• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

5, 6 & 7 MINUTE COMMERCIAL BREAKS !!!

gregg75

gregg75

What's up with all these extended commercial breaks? It seems to be worse on certain
networks and certain shows. It's gotten to the point where you can just about watch two
shows at the same time.

Have we reached a point where 50% of a program is now going to be commercials? :'(
Have they no mercy? :':):):'(
 
No, they have too little money and need to sell as much time as possible to keep up with cable networks that have subscriber fees to prop them up.
 
Three words for you D V R! I have clocked some TV Land breaks at the 5 1/2 minute mark and don't even get me started on the breaks during That 70's Show on MTV.
 
Bengalsfan said:
Three words for you D V R! I have clocked some TV Land breaks at the 5 1/2 minute mark and don't even get me started on the breaks during That 70's Show on MTV.
Click to expand...

Yeah and TVLAND doesn't run on the clock because of these damn long break.

MTV was the first network to do 5+ minute breaks. Back in the day my shows on MTV were Daria and Pimp My Ride. In 5 mins I can go to the bathroom and make and eat a turkey sandwich.
 
I was just gonna say, "You must be watchin' CABLE CHANNELS!"
So far, I haven't seen it get that bad on the OTA stations, but cable networks have made it a total joke!
 
kenglish said:
I was just gonna say, "You must be watchin' CABLE CHANNELS!"
So far, I haven't seen it get that bad on the OTA stations, but cable networks have made it a total joke!
Click to expand...

On OTA the FCC imposes limits on commercials per hour and half hour.
 
Yes most are cable channels......and yes TV LAND is one of the worst ones.

Then you have others like TBS (more movie less commercials) who take it back to about
2004 levels. That's nice, but they revert back to "commercial city" on their other shows.

Many stick a promo right in the middle like they're going back to the show.......and then
it's back to even more commercials (round 2).

Some overlap the credits at the end of the show. That gives them another 45 seconds to sell
Progressive and Geico Insurance or warn you about hip replacements (for the 500th time).
 
What Marc B said: Get a DVR. I rarely watch shows as they air anymore - I DVR everything. The beauty of a DVR is that (unlike a VCR), you can watch a show while it is still recording.

So, for example, if you want to watch a 30 minute show at 8:00 - just set your DVR, then start watching from the beginning at about 8:07, speed-search through the commercial breaks, and you'll catch up with the end of the show about 8:30. You have the added advantage of being able to rewind to catch dialogue you missed, or pause while you get a snack or hit the bathroom. If it's a 60 minute show, start watching about 8:17 or so.

Another advantage - you spend less time watching TV. If you watch 3 hours of commercial programming a day, your DVR will save you about 45 minutes or more.

The bigger concern is how much material the cable networks have cut out of these older shows so that they fit their time slot. Unfortunately, a DVR won't help with that.
 
gregg75 said:
Some overlap the credits at the end of the show. That gives them another 45 seconds to sell
Progressive and Geico Insurance or warn you about hip replacements (for the 500th time).
Click to expand...

Ugh, and meters and scooter stores and Alex Trebek's favorite insurance...plus does it really take 3 people AND an announcer to get Medicare supplement insurance thru your head??

Amazing how those channels think I'm in that demo--and no, not yet if I can help it 8)
 
Lkeller said:
What Marc B said: Get a DVR.

The bigger concern is how much material the cable networks have cut out of these older shows so that they fit their time slot. Unfortunately, a DVR won't help with that.
Click to expand...

And of course, networks like TV Land having humongous commercials, and doing very little to end the show and start the next program on schedule -- to DVR a TV Land program without missing anything, you would practically need to add 30 minutes before and after the scheduled start and end times.
 
It's almost like every time you turn on TV Land, they're in a bleeping stopset! :mad:

I was flipping over to TV Land's "Sunday night with Ange & Barn" in between
plays on SNF on NBC, and more often than not TV Land was in a break.
 
Raymie said:
kenglish said:
I was just gonna say, "You must be watchin' CABLE CHANNELS!"
So far, I haven't seen it get that bad on the OTA stations, but cable networks have made it a total joke!
Click to expand...

On OTA the FCC imposes limits on commercials per hour and half hour.
Click to expand...

That hasn't been true since the early eighties, when the FCC eliminated regulations regarding maximum commercial loads on broadcast TV and radio. The exception is for children's programming, which is limited to 12 minutes of advertising per hour during the week and 10 1/2 minutes/hour on weekends.
 
Maybe everyone should spend more time watching the educational/governmental channels on their cable systems - they're commercial free! ;D
 
I noticed during Grey's Anatomy they seem to air shorter, but more frequent commercial breaks. Not sure about other shows since that's all we watch on ABC. I'm surprised more networks don't do this since it gives people less time to get up and leave the TV (and miss the commercials).
 
I had no idea the Clear Channel executive who dreamed up the "Less Is More" campaign is now working in the sales department at ABC!
 
Interesting as there is some talk out there in the ad biz that individual commercials need to go
down to 15 seconds or less as all of this websurfing continues to destroy our attention spans.

Can't wait for the six minute TV Land commercial break made entirely of ads lasting
15 seconds or less. ::)
 
Isn't TV Land one of the ones that's stretched out the programs to 35 minutes during their marathons? So now it's 20-22 minutes of show and 15 of commercials each episode?
I know they used to do that during Home Improvement and Roseanne and some other marathon shows overnights, seems like I saw it during prime time too.
 
So all you DVR users, aren't you paying another $7 or so a month for the service? Direc TV is getting more than enough out of me already.
 
gregg75 said:
So all you DVR users, aren't you paying another $7 or so a month for the service? Direc TV is getting more than enough out of me already.
Click to expand...

Not us OTA viewers. ;D Wifey loves the DVR! Me? Not so much. She can zap commercials faster than I can get another beer.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom