Let's Count The Infomercials !

[LowTideV]

Bored out of my skull early this morning, I decided to count how many of the 106 cable channels (not counting the Showtime ones)I get were showing paid programming at the same time. Time frame was 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. (Eastern).

35 channels were running infomercials, my absolute fave of which was the Ronco Knife Set. Leading the "I-can-not-believe-they-think-someone-will-actually-buy-this-crap" category was "Rock Bottom Slots". Get your converted for non-gambling purposes slot machine right now, and pay half-price during this commercial because we want everyone to have a Happy New Year! (I swear, I am not making this stuff up). Coming in a close second, David Oreck with his Oreck Air Purifier. Honorable mention goes to Kevin Trudeau for the book "Natural Cures" (Cures for cancer, depression, acid reflux disease, wow!).

3 channels were running pay-for-pray, with the always popular Jimmy Swaggart getting my vote as the most unintentionally funny.

2 local stations airing overnight shopping shows. The nutball selling electronics was way better than the lady hawking jewelry.

I was very grateful for the presence of VH1 Classic.

 

[ultravox]

> Bored out of my skull early this morning, I decided to count
> how many of the 106 cable channels (not counting the
> Showtime ones)I get were showing paid programming at the
> same time. Time frame was 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. (Eastern).
>
> 35 channels were running infomercials, my absolute fave of
> which was the Ronco Knife Set. Leading the
"I-can> -not-believe-they-think-someone-will-actually-buy-this-crap"
> category was "Rock Bottom Slots". Get your converted for
> non-gambling purposes slot machine right now, and pay
> half-price during this commercial because we want everyone
> to have a Happy New Year! (I swear, I am not making this
> stuff up). Coming in a close second, David Oreck with his
> Oreck Air Purifier. Honorable mention goes to Kevin Trudeau
> for the book "Natural Cures" (Cures for cancer, depression,
> acid reflux disease, wow!).
>
> 3 channels were running pay-for-pray, with the always
> popular Jimmy Swaggart getting my vote as the most
> unintentionally funny.
>
> 2 local stations airing overnight shopping shows. The
> nutball selling electronics was way better than the lady
> hawking jewelry.
>
> I was very grateful for the presence of VH1 Classic.
>

I noticed that to. Why don't you look again on a sunday morning. Almost every station is informercials and religeous programming. Which ticks me off that I have to pay for tv and this is whats on.

 

[ShawnHill]

> I noticed that to. Why don't you look again on a sunday
> morning. Almost every station is informercials and religeous
> programming. Which ticks me off that I have to pay for tv
> and this is whats on.
>
It's even worse on Saturday mornings, thank God I have satellite, at least I can find some decent on TV Land and Comedy Central.

 

[dampier]

> 35 channels were running infomercials, my absolute fave of
> which was the Ronco Knife Set. Leading the
"I-can> -not-believe-they-think-someone-will-actually-buy-this-crap"
> category was "Rock Bottom Slots". Get your converted for
> non-gambling purposes slot machine right now, and pay
> half-price during this commercial because we want everyone
> to have a Happy New Year! (I swear, I am not making this
> stuff up). Coming in a close second, David Oreck with his
> Oreck Air Purifier. Honorable mention goes to Kevin Trudeau
> for the book "Natural Cures" (Cures for cancer, depression,
> acid reflux disease, wow!).

The best running infomercial at the moment is the two brother dwarfs pitching real estate. You really do a double take when flipping through, and then you keep on flipping.

The Oreck vacuum survives only because of its huge commercial presence. Consumer Reports consistently rates it towards the bottom quality-wise. I sure wouldn't buy one of their air purifiers either. The Sharper Image air purifier only purified your wallet of cash, and this one probably isn't much better.

Trudeau's book has been completely debunked as absolute nonsense by quackbusters and a whole host of other credible sources. He pitches it by making the big medicine industry into a conspiracy dragon breathing fire. Unfortunately, snorting herbs is going to do even less for you than Wellbunol or Cureason.

Infomercials are like spam - if nobody ever bought anything from them, they'd go away.

 

[Braves2005]

>
> Trudeau's book has been completely debunked as absolute
> nonsense by quackbusters and a whole host of other credible
> sources. He pitches it by making the big medicine industry
> into a conspiracy dragon breathing fire. Unfortunately,
> snorting herbs is going to do even less for you than
> Wellbunol or Cureason.
>
> Tammy Faye Bakker believes in that quack. It didn't cure her cancer,did it?? I noticed that they pulled that infomercial since Tammy Faye found out that her cancer has come back.

I also wanted to add SMC and Tom Bosley from Happy Days endorsing selling merchandise that you can buy cheaper at dollar stores and grocery stores and thinking that you can sell clocks and knick-knacks at flea markets where you can get the exact same things at Dollar General and Wal-Mart and local grocery stores. What a crock!!

How many times also do we have to see Carlton Sheets sell homes to people cheaply only to find out that it would cost more to reinvoate those houses than buying them??<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Braves2005 on 08/27/05 11:50 AM.</FONT></P>

 

[nuzguy]

> Bored out of my skull early this morning, I decided to count
> how many of the 106 cable channels (not counting the
> Showtime ones)I get were showing paid programming at the
> same time. Time frame was 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. (Eastern).
>
> 35 channels were running infomercials, my absolute fave of
> which was the Ronco Knife Set. Leading the
"I-can> -not-believe-they-think-someone-will-actually-buy-this-crap"
> category was "Rock Bottom Slots". Get your converted for
> non-gambling purposes slot machine right now, and pay
> half-price during this commercial because we want everyone
> to have a Happy New Year! (I swear, I am not making this
> stuff up). Coming in a close second, David Oreck with his
> Oreck Air Purifier. Honorable mention goes to Kevin Trudeau
> for the book "Natural Cures" (Cures for cancer, depression,
> acid reflux disease, wow!).
>
> 3 channels were running pay-for-pray, with the always
> popular Jimmy Swaggart getting my vote as the most
> unintentionally funny.
>
> 2 local stations airing overnight shopping shows. The
> nutball selling electronics was way better than the lady
> hawking jewelry.
>
> I was very grateful for the presence of VH1 Classic.
>
Isn't it comforting, the heights to which television has soared in its never-ending search for quality programming, regardless of the cost?

 

[gr8oldies]

Mike Levy, where are you?

At least that guy could be entertaining, especially setting cars on fire only to have the paint job look as good as new!

I counted various Kevin Trudeau products on at least six channels this morning.<P ID="signature">______________
Greetings from Ohio-where the governor wants everyone to know he's sorry.</P>

 

[EricStein]

Re: Mike Levy, where are you?

> At least that guy could be entertaining, especially setting
> cars on fire only to have the paint job look as good as new!
>
>
> I counted various Kevin Trudeau products on at least six
> channels this morning.

I read somewhere that Mike Levey died a few years back from cancer.

 

[Drew5164]

> Bored out of my skull early this morning, I decided to count
> how many of the 106 cable channels (not counting the
> Showtime ones)I get were showing paid programming at the
> same time. Time frame was 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. (Eastern).
We have an LPTV here that runs local infomercials for businesses aroung town. There's also a cable channel (local access) that does the same thing.

 

[nuzguy]

> > Bored out of my skull early this morning, I decided to
> count
> > how many of the 106 cable channels (not counting the
> > Showtime ones)I get were showing paid programming at the
> > same time. Time frame was 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. (Eastern).
> We have an LPTV here that runs local infomercials for
> businesses aroung town. There's also a cable channel (local
> access) that does the same thing.


That must be a real hoot to watch.
>

 

[Mark_Giardina]

Now you know why I personally went from standard to just basic cable. The only reason was to get a clear signal from my local TV stations. Otherwise I would have dumped cable entirely.

I also was sick of having my monthly cable bills go up every year and for what? More repeats of reruns on the air. There comes a point when if you can remember the lines to ever episode of the “Andy Griffith Show” then its time either get a hobby or a life. And how many times is the Oxygen Channel and FX going to air the same damn movie over and over again?
As for PAX, or as it calls itself now the “I” network, my local cable access channel offers better programming.

As for your question why there are so many infomercials and paid religious programs on television? The answer is simple; Money!

These organizations pay stations handsomely to air this verbal diarrhea. So as long as cable and over-the-air TV operations are handed a check each week they could care less if some preacher dresses up as an organ grinder, with a monkey on his shoulders, just as long as that check doesn’t bounce.

P.T. Barnum was right. There is a sucker born every minute. And today the suckers are the people who actually contribute money to these televangelist. Plus how many people really need a knife that can cut through steel?
<P ID="signature">______________
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted and I won't be laid a hand on.
I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them".</P>