They say the 1950's and early 1960's were the golden age of television- when the 3 major TV networks- National Broadcasting Company (NBC)- Columbia Broadcast System (CBS) and the American Broadcast Company (ABC) ruled the roost in numbers of viewers. This AP article tells how- in the Summer of 2007- the 3 major TV networks- ABC- CBS and NBC lost an additional "9-percent" of what viewers they still have.
Like most American "baby-boomers"- I grew up on broadcast commercial television. By the 1990's- I was taping what few programs I still cared to watch- for the frequent placement of commercials had pretty much burned me out on watching "live" programs.
By 2007- I don't record anything- barely watch television at all- completely turned off by the too-frequent- blatant and overbearing commercialism.
After watching Bill Moyers last week on how network executives pushed their own agenda on "news" talk shows to ram Bush's Folly down our throats- any respect I had for the TV networks as far as delivering "balanced" news is pretty much totally gone.
There's a plethora of information and entertainment options out there. One can now seek the truth without the spin.
The biggest option is the computer or what I call the "library of the screen"- the Internet. I have music videos- interviews- news archives at my fingertips and with more than 20000 MP3's on the hard drives- there's no need to watch what they want you to watch when they want you to watch it and make their mindset YOURS.
I've made a game with myself to learn something new every day and- in spite of TV-Lite- know more today than yesterday (but never quite as much as tomorrow - sorry Spiral Staircase g).
I'm curious how much- if any TV- you- the reader watch and what kinds of programs.
It is no big deal to me certainly- but it very much remains a "big deal" with TV's 'Big-3' networks dealing with their hemorrhaging of viewers.
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