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Promo Bugs That Drive You Insane

D

dampier

Since I pre-record everything just so I can flip through commercials, ads usually don't bother me as I zip right past them, but the thing that continues to irritate me even more than ads are the ever growing promo bugs they string on the bottom of your screen while trying to watch something. It's a bug arms race as more and more networks make these more and more obtrusive.

The ones that drive me the craziest:

- Virtually any reality show on network TV force feeds it down your throat with irritating bugs during other programs. NBC used to drive me nuts with one that kept promoting "the return of Adam" whoever the hell that was. Fox had brides swooping across the screen, and Fear Factor had badly animated looking families running away from scorpions on NBC.

- USA is running a VERY annoying bug for NASCAR, complete with some guy jumping over a car to change a tire or something, and then he jumps back over and dissapears - just like my attention to the show I was trying to watch before this irritation showed up.

- Other networks like to draw lines across the screen (National Geographic) and some are starting to shrink the picture to run crap across the bottom of the screen.

How much more do networks think we'll tolerate with junked up TV screens. If commercial sponsors refuse to let the networks junk up their ads, why would they believe viewers would be happy with them during shows.

If it keeps up, I'll be Netflixing TV shows a year after they air just to avoid the circus of junk.
 
> Since I pre-record everything just so I can flip through
> commercials, ads usually don't bother me as I zip right past
> them, but the thing that continues to irritate me even more
> than ads are the ever growing promo bugs they string on the
> bottom of your screen while trying to watch something. It's
> a bug arms race as more and more networks make these more
> and more obtrusive.
>
> The ones that drive me the craziest:
>
> - Virtually any reality show on network TV force feeds it
> down your throat with irritating bugs during other programs.
> NBC used to drive me nuts with one that kept promoting "the
> return of Adam" whoever the hell that was. Fox had brides
> swooping across the screen, and Fear Factor had badly
> animated looking families running away from scorpions on
> NBC.
>
> - USA is running a VERY annoying bug for NASCAR, complete
> with some guy jumping over a car to change a tire or
> something, and then he jumps back over and dissapears - just
> like my attention to the show I was trying to watch before
> this irritation showed up.
>
> - Other networks like to draw lines across the screen
> (National Geographic) and some are starting to shrink the
> picture to run crap across the bottom of the screen.
>
> How much more do networks think we'll tolerate with junked
> up TV screens. If commercial sponsors refuse to let the
> networks junk up their ads, why would they believe viewers
> would be happy with them during shows.
>
> If it keeps up, I'll be Netflixing TV shows a year after
> they air just to avoid the circus of junk.
>
Very good point. Networks think they are being cute and creative with the bugging of their shows, but the net effect is to further alienate the audience and prompt viewers to turn to satellite delivered programs and other clean sources. Now when there's a weather alert and all manner of local weather maps are displayed along with who sponsors the weather alert information, it's difficult indeed to even see the program. Time was we could get in a bit of viewing between endless commercials, now the program time is obliterated by bug, bugs, and more bugs. Television is defeating itself.
 
BBC America's promo bug for "Teachers" is quite annoying.
I recall watching one Monty Python episode where a sketch required subtitles, and the stupid thing blocked them. Time to get, THE COMFY CHAIR!<P ID="signature">______________
WCBS = We're Crazy Buffoons and Schmucks
<a href=http://chuck.spotteddogs.org/tv/>Spotted Dog TV Talk - for all your non-news TV Talk</a></P>
 
> BBC America's promo bug for "Teachers" is quite annoying.
> I recall watching one Monty Python episode where a sketch
> required subtitles, and the stupid thing blocked them. Time
> to get, THE COMFY CHAIR!
>

I wonder how the Pythons feel about that, since their shows are meant to be seen uninterrupted, with no adulterations (especially after what ABC did to some of their shows in 1975).

By the way -- does the BBC in Britain or the continental BBC Prime do anything like BBC America is doing? Also, what about BBC Canada?
 
Any of the promos on Bravo, which are timed to run within a minute of returning from a commercial break and last for 15 to 20 seconds.

Starz/Encore squeezing the credits to half-screen, which is mildly irritating for running interviews with the stars of the movie you just saw, and incredibly annoying when done just to promote that "you're watching one of the seven Encore channels".

IFC similarly destroying the credits of art films and documentaries by running promos on the bottom third of the screen -- sometimes with very LOUD audio which blasts out of the TV when its volume was set for the movie's soundtrack.

The animated promos on A&E with characters from their shows running around the bottom of the screen.<P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
Re: Promo Bugs That Drive You Insane: Starz/Encore

> Starz/Encore squeezing the credits to half-screen, which is
> mildly irritating for running interviews with the stars of
> the movie you just saw, and incredibly annoying when done
> just to promote that "you're watching one of the seven
> Encore channels".

This is the absolute worst thing about Starz/Encore's reimaging they did several months ago. I've never had a problem with their "extras" they'd show over some of the credits, but now it is just ridiculous that they squeeze the credits simply to promote themselves. They're already doing that during the movie by popping their bug up many times. The premium networks are supposed to "stand apart" from everything else, but now, Starz/Encore is becoming just like the other non-premium channels.

I would love to know how many complaints Encore Networks have recieved and/or subscribers they lost since doing this. I know I wrote to them (an actual letter through the USPS) complaining about their bugs. Now, I am going to write about them squeezing the credits.

My next move will be to cancel them altogether & I'll just start getting more movies when they come on pay-per-view and burn them onto DVD.
 
Re: Promo Bugs That Drive You Insane: Starz/Encore

> > Starz/Encore squeezing the credits to half-screen ...
> > just to promote that "you're watching one of the seven
> > Encore channels".
>
> This is the absolute worst thing about Starz/Encore's
> reimaging they did several months ago...it is just ridiculous that they
> squeeze the
> credits simply to promote themselves. They're already doing
> that during the movie by popping their bug up many times.

Surprisingly, I never seen this done on their free sampler channel, MoviePlex, which only has a small bug popping up in the corner every now and then, and the credits shown in full with no alteration.
 
Re: Promo Bugs That Drive You Insane: Starz/Encore

Just about every bug on Viacom owned cable channels, especially the ones that start over the entire screen and eventually hover around the bottom half way(Mtv comes to mind on this)).

It's like we can't even watch tv without having some promo flashed in our face.


> > Starz/Encore squeezing the credits to half-screen, which
> is
> > mildly irritating for running interviews with the stars of
>
> > the movie you just saw, and incredibly annoying when done
> > just to promote that "you're watching one of the seven
> > Encore channels".
>
> This is the absolute worst thing about Starz/Encore's
> reimaging they did several months ago. I've never had a
> problem with their "extras" they'd show over some of the
> credits, but now it is just ridiculous that they squeeze the
> credits simply to promote themselves. They're already doing
> that during the movie by popping their bug up many times.
> The premium networks are supposed to "stand apart" from
> everything else, but now, Starz/Encore is becoming just like
> the other non-premium channels.
>
> I would love to know how many complaints Encore Networks
> have recieved and/or subscribers they lost since doing this.
> I know I wrote to them (an actual letter through the USPS)
> complaining about their bugs. Now, I am going to write
> about them squeezing the credits.
>
> My next move will be to cancel them altogether & I'll just
> start getting more movies when they come on pay-per-view and
> burn them onto DVD.
>
 
Those promo bugs at the bottom of the screen DO bug me somewhat, ESPECIALLY if the show itself is showing subtitles at the bottom of the screen for parts which don't speak English.

When the promo bug is on, you can't see the subtitles!! :(

What bugs me more is when they include sound effects with the promo bugs right after returning from a commercial, like FX does regarding promoting their shows, or what SpikeTV does.

DeanSB2004<P ID="signature">______________
Dance Music RULEZ!! :)</P>
 
> Since I pre-record everything just so I can flip through
> commercials, ads usually don't bother me as I zip right past
> them, but the thing that continues to irritate me even more
> than ads are the ever growing promo bugs they string on the
> bottom of your screen while trying to watch something. It's
> a bug arms race as more and more networks make these more
> and more obtrusive.
>
> The ones that drive me the craziest:
>
> - Virtually any reality show on network TV force feeds it
> down your throat with irritating bugs during other programs.
> NBC used to drive me nuts with one that kept promoting "the
> return of Adam" whoever the hell that was. Fox had brides
> swooping across the screen, and Fear Factor had badly
> animated looking families running away from scorpions on
> NBC.
>
> - USA is running a VERY annoying bug for NASCAR, complete
> with some guy jumping over a car to change a tire or
> something, and then he jumps back over and dissapears - just
> like my attention to the show I was trying to watch before
> this irritation showed up.
>
> - Other networks like to draw lines across the screen
> (National Geographic) and some are starting to shrink the
> picture to run crap across the bottom of the screen.
>
> How much more do networks think we'll tolerate with junked
> up TV screens. If commercial sponsors refuse to let the
> networks junk up their ads, why would they believe viewers
> would be happy with them during shows.
>
> If it keeps up, I'll be Netflixing TV shows a year after
> they air just to avoid the circus of junk.
>
I remember back in early 2002 MMUSA (Now Fuse) would always put on spam ads for movies like Orange County and other things that have nothing to do with programming on the network on the bottom of the screen during MuchMusic Canada programming.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
Re: Promo Bugs That Drive You Insane: Starz/Encore

> Just about every bug on Viacom owned cable channels,
> especially the ones that start over the entire screen and
> eventually hover around the bottom half way(Mtv comes to
> mind on this)).
>
> It's like we can't even watch tv without having some promo
> flashed in our face.

WCBS in New York is promoting their website out the wazoo.
The close of all their newscasts ends with it in a simulated video window on a mock up of their website. They are also sticking the website in a box under the CBS 2 bug on lower thirds!

In the words of the great Tom Snyder:
You can be sure if its Westinghouse!


<P ID="signature">______________
WCBS = We're Crazy Buffoons and Schmucks
<a href=http://chuck.spotteddogs.org/tv/>Spotted Dog TV Talk - for all your non-news TV Talk</a></P>
 
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