Top Ten Irritations About Television Programs
TV Networks Seem to Strive for a Love-Hate Relationship with Viewers
Feb 8, 2009
In fact, people watch a lot of television. According to “The Benefits and Dangers of Television” (Christine Nuta, FamousWhy, July 7, 2007), researchers in the USA have estimated that when most students leave school they have spent 11,000 hours in the classroom but 22,000 hours watching television.
Television is Enjoyable
There are many good things about television. Television can be watched for entertainment, news, education, culture, weather, sports, and even music with cable offering some 100 music channels. Television can introduce children to different cultures, different opinions, and different ideas.
Television watching also brings families together to watch classic Hollywood films, foreign movies and documentaries. Many fondly remember watching a particular television show with parents or grandparents, and learning values from a show.
Television is Annoying
Today, though, networks have changed television in several simple, yet extremely important - and annoying, ways. This has been to the point that even hard core television aficionados either have turned away from television, or have developed other hobbies or interests to occupy their time. Even Groucho Marx once said, “I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book.”
Top Ten Irritations About Television Today
- A viewer becomes interested in a series only to find an exorbitant number of episode breaks interspersed with reruns (the old television season of 32 new episodes is no longer available);
- The commercials are extremely annoying. There are too many commercials, too many inappropriate commercials like drug commercials, commercials related to sex, or commercials about law firms, and the sound and volume levels increases excessively during commercials;
- There is too much gratuitous and graphic sex, violence, vulgarity and profanity;
- There are too many “reality” shows and “tabloid type” talk shows;
- Good shows are dropped by the networks mid-season, even though they are popular and receive a good audience and "hook" people;
- Plots and storylines are becoming more outrageous and unbelievable;
- Television programs today have ticker tape messages, network symbols, icons on the screen, or animated promos/ads for other TV shows while one is currently watching a program;
- Talk show hosts, comedians, and actors have become loud, in your face, obnoxious or insensitive;
- Overly dramatic and pregnant pauses on game shows followed with “and we’ll be right back after this commercial”, just before announcing a winner or event are especially annoying;
- Hollywood elevates celebrities who are self-destructive or inappropriate, to role model status.
There are many more things about television that are bothersome of course. Networks should have more educational shows and variety shows on primetime. The new widescreen format replacing the full screen format makes many shows too narrow for enjoyable viewing. Directors use camera shots that “zoom in” for drama, but look hokey. Summer seasons are extended with even more reruns, and for many average families they are finding their increasing cable rates tremendously expensive.
A Love Hate Relationship with Television
Television is entertainment. Television is education. Television is culture and art, drama and comedy, and reality and escape. It seems as if there is a spell cast upon the vast majority of Americans mesmerizing people, freezing them every night to stare fixedly upon a little box.
Orson Welles once said, “I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can't stop eating peanuts.” In this regard, so too, television is irresistible. Television is annoying.
References
Hollywood's Tragic Fall From Grace
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