Digital's Dearth of Programming

[Joanne98]

The Great Digital Giveaway is the biggest squandering of public broadcast resources in the history of the United States - a conspiracy involving both political parties for the benefit of filthy-rich broadcast monopolies."

Digital's Dearth of Programming

A Black Agenda Radio commentary from Glen Ford

"The Great Digital Giveaway is the biggest squandering of public broadcast resources in the history of the United States."

The Big Day is almost here. On February 18, the United States enters the digital television age. But don't stock up on the champagne, because nothing much is going to happen other than millions of people will find themselves without a TV signal.

The so-called digital revolution is a prime example of how late stage capitalism, dominated by an ever-shrinking number of corporations, can transform even the most promising technological advances into...nothing worth writing home about.

The end of analogue television means sharper pictures for those households that get their TV from cable or satellite, or purchase a $50 converter box. About 20 million households, with about 35 million television sets, still rely on soon-to-be useless antennas. The federal government is issuing vouchers worth $40 for converters, but they expire after 90 days, and untold millions of folks in TV-land are certain to wind up paying the full cost or going without their daily tele-fix.

Outfits like the Consumers Union and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights have gotten government contracts to spread the word on the digital changeover. But virtually none of the public interest and civil rights players have anything to say about the most important question revolving around the move to digital TV: How Washington gave away $70 billion of the public's broadcast spectrum - for nothing!

"The public gets absolutely nothing from the deal, except crisper pictures of the same old programming."

Continued>>>
http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=945&Itemid=1

[Deja Q]

1. Well, that's what the public wants.

The really sad part is, all the drivel-laden TV deemed "dumb" in 1970 is a multi-layered Shakespeare script compared to the drivel made today.

[Warpy]

2. There are always one or two shows that sneak through

The early 70s were a wasteland of "Car 54, where are you?" and "The Love Boat," but we also had "All in the Family." Things were so grim then that I chucked the TV for many years. I mostly worked evenings and soap operas never appealed to me, either, so there was no reason to own one.

The only time TV had much of anything was the 50s when "Playhouse 90" and other noteworthy efforts by people with real scriptwriting talent were presented.

Then advertisers found that poor scripts and lame comedy sold soap and cars just as well and the rest is history.

[tridim]

3. The Office and Family Guy are a great shows..

And almost everything on The Science Channel, The Discovery Channel and National Geographic is A+ programming.

Sure there is drivel on the tube, er flat panel, but it's entirely avoidable.

[roody]

4. Boycott television.

What do you need it for?

[Merlot]

5. Agreed. I get my news from the internets

and I watch movies for entertainment. Or some of the good HBO programing, I get from netflix.

buh-by teevee

Although, for a lot of older peole, this is goign to be a big blow. TV is their lifeline and their entertainment. I do feel bad about that.

[givemebackmycountry]

8. Live Sports (I love 'em)

MLB
NFL
NBA
NHL
College sports (all of them)
NASCAR

Anything with a ball, anything with a puck, anything with wheels.

Oh, and Keith and Rachel.

And the Food and Travel channels.
I love Anthony Bourdain and that Diners, Drive-ins and Dives guy!

[elocs]

11. Care to make a detailed list of exactly what we need or don't need?

I don't "need" DU, but here I am. I don't "need" ice cream, but I still eat it. What an empty world we would have if we whittled down everything to only what we "need".

The bottom line is that all we really "need" is food, water, and shelter. All the rest is superfluous. Ultimately it is about personal choice. You have yours and I have mine. In the end they will have to pry my tv remote from my cold, dead fingers because I will never boycott tv, but that is my personal choice.

[liberalpress]

13. In the immortal words of Joey Tribbiani

"Don't have TV? What's all your furniture pointed at?"

[elocs]

6. I am amused at the Liberal snobbery towards tv and its anti-tv attitude.

I know of a very conservative Pentecostal church who believe that tv is worldly entertainment and they will not have one in their homes. Consequently that makes them think they are better than those who have tvs. It's funny how the opposite ends of the spectrum sometimes bend to meet. Just add this to the long and never ending list of things that piss off Liberals. Sometimes I think we are most happy when we are unhappy.

As for myself, I have a tv and an antenna and neither one of them are useless. With digital tv I can get twice as many channels as I previously could get, including 3 additional PBS channels.

[Joanne98]

9. We just want more diversity! What's wrong with that?

It doesn't matter anyway! Two years from now they will all be bankrupt because the only people who watch tee vee anymore are either in the hospital or in nursing homes. After they die off there will be NOBODY left and the six media giants will go the poorhouse. And NO! They aren't getting bailed out!

[rrneck]

7. My first response is

who gives a shit. I haven't had a TV for years and never missed it.

But I recall some debate for a while about the "bundling" of cable programming and I thought that if I could choose just the channels I wanted to watch and not have to put up with a hundred variations of "Send money to Jesus" and the "Knife Channel" I might be more inclined to watch.

It seems that once again free market capitalism and competition is only for the little guys and those with money and power get to warp our culture all they want to fill their pockets.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. My neighbors and I aren't going to have TV

and you know what? I don't think I'll miss it a bit. The only time I turn the thing on is when I want to have noise when I'm cleaning house--and I figure a couple of DVDs stuck in the player will suffice for that.

[AndyTiedye]

12. No More TV for Us. We're in a Fringe Area

Analog TV comes in snowy, digital TV comes in not at all,
even with the biggest roof antenna we can get and an amplifier.

[Roland99]

14. Actually, the antennae are *not* useless. The tuners in the old TVs will be useless.

A cheap set of rabbit ears from 30 years ago could still pull in an OTA DTV signal as long as the antenna is within reasonable distance of the towers.

WTH do they think exists in the converter box to pull in the signals? Antennae will still be needed.