TV is Rubbish

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

TV is Rubbish

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

Sounds like you should save yourself a bundle every month and ditch the sky.

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

I think I agree with the bits of your post that I understand. What was the white sticky bit, exactly?

I think the decline in the quality of television over the past few years probably has a lot to do with the sheer amount of air time that has to be filled. Back in the day, there were (in the UK, anyway) only four channels which meant 96 hours of airtime per day, 672 per week and 34944 per year.

Now, with Sky we have a grand total of 260 odd channels which gives us 6240 hours of air time per day, 43680 per week and 2271360 per year.

Given that with only four channels to fill, we already had a significant amount of old tosh filling the time between episodes of Blackadder, when you multiply that up to 260 channels, it's no wonder that TV is a load of cobblers these days.

Now I happen to know that at least one of our illustrious members doesn't share your opinion on Soaps and I don't dare contradict her, cos she's kinda scary...

So it brings us to the question... what does everyone currently watch on TV? And given the sheer amount of crapness we have on our tellys, how is it possible that American TV is even crapper?

Aodan · Teiam Member

I have about 300+ channels. I watch 4 of them.

Most of the channels have turned into reality tv horror shows. Even a station I used to love .. The Learning Channel - has become nothing more than the house makeover channel. That's more or less the only thing they play these days.

I HATE those shows. There used to be good quality entertainment on those channels.

Channels Currently Watched:

SciFi channel - for Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis (yes I'm THAT big of a nerd)
History Channel - so long as they aren't showing modern marvels which bores me to tears
Showtime (ON Demand) - couple of shows I watch on there
Discovery Channels (ok so I said 4, but the DC has like 8 channels, but its still all discovery)

I stay completely clear of network television.

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

I'd un-pirate that if I could. Soap Opera's are the curse of TV watched I assume by hoards of Mecca Bingo punters with lives that are only marginally less interesting than the characters they watch!

Aodan · Teiam Member

Do you guys have the soap opera channel over there?

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

No. We have 260 odd of them.

Aodan · Teiam Member

Ooofa..

What I mean is while most channels are crap.. one channel is dedicated to pure crap. The Soap Opera Network.

24/7 Soaps.

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

I watch Dr Who. That's about it at the moment.

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

quote:
Originally posted by: Aodan
"Ooofa.. What I mean is while most channels are crap.. one channel is dedicated to pure crap. The Soap Opera Network. 24/7 Soaps. "

That's pretty nasty. Should be illegal. Isn't there something in the Geneva Convention about Soaps?

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

Yeah, I think it's something about washing your mouth out with it.

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

Dunno,

A good conspirecy theorist would have you believe that soaps and TV brainwash you, supplimented by the flouride in the water to make people dumb and docile!

I think thats a lot of rubbish.

I met a bar philosopher once who told me the lottery was a tax for the stupid and proceeded to light a cigarette!

Ironic, I just think TV producers are lazy and should apply themselves to making some good quality television.

Copper · **Superhero Extraordinaire**

Soaps are wonderful things.

That is all I have to say.

(I might say more later, of course, if this thread continues)

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

You're right. Anyone in their right mind would watch well-made interesting TV. Trouble is a lot of the popoulation aren't up for quality TV; just like a lot of the population don't care about voting.

Apathy. Pah!

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

Yeah my wife loves stuff from Lush www.lush.co.uk nice smelly stuff.

That's the only soap I want to know about.

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

quote:
Originally posted by: HaloBurn
"Ironic, I just think TV producers are lazy and should apply themselves to making some good quality television. "

I don't think it's laziness. I think the TV industry is under exactly the same pressure as every other industry to reduce costs. So in the same way that you might get a rubbish service from a Bank's call centre, you get rubbish on telly.

Reality TV, Soaps and makeover shows are cheap and quick to make. And whatever we think of them, they get viewers. Viewers mean income. Income means more crap telly! Capitalism is a wonderful thing!

-- Edited by ddvmor at 08:31, 2005-04-18

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

hehe

We should start a soap thread where each person has to continue the story.

But then we all know what would happen, before we knew it Bouncer (from Neighbours) would have had puppies and Dirty Den would be the Dad, that's what happens every week.

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

quote:
Originally posted by: HaloBurn
"hehe We should start a soap thread where each person has to continue the story. But then we all know what would happen, before we knew it Bouncer (from Neighbours) would have had puppies and Dirty Den would be the Dad, that's what happens every week."

Ha caught you! You know all about the soaps. You MUST watch them!

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

quote:
Originally posted by: ddvmor
"
I don't think it's laziness. I think the TV industry is under exactly the same pressure as every other industry to reduce costs. So in the same way that you might get a rubbish service from a Bank's call centre, you get rubbish on telly.
Reality TV, Soaps and makeover shows are cheap and quick to make. And whatever we think of them, they get viewers. Viewers mean income. Income means more crap telly! Capitalism is a wonderful thing!-- Edited by ddvmor at 08:31, 2005-04-18"

Except for the BBC, who get a License fee and do not need to rely on advertising revanue for income and really shouldn't be making crappy home makeover shows.

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

quote:
Originally posted by: Susan
"Ha caught you! You know all about the soaps. You MUST watch them! "

My wife watches them, I have no choice it's like noise pollution.

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

Monday Morning rants.......

I've had a cup of tea and feel much better, perhaps TV and soaps arn't that Bad after all.

Did anyone watch the 100 greatest albums last night, comedy highlight of the night was the Libertines at number 50. Ha ha ha ha what a lot of twaddle was like when they were looking for the song of the millenium and Robbie Williams was in the top 10 over John Lennon rflmao.

Copper · **Superhero Extraordinaire**

Codswallop.

It is patently ridiculous to suggest that people watch stuff they don't like. People LIKE watching soaps. Why? Because watching other people is somehting we do everyday, something we enjoy doing, and somehting we find stimulating and interesting.

They are not easy to make - characterisation and community creation is hard. Think of all the failed soaps - Eldorado anyone?

Soap hating is pure snobbery. TV is entertainment, and the ratings speak for themselves.

So blagh.

I have a feeling this is going to be like the c-word thread...

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

quote:
Originally posted by: HaloBurn
" Except for the BBC, who get a License fee and do not need to rely on advertising revanue for income and really shouldn't be making crappy home makeover shows. "

Surely though, the licence fee means they're under more pressure to provide value for money.

Anyway... the BBC aren't too bad. They put out some decent drama (not neccessarily to my taste). And Doctor Who. And they seem to attract most of the better actors. And as far as I know, Eastenders is their only soap.

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

quote:
Originally posted by: HaloBurn
"Did anyone watch the 100 greatest albums last night, comedy highlight of the night was the Libertines at number 50. Ha ha ha ha what a lot of twaddle was like when they were looking for the song of the millenium and Robbie Williams was in the top 10 over John Lennon rflmao. "

Heh. Who actually votes for these things? No-one ever asks me.

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

quote:
Originally posted by: Copper
"Codswallop.
It is patently ridiculous to suggest that people watch stuff they don't like. People LIKE watching soaps. Why? Because watching other people is somehting we do everyday, something we enjoy doing, and somehting we find stimulating and interesting.
They are not easy to make - characterisation and community creation is hard. Think of all the failed soaps - Eldorado anyone?
Soap hating is pure snobbery. TV is entertainment, and the ratings speak for themselves.
So blagh.
I have a feeling this is going to be like the c-word thread...
"

Fair enough, my other half would agree with you.

Although having studied and work in TV rest assured it's not as diffucult for the writers to come up with this stuff as you think, in fact right now you can see a different take on the same story in three current soaps if you look, In Emerdale mad daughter tries to kill father, a few weeks later in Corry bingo Daughter Kills father at the same time Dirty Den gets done in. big merry go-round lol.

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

quote:
Originally posted by: Copper
"Soap hating is pure snobbery"

I just don't like em. I find 'em boring. Am I a snob?

Copper · **Superhero Extraordinaire**

I didn't say it is snobbery to dislike soaps, I said it is snobbery to hate them, and chastise the rest of the population for liking them.

I feel much the same about reality tv shows.

What is far more interesting is to work out why these things are so popular (other than the brainwashed masses theory, which doesn't make sense)

I can feel the frowns burning into monitors across the globe as bored members read this...

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

I wonder what would happen if all TV broadcasts just stopped for a week. Do you think that we'd suffer a huge economic breakdown as everybody went out to find more interesting things to do at friends's houses, pubs, restaurants, bowling alleys and so on. Or are people more likely to simply sit staring at the blank tv screen and declaring life without TV to be 'boring'.

Ever noticed that people on TV don't watch TV? Or go to the toilet for that matter.

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

quote:
Originally posted by: Copper
"I didn't say it is snobbery to dislike soaps, I said it is snobbery to hate them, and chastise the rest of the population for liking them.
I feel much the same about reality tv shows.
What is far more interesting is to work out why these things are so popular (other than the brainwashed masses theory, which doesn't make sense)
I can feel the frowns burning into monitors across the globe as bored members read this..."

You would have to look into the models of cumminaction affecting the viewers, can't remember the exact name of the model you would have to look at but a search of "shannon and weaver at Bell" will point in the right direction. Has to do with influences surrounding an individual from upbrining, education, class, geographic location etc.

It's this conditioning over time that create a person's perception of the world and shape their interests.

Lite · **I'm lite... and I'm fantastic!**

i only have 4 channels o_O and i dont watch them very much.. mainly movies.. should i be jelous of you guys with 200?

i watch casulty and holby city vagly regulary.... are they soaps? o_O

i did watch that 100 greatest albums last night.. it made me so mad!! OK Computer number 1?!? what crap! gah it all so so wrong >_< Robbie Williams and J.M were in the top 10?! noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I officaly declare channal 4 voters stupid.