

I watched a really enjoyable show last night on PBS (Channel 11 here in the Chicago area), called And They Came To Chicago. It was about the migration of Italians to America, but specifically to Chicago. Being Italian, I was very interested, and they advertised 'limited' interruptions. Well the first segment lasted almost a half hour, so I thought "Hey, this is good", but the sales pitch and promo lasted 10 minutes. After that first segment, there was another promo every 15 minutes, with another 10 minute break for the remaining 2 hours. i.e. the commercials lasted only 5 minutes less than the show segments. What a rip! Send money, send money, send money! Not only that but they started at $65 bucks for a video or DVD, $75 for an accompanying coffee table book, soft cover no less!

I guess it's better than men's enhancement methods, but now they're spouting one for women too!

What do you think? Do you believe those commercials should be banned just like cigarette commercials were? I hate when my munchkin asks what they mean - how do you explain to a 7 year old little girl? I mean, these things play all day long.

Anne

[SSO Admins]

PBS promos are the worst. I don't know about Chicago, but there's this smarmy woman who does the promos for Maryland Public Television that just makes me want to punch her. Of course, everything I would ever want to watch on PBS is shown during promo weeks.

As far as regular commercials go, I can't stand them. I have the innate ability to tune them out completely and return my attention to the program when it comes back on (something that my friends are quite jealous of). So even when I'm watching ad-supported TV, I couldn't for the life of me tell you what was advertised. But it interrupts the flow of the story and annoys me.

If you can tell me without violating the baord rules, I'd really like to know -- just what is female enhancement?

[movieman1957]

PBS promos are the worst. I don't know about Chicago, but there's this smarmy woman who does the promos for Maryland Public Television that just makes me want to punch her. Of course, everything I would ever want to watch on PBS is shown during promo weeks.

If you can tell me without violating the baord rules, I'd really like to know -- just what is female enhancement?

Jon:

Are you talking of the "beloved" Rhea? Too often a little too happy for me.
As far as PBS pledge drives go the 50's and 60's reunion shows are getting old (if you'll pardon the pun.)

Soon we'll be hearing - "Recorded live in the main dining room at the Charles Town Retirement Home it's the ________ (fill in name of favorite 60's pop group.)

Also, as far the ladies are concerned there is to be there version of Viagra. I think there are some other things in the works but I haven't been watching closely.

[jdb1]

PBS promos are the worst. I don't know about Chicago, but there's this smarmy woman who does the promos for Maryland Public Television that just makes me want to punch her. Of course, everything I would ever want to watch on PBS is shown during promo weeks.

If you can tell me without violating the baord rules, I'd really like to know -- just what is female enhancement?

Jon:

Are you talking of the "beloved" Rhea? Too often a little too happy for me.
As far as PBS pledge drives go the 50's and 60's reunion shows are getting old (if you'll pardon the pun.)

Soon we'll be hearing - "Recorded live in the main dining room at the Charles Town Retirement Home it's the ________ (fill in name of favorite 60's pop group.)

You're not kidding -- the worst of it is that my local PBS stations show the same darn nostalgia shows over and over and over and . . . . .

As much as I like the oldies, I'd appreciate a little variety. If I have to see one more segment of Herbie and the Haircuts singing their one and only hit -- or the East Grinstead City Dump as seen by air, or hearty Klopstockian folk dancing, I'm going to shriek blue murder.

What do they take us for, anyway? Frankly, I believe in the (theoretical) good works of Public TV, but I stopped giving them money a while ago, when they started pre-empting the shows most of us actually watch and enjoy and putting on these silly shows. How many times can you hear one ethnic group or another claiming that their music is special, and their food is special, and that only they have a special relationship to their food and their music. Sheesh!

[movieman1957]

The vaunted Rhea has been in Baltimore television since the 60's. Jon probably remembers as well she was a weather girl and had a puppet (a monster type who's name I don't remember) do the reports with her.

Other than that 25 years of pledge breaks and a movie.

[SSO Admins]

Are you talking of the "beloved" Rhea? Too often a little too happy for me.
As far as PBS pledge drives go the 50's and 60's reunion shows are getting old (if you'll pardon the pun.)

Soon we'll be hearing - "Recorded live in the main dining room at the Charles Town Retirement Home it's the ________ (fill in name of favorite 60's pop group.)

That's her. I don't know what it is about her that's so annoying, but she just makes me insane.

I watched one of those old reunion shows a while back that had Petula Clark, Gerry and the Pacemakers and Procul Harum. It was pretty bad since none of them had the vocal range that they'd had originally. The only band that sounded even close to their younger selves were The Troggs.

On the other hand, I saw a full Johnny Cash concert that was excellent, but when could Johnny Cash ever be bad?

[SSO Admins]

Everything I watch is via Tivo, so I just zip past commercials. I never see them. I haven't truly seen a commercial in about 6 years.

I believe that they are now making ads so that the message gets across in either real time or fast forward just because of that. They're also going more to product placement.

[benwhowell]

I hate commercials too (TV, radio, internet)-although I do enjoy "vintage" commercials. I wonder if I'll enjoy the commercials of today in another 30 years?
The first 25 episodes (from 1976) of "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" were recently released on DVD. I'm amazed at the large amount of "product placement" on that show...There are countless name brand products and businesses seen and mentioned-including a produce bag from the Von's supermarket. (Does Ohio even have Von's supermarkets?)
There's been lots of talk (on the internet) about episodes being cut. I couldn't possibly remember scenes (from 30 years ago) being cut, but with all the "product placement" it wouldn't surprise me if cuts were made for legal disputes. I've read that "WKRP In Cincinatti" ran into a few legal disputes with music used on various episodes.

[SSO Admins]

I've read that "WKRP In Cincinatti" ran into a few legal disputes with music used on various episodes.

Music rights are a huge issue when transferring TV to DVD. ThE Wonder Years is another show that's not yet on DVD because of music rights. Northern Exposure just went ahead and changed some of the music on the DVD releases.

[benwhowell]

I read that "WKRP In Cincinatti" changed some of the music too. That is a shame when agreements can't be met. I always loved the music used on "Northern Exposure."
I really enjoyed the series "American Dreams." It had a fantastic soundtrack of '60's music. I'm sure that will present a major headache in bringing it to DVD.

[jdb1]

I hate commercials too (TV, radio, internet)-although I do enjoy "vintage" commercials. I wonder if I'll enjoy the commercials of today in another 30 years?
The first 25 episodes (from 1976) of "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" were recently released on DVD. I'm amazed at the large amount of "product placement" on that show...There are countless name brand products and businesses seen and mentioned-including a produce bag from the Von's supermarket. (Does Ohio even have Von's supermarkets?)
There's been lots of talk (on the internet) about episodes being cut. I couldn't possibly remember scenes (from 30 years ago) being cut, but with all the "product placement" it wouldn't surprise me if cuts were made for legal disputes. I've read that "WKRP In Cincinatti" ran into a few legal disputes with music used on various episodes.

I guess now the joke's on Norman Lear, if he's having rights problems because of his digs, through Mary Hartman, at brand-conscious soap operas, TV and America in general.

[mrsl]

As for PBS promo weeks, the one reality show I ever watched and thoroughly enjoyed was one Saturday they ran consecutive segments of the Pilgrims who settled in Massoachusetts. They ran the whole show from episode 1 through the final one, and wouldn't you know, like an idiot I didn't tape it. Did anyone else see this exceptional show? A group of people volunteered to literally 'live' as the Pilgrims did in 1600, going by the same rules of conduct, religious beliefs, food, bedding, clothing, etc. It was a phenomenal show. Even Oprah went there for a day and although she managed fairly well, her friend Gail was counting the minutes before getting out. They had mice running back and forth where they were sleeping (or trying to sleep), and the flies getting into the food made Gail almost gag. Their visit was included in one of the episodes, but they were treated as genuine Pilgrims, and being black, they had to do the chores and all - they were not treated as VIP guests.

Jondaris:

As far as I'm concerned, if either partner is not getting satisfaction from the other, it's time to find a new partner, because the game is over. If that feeling isn't there, no enhancements are going to bring it back.

Anne

[jdb1]

Anne, that's what I find is a problem with PBS pledge drives. They run a few really good, interesting shows, and then they never stop running them. It used to be that one would look forward to such times, because the PBS stations would save the really top-drawer programs, in order to attract more viewers and more pledges. Now they I feel taken for granted and ill-used when they drag out the same four or five shows and run them over and over for weeks.

And don't even ask me how furious I am that our local New York area Channel 21 pre-empts EastEnders for weeks and weeks in order to run the same doo-wop and "viewed from the air" shows sixty-leven times, and then expects we EE fans to give them money. Bah!

[sandykaypax]

Anne, I watched that series too about the Massachusetts colony. PBS had two other similar series, one was Victorian House about an English family that lived in a Victorian house as a family of that time, and one was called Pioneer House (I think), about 3 families that traveled by covered wagon and set up homesteads. The Pioneer one was my favorite. At the end of the show, they judged each of the families on whether they had enough firewood and food stores to last through the winter. I think that only one of the families would've squeaked through.

Sandy K