२५ जुलै, २०२०

"A&E Has Lost Half Its Viewers Since Dropping ‘Live PD’/Network’s prime-time viewership was up 4% this year before it canceled its hit police reality show..."

"... Nielsen data show.... The show, which follows police on their rounds in multiple cities simultaneously, averaged about 1.9 million viewers for its Friday and Saturday night episodes, repeatedly re-aired on other days. It spawned several successful spinoff shows, also canceled. A&E, co-owned by the Walt Disney Co. DIS -0.43% and Hearst Corp., dropped 'Live PD' in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.... The network said it has always been able to 'find new hits and reinvent ourselves.... In the entertainment industry, Mr. Floyd’s death has led to discussions about the role television and movies play in shaping perceptions of law enforcement and whether portrayals of police have been too one-sided and have failed to address concerns about excessive force and bad policing.... The franchise’s fan base—the self-dubbed “Live PD Nation”—has been very active on social media, encouraging a boycott of the network until the programs are returned, which A&E hasn’t ruled out."

The WSJ reports (and I didn't hit a paywall).

Here's a crazy idea for A&E: Arts & Entertainment. I remember when it would air entire ballets and operas and only go as low as to show British mystery shows like "Agatha Christie's Poirot" and "Sherlock Holmes," its own documentary series "Biography," and "An Evening at the Improv."

The top-rated comment at the Wall Street Journal is: "Go Woke, Go Broke. Enough Said. Back the Blue." Second highest-rated: "The poor things at A&E have lost money because they decided to virtue signal? Somehow, I don't feel sorry for them."

Here's an article from Vulture, last June: "Cops and Live PD Are Finally Gone. What Took So Long?"
Both shows have long been subject to significant criticism over their glorification of police officers, distortion of realities surrounding American policing, and ethically questionable relationships with law enforcement. Most recently, these controversies were the subject of a spectacular podcast, Running From Cops, which embarked on a robust investigation into the rise, legacy, and dubious nature of Cops and copycat shows like Live PD....

"For Cops, we spent 18 months going over 876 episodes and doing a huge data analysis on what it’s showing viewers, so this isn’t an opinion. These are facts. It presents a world that’s much more violent than it actually is. It presents police departments to be much more successful than they really are. It misrepresents crime by people of color. We also found that it coerces the people to be on the show by either forcing them to sign releases when they didn’t want to or by getting them to sign releases when they are drunk or high, which are states by which they have no business signing a legal document. There are also instances of the show putting people on the air without any sign-off whatsoever, which is what several people told us. But perhaps the biggest problem is that the cops control the message. With Cops, it’s contractually stipulated that the police departments can change anything they want in the show. It’s literally propaganda when it gets to that level.

It’s a similar situation with Live PD. The success of Live PD depends 100 percent on the participation of the police departments that are on it. This is not a situation where the show goes to the police for information and then leaves and says whatever they want about it. They’re making the police officers in these departments celebrities. And you can’t piss off the celebrities on your show. They can’t present anything potentially bad at these police departments, because then they won’t want to participate. So it becomes this endless cycle of having to present the police in a certain way for financial and ratings reasons, even if it’s not true....

६९ टिप्पण्या:

Bob Boyd म्हणाले...

I can't believe reality was distorted on TV. What next?

Dust Bunny Queen म्हणाले...

Here's a crazy idea for A&E: Arts & Entertainment.

Yes...Art and Entertainment. Not idiotic reality shows. PBS used to be better too with quality dramas and interesting documentaries and science themed documentaries like NOVA. They had some great music programing as well like Austin City Limits. Unfortunately, much of PBS is agenda driven anymore and has not so subtle indoctrination themes in it.

The HISTORY Channel should also try to live up to it's name and have some actual historical programing instead of the Curse of Oak Island and other such dreck. History....I don't think they know what that word means anymore.

Now if you want to see Masterpiece Theater and other types of programing you need to stream it.

We rarely watch live TV anymore or much of the satellite channels. We stream almost everything and DVR the rest to avoid all the commercials.

Bob Boyd म्हणाले...

How about instead of Cops they create a new show called Social Justice Live where real SJW's respond to reports of political incorrectness, racism, transphobia, climate injustice, hat wearing and so on.

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

I took a look at Vulture. It appears to be a cross between People and Entertainment Tonight for consumers of New York Magazine, from which which Andrew Sullivan just departed by mutual agreement. Do we think Vulture--VULTURE, mind you--has a point of view? Do you think law and order figures large among its editorial staff? It seems to me that Vulture may be circling the detritus of our civilization, waiting for things to die.

Disney next? How are things going at those theme parks, hotels, cruises, and theaters that are the lifeblood of the Magic Kingdom?

Bob Boyd म्हणाले...

I got another reality show idea for A&E's new lineup, American Topplers.
A couple quirky, funny guys driving around the country in a van on an endless quest to discover monuments that haven't been pulled down yet.

Bob Boyd म्हणाले...

Also, bring back Johnny Quest. Best show ever made...even if it did distort reality a little bit sometimes.

mikee म्हणाले...

Now do The History Channel, and its emphasis on Aliens.

iowan2 म्हणाले...

Why is it silly to listen to experts?

led to discussions about the role television and movies play in shaping perceptions of law enforcement and whether portrayals of police have been too one-sided and have failed to address concerns about excessive force and bad policing...

Experts tell me.Every. Single. Time. Violent video games in no way affect young males.

Crimso म्हणाले...

So why is The First 48 still running day and night on A&E?

And some of you may not remember this, but back in its early years, A&E not only aired such things as ballets and operas, they also aired a number of documentary series. Enough of them were about military subjects that my friends and I routinely referred to A&E as "Arts and War."

Temujin म्हणाले...

These companies forgot that their job is to market to their market. They had an audience. It was among their most avid audiences. And they stuck a finger in their eye, took away the reason to watch, and felt pretty good about themselves. Now their ad revenues will die out, people will lose jobs. Viewers may...or may not return.

Imagine having a chicken wing restaurant famous for the best Buffalo style wings in the region. A group of people that never eat in your restaurant demanded that you take off the chicken wings because it's an affront to small chickens everywhere. So you do, and you announce it with great pomposity, standing alongside the anti-chicken wing folk. Imagine how you feel when you go from doing 300 dinners/night to 35. It's not a smart move at any level.

This is going on with small to huge companies. You have Nike supporting the communist Chinese regime and using slave labor for their jerseys that say 'BLM' on them. They WILL NOT put 'Save Hong Kong' on them. So many companies are now bent knee to BLM and the far left. They don't realize they are opening the door to their own cattle cars.

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer

That didn't happen.

For some mysterious reason I tend to lose interest in reading something which starts out with an obvious lie.

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

Speaking of arts and entertainment, we watched the Irish Repertory Theater's remotely filmed and acted production of Conor MacPherson's "The Weir", which was touted by Terry Teachout in WSJ the other day.

There is one more show today at 2:00 pm Central. You need to sign up at their website and they'll send you a link. If you are free, watch it. Great, great theater, with the actors filmed at five different locations interacting as though they are on the same stage.

I love MacPherson's stuff--The Seafarer was one of the best things Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago ever did.

Birches म्हणाले...

That's a funny perception of COPS. When I think of a typical episode, I think of the criminal as a young, white trash dirthead. If a woman, a prostitute of any color. And the crimes are usually pretty petty. But I guess the cops seem competent so it must go...

MountainMan म्हणाले...

I’m with you DBQ. That is exactly how I view things. Best thing I have done recently, besides streaming shows via various apps, is get a subscription to The Great Courses Plus . Have been watching “The Black Death”, “The World’s Great Churches”, and “The Founding Fathers”. Everyone who is a lifelong learner will really enjoy this website. No political bias (unlike much of PBS, which I still view via the app only from time to time) and the professors they hire to present their curriculum are top notch and often the best in their field. I have particularly been enjoying “The Founding Fathers” which is delivered by Allen Guelzo of Gettysburg College, one of our country’s best historians (he is probably our most knowledgeable expert on Abraham Lincoln). At $45 for a 3 month subscription this is a real bargain. With sports dying I doubt that I will ever watch live TV again.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"A&E Has Lost Half Its Viewers"

Prog solutions: give 'm a bailout, make watching mandatory in school, start doxing former viewers.

RNB म्हणाले...

I want to see an episode of one of those generic 'CSI'-type shows where the prosecutors' and cops' political prejudices and personal animosity lead them to fixate on entirely the wrong suspect, whom they then manufacture evidence against and slag to the media. Y'know, kinda what happened to Richard Jewel. In real life.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

These are facts. It presents a world that’s much more violent than it actually is.

Wrote someone who has never been to the South Side of Chicago.

RNB म्हणाले...

Birches: "That's a funny perception of 'COPS.' When I think of a typical episode, I think of the criminal as a young, white trash dirthead."

You're not alone. Check out the 'South Park' episode 'White Trash in Trouble.' (Sponsored by Schlitz Beer.)

Mike Sylwester म्हणाले...

I like to watch the Investigation Discovery cable-television channel, which broadcasts true-crime documentaries.

Now ID has begun to broadcast a lot of documentaries about how colored people are victimized by the police.

The ID channel and its website now features various documentaries called Uncovering Racial Injustice in America.

Bob Smith म्हणाले...

As always, the problem with Reality Television is reality.

gilbar म्हणाले...

What I've learned from COPS

IF
you're transporting drugs....
without a valid drivers license.....
while under the influence.....
don't speed, and signal your turns

Jupiter म्हणाले...

"A&E, co-owned by the Walt Disney Co. DIS -0.43% and Hearst Corp., dropped 'Live PD' in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer."

Perhaps Joe Flint would like to name the Minneapolis police officer he is accusing of murder? Nice to get that on the record. Could come in handy after they are all acquitted and looking for someone to sue.

George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose. If Joe Flint has evidence that a Minneapolis police officer gave him the fentanyl, he should publish it.

rcocean म्हणाले...

Hello? A&E get its $$$ from cable subscriptions, and is owned by a big media company. Why do people continue to believe that RATINGS are the primary drivers for Big Media's profit.

$1 or $2 of your TV Cable bill goes to the owners of A&E. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU WATCH OR NOT. That's why A&E doesn't put on Operas or whatever. They don't care, they don't have to.

Tom T. म्हणाले...

I suspect we're going to see similar headlines about the NFL.

narciso म्हणाले...

when they killed off nero wolfe, and went to reality tv and csi miami marathons

Mike Sylwester म्हणाले...

My own comment at 8:37 AM
Now ID has begun to broadcast a lot of documentaries about how colored people are victimized by the police.

I apologize.

I inadvertently wrote the expression colored people.

I meant to write People of Color.

Please make the mental correction.

BUMBLE BEE म्हणाले...

I've got family PD in a majority black major metropolitan area. Did you happen to see the security camera footage of the BLM dude swinging a hand saw across that woman's face? Knockout game still going on, EMS techs gettin razor knife slashed. That is every day in the big city dregs. Couldn't put the body cam stuff on TV.

Heartless Aztec म्हणाले...

Wish there was a thumbs up/down button for comments...

Lloyd W. Robertson म्हणाले...

First movies and then TV presented the possibility of communicating with virtually everyone at once. What to do? What sells: women undressing, partially undressing, etc.; men getting violent, justly unjustly or who knows; Disney added a lot of baby animals and children. Anything particularly informational, edifying, or high culture about all that? Comedy might help us see ourselves as we are, with reminders of what we aspire to; tragedy suggests there might be a deep story we can't understand. Avatar: baby animals, interspecies fucking, environmentalism. We've really made it now. We're so cultured, so sophisticated.

Tommy Duncan म्हणाले...

For many years I've been asking this question: "Why do network and cable news shows intentionally insult 50% of their potential viewers every day?"

The same question can now be asked about entertainment in general.

In the end, it always boils down to political correctness. Only certain opinions are allowed. It's "The Closing Of The American Mind".

Narr म्हणाले...

We watched COPS pretty regularly when my son was young, but that's about the extent of it.

I don't recall the golden age of A&E, or The History a.k.a. The Hitler Channel. (The protagonist of Delillo's "White Noise" is the head of the Department of Hitler Studies at an American college, and he doesn't even read German . . . that's about the state of things as far as mass understanding of the past in modern America.

If it wasn't for CSPAN on the weekends I'd watch maybe an hour a day of TV, with CSPAN that doubles. There are also South Park episodes I haven't seen--genius!--and I watch Key & Peele whenever it's on.

Some people ask, "Where's my flying car?" I ask, "Where's my voice-activated entertainment device that will bring up a high-quality performance when I bark 'Schubert. Great C Major Symphony. Cleveland.'?"

Narr
Do I expect too much?

Ken B म्हणाले...

A&E's top rated show ever was Longmire. The network cancelled it because they decided they did not want to do so much scripted television! So they cancelled their biggest hit.

It’s wrong to imagine this will stop at stupid reality shows. Althouse mentions ballet and opera. Those will be targets very soon. Not just live, a moot point under covid, but recordings. They will start to disappear.

Tommy Duncan म्हणाले...

"Democrats are dismantling anything in America that has ever been connected with slavery. Statues are felled, school names are changed, and institutions are rebranded. Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, and others are gone because of their connection with enslaving blacks.

Rep. Louis Gohmert from Texas has been paying attention, and he’s gotten the message. The new rule is that slavery, which ended in America over 150 years ago, is so wrong that anything associated with slavery must be banned. Gohmert introduced a “privileged resolution calling on Congress to ban any political party or organization that has held a public position supportive of slavery.” As his official statement makes clear, the only thing still operative in America that meets this metric is the Democrat party:"

NorthOfTheOneOhOne म्हणाले...

Birches said...

That's a funny perception of COPS. When I think of a typical episode, I think of the criminal as a young, white trash dirthead.

The producers of COPS have admitted to racially balancing the show, otherwise it would be young black males getting arrested about 80% of the time.

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...

Here's a crazy idea for A&E: Arts & Entertainment. I remember when it would air entire ballets and operas and only go as low as to show British mystery shows like "Agatha Christie's Poirot" and "Sherlock Holmes," its own documentary series "Biography," and "An Evening at the Improv."

Says the newly minted TikTok addict, haha.

If there was demand for such stodgy fare, A&E would be showing it. But there isn't, and there won't be, because why have elaborate and high quality performance art when the coronahysterics have condemned us to sitting in the sAfetY oF oUR hOmES watching teenagers yap for attention in thirty second clips on our phones?

Jim Gust म्हणाले...

The wokerati don't watch TV. They don't eat fast food. It is stupid to pander to them. For public companies, such pandering is a breach of fiduciary duty to shareholders.

I also second Jupiter's comment at 8:45.

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...

people will lose jobs

Including the black guy who was one of the hosts of the show. But, A&E: "I'm hElPinG!"

Birkel म्हणाले...

They managed the "get woke" part on their own.

They are getting to the "go broke" part a little slower.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Never watched a full COPS episode, but I remember it had a catchy theme song.  Long long ago, I used to watch Hill Street Blues, and later NYPD Blue.   both of those were solid till they ended.  Law and Order started strong, but then developed a weird thing where there were conspiracies and a deeper story in each episode.  Murders in Iraq, the CIA did it, cover-ups, basically Bush=Hitler stuff.

I quit.

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...


What I've learned from COPS

IF
you're transporting drugs....
without a valid drivers license.....
while under the influence.....
don't speed, and signal your turns


And don't lie to the cop about whether you are carrying the gun you're not allowed to carry because you're a felon. He's going to be really pissed when he finds it on you or under the seat.

n.n म्हणाले...

George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose.

Fentanyl, Wuhan virus+, cardiovascular disease, and stress induced by his criminal activity, which explains his erratic behavior and removal from the police vehicle and a call for medical support. And now, another [un]civil rights movement justified by a false lead.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

O'Sullivan's Law:

"Any institution that is not explicitly right wing will become left wing over time."

Kind of a rule of thumb, especially when applied to foundations and think tanks. But the TV networks are all over the place in terms of content. I think it stems from the birth of cable TV, when channels couldn't just be 235, but needed a brand...a reason for viewers to tune in.

Once you're done your 743rd special on WWII in color, you need to find another hook.

GingerBeer म्हणाले...

Hey Vulture! That is so cool. Now do "The Bachelorette."

Biff म्हणाले...

A&E focusing on Arts & Entertainment? The History Channel programs about history?

Next thing you know, we'll start hearing crazy talk about MTV playing music videos.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

A & E announced plans for a new reality show- "Live Antifa".

Ok, I made that up......or did I?

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

So, when does NBC cancel Law & Order SVU or Chicago P.D.? When does CBS cancel S.W.A.T and The F.B.I?

I kid, I kid.

Lucien म्हणाले...

I’ve lived a lucky life, but I get the feeling that a “bad” neighborhood is one that’s safe 98% of the time, but really unsafe the other 2%. Not much of a problem if you’re just passing through, but if you’re there every day, the odds are against you.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

I suspect the reason these channels stop airing their genre namesake (I'm looking at you, History Channel) is the executives feel they have to "do something" to justify their big salaries. So few people know how to leave well enough alone.

Now, of course, were going to get a big heaping helping of SJW. I never thought I'd abandon cable TV, because I don't have the patience to do multiple apps and I think the idea of watching things on a tiny little screen is ludicrous. But if sports die too, I think that's it. I doubt I'll do the apps; I'll do nothing at all. I have my books and my hobbies. We've been up north, away from home, for two months now. The house has a TV, which I think I've had on twice to watch Tucker Carlson's opening monologue, and that's it. I don't need it.

Ice Nine म्हणाले...

>>"Here's a crazy idea for A&E: Arts & Entertainment. I remember when it would air..."An Evening at the Improv."

That won't help. There would be no viewership for "Evening at the Improv" either, since the very same kind of people have destroyed standup comedy.

jaydub म्हणाले...

The NFL has announced that the first games this year will be preceded by something called "The Black National Anthem" instead of the US National Anthem. I intend to tune in, take a knee during that particular anthem and then tune out the NFL for the rest of the season.

I doubt professional football will go broke from the wokeness, but I intend to do my part to contribute to a drop in revenue.

Char Char Binks, Esq. म्हणाले...

“Cops” did indeed misrepresent POC participation in crime, as one of its producers admitted, deliberately avoiding showing crimes by blacks in favor of those by “white trash dirt heads”, which may explain why many of the crimes shown were relatively petty. They did end up showing a lot black criminals, but you play the hand you’re dealt.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

"Never watched a full COPS episode, but I remember it had a catchy theme song."

Is that the "Bad boys, bad boys, ….? I always wanted the band to play that when an opposing player was headed to the penalty box.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

"The NFL has announced that the first games this year will be preceded by something called "The Black National Anthem" instead of the US National Anthem."

Is this akin to Morgan Freeman spouting gibberish before the Yankees game? The same Morgan Freeman who was credibly accused of molesting his step-granddaughter? Voice of God my ass.

Any 80-plus year-old man who wears earrings is neither to be trusted nor taken seriously.

Tomcc म्हणाले...

For years, I've watched mainly sports and car shows when I watch TV. I was a devotee of Mystery on PBS. Never watched LivePD, but frequently take in The First 48. It does convey a stunningly awful perspective of certain subcultures.
Now that I've found Rocky and Bullwinkle on Youtube, I foresee a more pleasant diversion!

walter म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Dust Bunny Queen म्हणाले...

While we still have satellite TV..we spend most of our time streaming,

Fortunately, we have a high speed DSL (business class line) availability. No lagging or issues in quality.

Netflix, Amazon Prime, are our main go to channels (Yes. We have to pay a nominal monthly fee). The Roku stick has access to a lot of other channels that are either free or you pay. We haven't run out of things to watch yet. Although I am considering subscribing to the Brit Channel.

Some of the best shows are from Australia (Wanted) and other parts of the world. We get the subtitles turned on for the foreign shows and leave the audio to the language. Russian: Detective Anna French. German: Babylon Berlin. Turkish, Norwegian. We also have subtitles for some of the British and Scottish shows with such strong accents that we STILL can't understand what they said. Quirky and weird shows galore.

Lots of reruns of shows we missed or forgot many of the episodes. Criminal Minds. Monk. Parks and Recreation, Expanse. Some cool new shows on Amazon and Netflix. Umbrella Academy.

If it weren't that we want some local news, national news and some of the car shows that my husband likes and some DIY type shows that I like....we would ditch the satellite.

Worth it!

rhhardin म्हणाले...

There's an Australian police dog show, called send in the dogs or something. It's quasi-okay, not that you could stand many episodes.

The police guy is following his tracking dog and thinks the perp turned left when the dog thinks he turned right, and the suspense point was whether to follow the dog.

You always follow the dog. There's no faster way to untrain a tracking dog that show him that you don't trust him. You've got to take the thing as seriously as you're asking him to.

walter म्हणाले...

Re-brand Live PD as Live Portland Destruction.
Create an animated super hero social worker show called Team Clipboard.

If there's someone shot in your neighborhood,
Who you gonna call? Team Clipboard!
If there's someone dead and it don't look good,
Who you gonna call? Team Clipboard!
They ain't afraid of no Crips.
They ain't afraid of no Bloods.
If you just got grazed up beside your head,
Who you gonna call? Team Clipboard!
An aggressive man jumping in your bed,
Who you gonna call? Team Clipboard!

Leora म्हणाले...

I'm trying to get my husband to pull the plug on our cable since we haven't turned on the television since Last Thanksgiving (Macy's parade with the sound off). He doesn't watch anything and I stream old movies on the computer. I miss the old A&E when they broadcast art programming and quality detective shows.

William50 म्हणाले...

I guess I don't understand all the uproar. A network should be able to choose it's programming. Whether their choice is based on internal decisions or PC feedback, it's their decision and I'm sure that they are strong enough to stand by their decisions regardless of the consequent results. It seems to me that it's no different than a network cancelling your favorite show. You may miss it but it's gone get over it.

As an aside, family rarely if ever watched A&E after they changed their format many years ago

todd galle म्हणाले...

Just leave me my ghost shows and bigfoot hunters and I am OK. I have actual books for in-between the searches for monsters. I am a ghost believer, having had experiences at various previous work sites (most at Valley Forge [Huntington's Quarters] and Gettysburg [McPherson Farm]), but also in my own house. You may ridicule me, but that's fine. I am a bigfoot agnostic, having played many pranks on passing motorists in my youth. The best was to wrap a buddy (or me) in tin foil, then enter the roadway in front of a distant approaching car, and caper about. My friends would be off the road about 25 yards with old army blankets. When the car invariably stopped, the tin foil person would have retreated to the blanket holding folks who would cover them up. There was one guy who searched for 20 minutes with a flashlight and never found us. Probably get me shot today, but then I'm not so dexterous after 40 years, and unlikely to take the prank back up. The walnuts on the roadway, which when hit sounds like a blown tire, was also good.

rehajm म्हणाले...

Reruns of pre-woke sitcoms

HGTV

Masterclass courses- Arron Franklin, Daniel Negreanu, Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay

Korean LPGA

crappy PGA Tour golf...

...that's about all that's left

Ralph L म्हणाले...

Although I am considering subscribing to the Brit Channel.

There's some overlap between Acorn and Britbox. I went through what looked interesting on Acorn in about 6 months. Much of what I've watched on Britbox I'd already seen on PBS (or A&E) years ago. Britbox has a terrible, balky interface on Roku. The "Continue Watching" tile puts you many episodes behind where you left off.

Scotty, beam me up... म्हणाले...

@Dust Bunny Queen @ 7:19 am:

Right on, Sister! I used to watch the History Channel when they actually carried documentaries about history. Then the reality shows took over. The same with A & E going the reality route (I think they have the same corporate owner). I said years ago that The History Channel should have changed their name to The Reality Show Channel. Maybe the FCC could go after them using “Truth in Advertising” laws about falsely claiming they are about history. My wife & I are looking to cut the cord & do streaming. First, we are trying to figure out if we can receive over the air channels as we are about 60 miles in all directions from 3 TV markets & we are in a valley, which could already mess with the digital signals besides the distance from the broadcast towers.

Ralph L म्हणाले...

Scotty, I bought an amplified 150 mi (allegedly) directional antenna (through The Portal) a few years ago because we're in the same situation, but rolling hills, not a valley, and cheap antennae weren't cutting it. Unfortunately, it's in the attic, so I can't tell where it's aimed, and it doesn't tell you the direction it's turning. It's OK most of the time, but like rabbit ears, sometimes it only works when you stand by the TV.

The broadcast spectrum was moved to where wind, rain, buildings, trees, flocks of birds, etc. will interfere with the signal.

Dust Bunny Queen म्हणाले...

@ Scotty

We are in the mountains and don't have over the air reception either for TV. 90 miles to the nearest larger city. Spotty cell phone coverage and the same for radio.

Fortunately we are able to get great internet through our telephone lines because we are near a booster station (I don't know the real name) And due to our clear clear skies in our location in the middle of the valley Satellite TV or Satellite Internet is very possible. Up in the trees at the edge of the valley....not so much.

If it weren't for some local channels that we get via satellite and Fox Business and a few other favorites we would "cut the cord" entirely.

Does it all cost. Yes. BUT>>>>We are older, don't go out partying anymore (as if!) so this is our entertainment and we deserve it!. Plus a zillion books that we read. At least one a week or more.

Banjo म्हणाले...

People with finer ethics than people here will ever have taken cops shows off the air to improve the moral tone of the goons who watch TV. If you have a problem with this, you are rayciss.

rcocean म्हणाले...

"I guess I don't understand all the uproar. A network should be able to choose it's programming."

Honest to God, people are still bringing up this old chestnut. "He has a right to voice his opinion" is another. Is anyone saying the Government should take over A&E and impose their taste on everyone?

No. So what's your fucking Point?

ken in tx म्हणाले...

There was a certain point in time when A&E was referred to as Animals & Englishmen.