Q&A: Dec. 3
03/12/07 17:18
Question: It started with a network logo in the lower right hand corner and now we have TV pop up ads which run across the screen during shows. They are promos for other shows, but how long before networks start selling pop ups for extra revenue to get back at viewers who record shows and skip the 20 minutes per hour of commercials?
It seems counter-productive for networks to find new ways to annoy their viewers, but I've learned to never underestimate a network's ability to piss me off. What's the Ed Bark perspective on this clutter?
Jim Stewart
Answer: It's a growing problem that no doubt will continue to get worse. Those pop up ads already are a reality on some networks, although not epidemic yet. And the promos you speak of piss off producers of shows, too. Plugs for upcoming attractions march across the bottoms of screens, compromising the "integrity" of the ongoing program.
Another annoyance: mid-show sum-ups of series such as NBC's Friday Night Lights, ending with "Now you're caught up." How many viewers actually join this show in mid-stream -- one out of 100,000? There's no escaping this stuff, though. Those ongoing "crawls" on cable news networks, inaugurated within a few days of 9-11, were a precursor for a lot of the pop-ups you see now. The uncluttered screen is no longer a viable option. All the better reason to buy DVD collections of your big favorites.
Question: Do you know why they killed off Hector on The Unit? I have to say it was quite a surprise. I figured something like that would happen at the end of the season.
Cody Sheppard
Answer: Medic Hector "Hammerhead" Williams' (Demore Barnes) death by a sniper bullet stunned a lot of the show's fans. The producers say they waited three seasons to do something like this, and to achieve just that effect. It would be unrealistic to think that all of the show's regular characters would remain unscathed in their very dangerous line of work. Killing off regular characters, now a staple of virtually any dramatic series, also is a way to cut costs, of course.
It seems counter-productive for networks to find new ways to annoy their viewers, but I've learned to never underestimate a network's ability to piss me off. What's the Ed Bark perspective on this clutter?
Jim Stewart
Answer: It's a growing problem that no doubt will continue to get worse. Those pop up ads already are a reality on some networks, although not epidemic yet. And the promos you speak of piss off producers of shows, too. Plugs for upcoming attractions march across the bottoms of screens, compromising the "integrity" of the ongoing program.
Another annoyance: mid-show sum-ups of series such as NBC's Friday Night Lights, ending with "Now you're caught up." How many viewers actually join this show in mid-stream -- one out of 100,000? There's no escaping this stuff, though. Those ongoing "crawls" on cable news networks, inaugurated within a few days of 9-11, were a precursor for a lot of the pop-ups you see now. The uncluttered screen is no longer a viable option. All the better reason to buy DVD collections of your big favorites.
Question: Do you know why they killed off Hector on The Unit? I have to say it was quite a surprise. I figured something like that would happen at the end of the season.
Cody Sheppard
Answer: Medic Hector "Hammerhead" Williams' (Demore Barnes) death by a sniper bullet stunned a lot of the show's fans. The producers say they waited three seasons to do something like this, and to achieve just that effect. It would be unrealistic to think that all of the show's regular characters would remain unscathed in their very dangerous line of work. Killing off regular characters, now a staple of virtually any dramatic series, also is a way to cut costs, of course.