Kim's Blog

The Quality of Our Content: What Happened to Network TV?

[This is part five of a continuing series in response to an article by Stephen King.]

Is network television still a relevant medium? If network television goes away, what would happen?

Although I do watch some network television, I am not a daytime show addict (except Oprah!). I don’t watch the news except to find out the weather, and late night talk shows on network cannot compete with the likes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

I am a cable junky! Between my TV boyfriend, Jon Stewart (sorry honey) and my favorite shows, which change with the seasons, I utilize my DVR as a multitasking tool and rarely watch a show while it is “on.” Most of the shows I watch are full half hour, uninterrupted segments, so when I watch a half hour show on network television, my patience for advertising has become minimal. 

I love the writing that is going on all over the dial, but I will admit that I’m drawn to the Showtime/HBO edgier shows. They are different, intriguing, and don’t have canned laughter. They have strong female characters (like many of the books I read) and touch on the now, and not the then like movies do. I read an article that talked about how it takes so long to make a movie that you get stale topics. TV doesn’t have to worry about that—they can address social, economical, and emotional occurrences within the context of our lives. I can relate to characters and themes in television—Entourage makes me feel hip, Sex and the City makes me feel strong, and Weeds is just plain hilarious. Although I am going to miss The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie is well written and Bored to Death is fabulous! 

So, what do I watch on network TV? Big Bang, The Office, and How I Met Your Mother. They are great comedies with tight storylines. BUT, and here is the but, I DVR them.  That’s right—I am part of the demise of advertising as we once knew it. The people spoke and innovation brought us DVR. Thank you DVR.

I don’t want to spend my time watching commercials. If network TV changes and uses more advertising and more product placement and other tactics, I get it. I understand why, but I feel that we, the public, shouldn’t be punished by bad, repeated commercials or another plug for a show I am not going to watch. Have you ever watched more than one episode of a show in a row? You’re likely to see the same commercial 10 times in that hour or two hours. It’s overkill and it drives me crazy!

If network TV can produce a Mad Men, or a Rescue Me, I think we would all be happier—but they have to keep a wider audience happy, sponsors at bay, and make money. I guess they feel all the commercials are the necessary evil but it certainly isn’t making sense.

Until network TV figures out a new, better model, I am sticking to my DVR! It makes me feel in control and I can ignore the umpteenth car, beer, or male enhancement commercial (can you tell I watch sports too?) There may be good content on network TV but the model, once again, needs to be updated.

Can these big networks alter their revenue stream before it’s too late?