• 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

the most annoying aspect of modern television

RBW

RBW

I think ever since shows like Law & Order started, I've noticed the lengthening of program credits... at the beginning. Up until the late 80's maybe? --- and certainly before that, programs like Love Boat, Rockford Files, Hawaii 5-0, Barnaby Jones.... you name it.... got into the program quickly, once the "title theme" ended. When the first act began, you'd see "written by -- produced by & directed by" usually within about 15 seconds. Well NOW, (or within the past decade) when the first segment begins, credits run individually at the bottom of the screen... and continue, (slowly) often up until 10 or maybe 11 mins into the hour!! Usually it's only on hour-long shows. But it HAS to be THE MOST annoying practice I've EVER seen. They'll often stop and I'll think they're done, then suddenly PRODUCED BY pops up, then 3 mins later, DIRECTED BY. WHAT IS THE FREAKIN POINT OF IT???? Do they (the producers) think we DON'T notice ??? And if so.... my first question is repeatable. Credits at the END are almost non-existant, or always "squashed".... so why drag them on 3x TOO long at the bgeinning ???

I just wish they'd STOP doing it :mad:

Does anyone else feel as strongly about this as I do? (or know the reason why?)
 
I've never really noticed that. What I have noticed is the increasing length and frequency of commercial breaks. Sometimes with the same ad repeated three times in the break.
 
RBW said:
I think ever since shows like Law & Order started, I've noticed the lengthening of program credits... at the beginning. Up until the late 80's maybe? --- and certainly before that, programs like Love Boat, Rockford Files, Hawaii 5-0, Barnaby Jones.... you name it.... got into the program quickly, once the "title theme" ended. When the first act began, you'd see "written by -- produced by & directed by" usually within about 15 seconds. Well NOW, (or within the past decade) when the first segment begins, credits run individually at the bottom of the screen... and continue, (slowly) often up until 10 or maybe 11 mins into the hour!! Usually it's only on hour-long shows. But it HAS to be THE MOST annoying practice I've EVER seen. They'll often stop and I'll think they're done, then suddenly PRODUCED BY pops up, then 3 mins later, DIRECTED BY. WHAT IS THE FREAKIN POINT OF IT???? Do they (the producers) think we DON'T notice ??? And if so.... my first question is repeatable. Credits at the END are almost non-existant, or always "squashed".... so why drag them on 3x TOO long at the bgeinning ???

I just wish they'd STOP doing it :mad:

Does anyone else feel as strongly about this as I do? (or know the reason why?)
Click to expand...

If you watch "The Simpsons" lately, they must have about 30 producers credited during the first act! And by the time the Director gets his credited, it's time for commercial! :(
 
Markieo said:
If you watch "The Simpsons" lately, they must have about 30 producers credited during the first act! And by the time the Director gets his credited, it's time for commercial! :(
Click to expand...

It seems that the list of "Producers" on "The Simpsons" grows each season -- someday, by the time the "Director" pops on the screen, it'll be time to list the Executive Producers at the end of the show. Why so many producers?
 
Well don't watch "The Office." I counted 18 producers on there the other night. It took about 3 minutes just to show all of them. I think TV star salaries have gotten out of control. Now we must pay by loading the show with producers galore.
 
"NCIS" is another one that runs the almost-complete
credits over the first 10 minutes or so of episode.

What annoys me, particularly on TVLand, is how the
credits are shrunk and run at breakneck pace in a
small portion of the screen. Sometimes I like to see
who appeared in an episode, because occasionally it's
somebody who went on to bigger things.
 
for me it's the fact that they will no longer invest any substantial money into quality program development, and they
have an extremely quick hook if the show does not do well right out of the box.
 
Maybe I'm just waxing nostalgic, but I miss theme songs! A few shows still have a 30-second opening (or somewhere in that range) with cast credits, etc., but it seems the exception these days, and not the rule.
 
I'm bothered by the fact that nowadays everything sounds the same as far as local TV. Use to be, that each TV station had its own personality. Back in the day, when I was little, (1960) I use to enjoy traveling and staying at motels and listening to the station ids, and news openings etc. because they were all different for each city I visited. Now everything sounds the same.
 
I'm surprised nobody mentioned this one yet: Say you're watching a show on NBC. In the corner during the entire time? "All New Tonight Show - Friday on NBC!". Not just when they come out of a commercial break, but left on the screen the entire time with the network's bug. That is so freaking annoying! Most of the basic cable stations do the same thing. I notice that it can vary during what you're watching. I never saw USA leave promos like that on the screen during "WWE Raw" on Monday nights. You usually won't get the constant on-screen ad during an NFL game either. I don't know if it's because of all the action or if the NFL contract says no to that?
 
KML-224 said:
I'm surprised nobody mentioned this one yet: Say you're watching a show on NBC. In the corner during the entire time? "All New Tonight Show - Friday on NBC!". Not just when they come out of a commercial break, but left on the screen the entire time with the network's bug.
Click to expand...

Those of us using converter boxes can easily get rid of these bugs by altering our video display so that it gives the widest possible picture. Viola! No more bug! And since virtually all shows center the action all you miss is the peripheral picture and the bug. Nice!
 
Maybe so, but when you squeeze in the picture, especially on an HD set, the picture quality drops off substantially.
 
KML-224 said:
Maybe so, but when you squeeze in the picture, especially on an HD set, the picture quality drops off substantially.
Click to expand...

No, you don't 'squeeze' the picture. You just display it in it's native wide format. The center portion remains perfectly normal and the edges get lopped off - along with the bug.

Maybe I should have also mentioned I watch on a 4:3 set, not 16:9.
 
I think possibly the reason for the lengthy credits at the beginning is b/c when the show goes to syndication, the operators tend to not only, speed up but "squeeze" the end credits into a tiny box as they promote something else with the other part of the screen. So, they figure they can get the credits out there in the beginning and the operators can do nothing to alter those without absolutely ruining the show. Just a conjecture.....
 
RBW said:
I think ever since shows like Law & Order started, I've noticed the lengthening of program credits... at the beginning. Up until the late 80's maybe? --- and certainly before that, programs like Love Boat, Rockford Files, Hawaii 5-0, Barnaby Jones.... you name it.... got into the program quickly, once the "title theme" ended. When the first act began, you'd see "written by -- produced by & directed by" usually within about 15 seconds. Well NOW, (or within the past decade) when the first segment begins, credits run individually at the bottom of the screen... and continue, (slowly) often up until 10 or maybe 11 mins into the hour!! Usually it's only on hour-long shows. But it HAS to be THE MOST annoying practice I've EVER seen. They'll often stop and I'll think they're done, then suddenly PRODUCED BY pops up, then 3 mins later, DIRECTED BY. WHAT IS THE FREAKIN POINT OF IT???? Do they (the producers) think we DON'T notice ??? And if so.... my first question is repeatable. Credits at the END are almost non-existant, or always "squashed".... so why drag them on 3x TOO long at the bgeinning ???

I just wish they'd STOP doing it :mad:

Does anyone else feel as strongly about this as I do? (or know the reason why?)
Click to expand...
I think the opening credits lengthened because in the old days they used to run the closing credits alone where now they share the screen with a near full screen promo. I think those folks who's names now run with an annoying promo jingle talked their names to the beginning where they'd get more notice.

The only network show that has just the closing credits seems to be The Simpsons and, on rare occasion, Family Guy when they have a closing bit. Everything else has shrunken credits and a promo.
 
I have to agree with the credits in the beginning. I watched "Without A Trace" earlier in the season and it was :13 when the final directors credit aired! ARRRGH!

One of the things I don't like in this era is the running of back to back shows. Whether it's two "Friends" or "Judge Judy" on local stations or any of the off network on most any cable network. Especially in these days where 100 or less episodes are available. I enjoyed the old days when it was one episode per day. Took almost a year to go through "I Love Lucy". Plus it only one episode was shown, perhaps more programs could air. How many times and how many channels does one really need to watch "Ghost Whisperer"?
 
I don't know if any of your local stations do this, but
one of my two CBS affiliates, WFMY, puts up logos of
different advertisers in the bottom-left-hand corner
of the screen during its "Good Morning Show". I've seen
that on soccer telecasts, since it's difficult to take breaks
in the action, but I keep thinking: how much more advertising
are we going to get?
 
Michael Bayus said:
I'm bothered by the fact that nowadays everything sounds the same as far as local TV. Use to be, that each TV station had its own personality. Back in the day, when I was little, (1960) I use to enjoy traveling and staying at motels and listening to the station ids, and news openings etc. because they were all different for each city I visited. Now everything sounds the same.
Click to expand...

Also back then many news anchors were not only a key part of their local community but a good many of them made you feel like you were from there too. For example Jerry Turner, Al Sanders and Rudy Miller all made you feel that you really were a part of Baltimore even if you were only visiting. Likewsie with Irv Weinstein ( Buffalo ) Ed Hughes, Terry Zahn & Jim Kincad ( Norfolk ), Nick Clooney ( Cincicnatti ), Tom McGee ( Charleston-Huntington ), Bob Palmer & Ward Lucas ( Denver ), George Putman ( LA )..and many many others.


Today many local TV anchors are either young people who often move from market to market without setting up roots in the community or older anchors who are just waiting to retire if not ONLY doing it for the money and nothing more...of course there are some exceptions.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom