Bruce Springsteen had it partly right when he wrote “57 channels (and nothin’ on)” – I say “partly” because he was off by an order of magnitude. As I flip through the barren wasteland that is the 500-channel cable television universe, I have to wonder: how is it possible that, despite a factor of ten increase in the number of channels, the amount of TV content fit for human consumption has actually decreased?
Every genre or popular show from the past twenty or thirty years now seems worthy of its own channel – but just how long, medically speaking, can a person watch reruns of old shows? Watching Gilligan get smacked by the Skipper is fun and all, but at some point, doesn’t it cause renal failure or brain damage? I mean who was the rocket scientist at TVland that gave birth to their motto (“Life’s too short to watch crap”)? Life’s too short? Absolutely! <click>!
It only gets worse. In an effort to maximize the investment in new content, networks have taken to rescheduling shows on the fly. The logic behind this, apparently, is to avoid attempting to compete against other special events or shows that might draw the majority of the audience. It would seem that network executives think we’re all part of the same mooing herd – like our attention span is too short to actually follow an entire season of a show. Sorry, but if the American public can’t follow a season of the West Wing, then there need to be comprehensive IQ testing before anyone is allowed to vote.
I predict this type of disregard for the creation of quality television on a fixed schedule will only hasten the demise of network television. Technology solutions like Tivo and other personal video recorders are only the first step – BitTorrent is fast becoming a powerful way for people to get the content they want, when they want it. Why bother subscribing to cable when you can download high-definition rips of the shows you want, sans commercials? On the west coast, this is especially attractive, as rips for shows are usually available before they broadcast, due to the three hour time difference. If anyone gets decent broadband (and no, decent broadband is not available in the US, as far as I’m concerned), the networks are screwed.
Even if the networks succeed in blocking these technologies, they’ve still got problems: books don’t have commercials, JK Rowling seems to have reminded kids and adults alike how to read, and the library is free. The next great step “forward” in entertainment might turn out to be a giant leap backwards.