http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Mon, 5 May 2008 18:02:42 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/05/02/122718.php#comment-715613 You wrote a good piece, Werner, but the boys in TV land don't want to know. From the looks of things, they don't give a damn anymore. Considering the load of junk they have called "entertainment" over the last two decades, it's no surprise that viewers are voting with their fingers, being willing to pay a one time fee for the luxury of not having to sit through reruns and commercials. Dig it. My kids get to watch Smallville once weekly - and we don't even own a TV!! And I never even buy the episodes!! 715613@blogcritics.org Mon, 5 May 2008 18:02:42 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/05/02/122718.php#comment-715607 Good article. You're right that the networks' season is shorter, but also the individual shows are shorter. We viewers used to sit still, or go get a sandwich, during a 1-minute commercial break. Give us 4-minute breaks, and we'll pay money for devices that fast forward past them. Network impatience is a problem, like you said. It has a secondary effect that networks don't think about. If the viewers hear that a show has no "buzz" or low ratings, they won't bother watching it, because they know it's going off the air soon. That kills shows with long story arcs. Network support for weak starters like Veronica Mars is rare. Instead you get shows like Kidnapped being cancelled quickly. It makes the viewer less likely to even bother with a first-season show. 715607@blogcritics.org Mon, 5 May 2008 17:02:15 EDT