[opendtv] Re: CBS and NCB signal the end of 'prime-time' TV
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 10:48:40 -0500
At 4:32 PM -0500 11/11/05, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
>Perhaps we only have a disagreement in degree. I'm not
>saying that for broadcasters to sell content, in addition
>to providing a decent quality broadcast system, is wrong.
>I'm only saying that turning OTA broadcast into this:
>
>> The free-to-air service is like all the crap you
>> see at the theater, before you get to see the stuff
>> you paid for.
>
>would be almost dereliction of duty by the FCC.
It's too late Bert. OTA TV has been a vast wasteland for decades and
it keeps getting worse.
The trend over the past two decades has been to bypass OTA and sell
high quality content direct, like HBO, Showtime and others.
>
>The broadcasters are being provided with publically
>owned spectrum for a service that cannot be devalued into
>ads and previews. Bad enough this public space is being
>trashed with infomercials. At least, they're off prime
>time.
All advertiser supported television is devalued by ads and previews.
But "that's" the price you pay for "FREE."
>
>We *already* have Blockbuster and Netflix, and we can
>certainly agree that these services will evolve to
>online distribution of content. What we don't need, and
>what the FCC must not permit, is for public spectrum to
>be reduced to nothing more than ads for businesses such
>as Netflix or Blockbuster.
They do not call them ads...they call them advertiser sponsored
programming. But the shows are increasingly becoming ads as well. And
I'm not talking about the infomercials here.
Do you consider the music played on radio stations ads? Do they help
sell CDs and legal music downloads?
>
>I see no reason to demolish FOTA TV. This idea sounds a
>bit like the hype about the wonderful new TV Guide
>format. If TV Guide was not going under fast enough
>before the switch, I'm sure it's going to disappear in
>a big hurry now.
As I said. The broadcasters are the drivers in this demolition derby.
Regards
Craig
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