Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Where did cable tv go so wrong?
When I was a kid, TV was free. It was a lucrative business, sure, supported by advertising. In Detroit we got about seven channels: Three major networks, PBS, the Canadian Broadcasting System, and Channels 20 & 50 (which were goofy local low-budget stations).
Now, TV is not free. Most people pay, and pay a lot, to get hundreds of channels on cable television. No one is forced to pay for cable, of course, and going without a television is a reasonable, but little-used, choice. Over-the-air television is harder to get in some places since the change-over to HD. The problem is that there is no reasonable in-between option, something between nothing and an expensive cable plan.
How did cable get so ridiculously expensive? Why don't we have a freer market which would provide good alternative in delivering television? In the end, will internet TV crush the cable oligopoly?
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I pay $130 a month for cable, and I have no idea why. It is partly our fault. We aren't paying attention.
# posted by 
: 4:15 AM
: 4:15 AM
Our cable bill is higher than Anon 4:15 and includes TV and internet. What gets me our cable provider is always advertising the $99 newbie option. If they would just lower the rate after the intro period people wouldn't jump ship. On the other hand, when we have encountered issues they have always provided very good customer service.
I agree with all these comments. In answer to your question (at least in part):
Yes. This regime will fall. Something totally different will take the place of the current cable culture.
Yes. This regime will fall. Something totally different will take the place of the current cable culture.
The only reason we have cable is so my husband can get ESPN and see sports live.
My kids don't watch cable. They're Hulu & Netflix & YouTube & Amazon. Cable doesn't know they've already lost the next generation.
My kids don't watch cable. They're Hulu & Netflix & YouTube & Amazon. Cable doesn't know they've already lost the next generation.
Free TV is now polluted with a myriad of “reality” shows that blur the line of sanity. Based on the ratings, it is the sanity of those who watch that I’m talking about. Anyway, aside from Netflix specials, internet TV is basically cable shows via the internet. And if one buys internet, after taxes and all, the biggest bang for the buck still comes with having internet, phone and cable in one of those newbie (like Christine calls them) triple packages. The downsize to that is that when the good deal expires (I have a two year locked deal for the triple at $92 taxes included, after a month-long brutal battle) a threat to jump ship may not be enough. Ruthless negotiation skills may have to come into play…provided you get a customer service rep able to fire more than three synapses and has the ability to apply discretion. Super tricky!
As I say, I agree.
But, just to go against the grain a bit, here are some things I have enjoyed on TV during this era:
The Office
Mad Men
American Pickers
Duck Dynasty
Swamp People
Big Bang Theory
The NewsHour
Sunday News Talk Shows
Hatfields and McCoys
American Experience
Modern Family
Big Brother
Dancing with the Stars
NCIS
Chopped
But, just to go against the grain a bit, here are some things I have enjoyed on TV during this era:
The Office
Mad Men
American Pickers
Duck Dynasty
Swamp People
Big Bang Theory
The NewsHour
Sunday News Talk Shows
Hatfields and McCoys
American Experience
Modern Family
Big Brother
Dancing with the Stars
NCIS
Chopped
My wife used to be an accountant, so we paid attention. We were paying $80 per month for Dish Network, $30 for internet, and another $20 for Blockbuster's mail-in movie plan. (That's $130 per month.) Then I graduated law school and moved to Maryland, into the worst job market in anybody's memory, and we had to make changes.
We dropped the cable, traded Blockbuster for Netflix and Amazon Prime, and got faster internet. Now, we pay $0 for subscription TV, just under $50 for internet, $8 for Netflix, and about $7.50 for Amazon Prime. That's about $65 per month (i.e., half what we were paying four years ago). I get all the visual storytelling I can ask for, with the benefit of the sieve of pop culture ether to let me know what's worth investing in and what's not (see, e.g., Mad Men v. Pan-Am).
Oh and since I have to consciously pick what I watch, I don't binge-watch hours of forgettable (albeit entertaining) reality TV (like Restaurant Impossible, My Cat from Hell, and America's Next Top Model). As a result, I watch better TV, talk to my wife about more interesting things, and actually read more.
If that is TL;DR, here is the gist: Cutting cable will make you happier, healthier, and more interesting.
We dropped the cable, traded Blockbuster for Netflix and Amazon Prime, and got faster internet. Now, we pay $0 for subscription TV, just under $50 for internet, $8 for Netflix, and about $7.50 for Amazon Prime. That's about $65 per month (i.e., half what we were paying four years ago). I get all the visual storytelling I can ask for, with the benefit of the sieve of pop culture ether to let me know what's worth investing in and what's not (see, e.g., Mad Men v. Pan-Am).
Oh and since I have to consciously pick what I watch, I don't binge-watch hours of forgettable (albeit entertaining) reality TV (like Restaurant Impossible, My Cat from Hell, and America's Next Top Model). As a result, I watch better TV, talk to my wife about more interesting things, and actually read more.
If that is TL;DR, here is the gist: Cutting cable will make you happier, healthier, and more interesting.
I'm with Jeremy, the future is already here.
Previously we paid $45/mo for one of Dish Networks lower tier options that included CNN and ESPN and a DVR. So I think there is an in between option.
Then, like Jeremy, we switched to netflix to save money and we supplement it with over-the-air television which in a large market like Minneapolis is 10-15 channels (including an obscene amount of religious programing.)
Interestingly we are rediscovering PBS as a result.
Previously we paid $45/mo for one of Dish Networks lower tier options that included CNN and ESPN and a DVR. So I think there is an in between option.
Then, like Jeremy, we switched to netflix to save money and we supplement it with over-the-air television which in a large market like Minneapolis is 10-15 channels (including an obscene amount of religious programing.)
Interestingly we are rediscovering PBS as a result.
Waco Farmer:
You "enjoyed" Duck Dynasty?
Duck Dynasty is more addictive than the crack cocaine Osler went to the U.S. Supreme Court to litigate about re: sentencing!
You "enjoyed" Duck Dynasty?
Duck Dynasty is more addictive than the crack cocaine Osler went to the U.S. Supreme Court to litigate about re: sentencing!
# posted by : 11:41 PM
: 11:41 PM
@ Anon:
No experience with crack cocaine--but I am just about off DD. However, it was a short-lived but highly potent enjoyment / fascination / enthrallment with the Robertson clan. And I make no apologies.
No experience with crack cocaine--but I am just about off DD. However, it was a short-lived but highly potent enjoyment / fascination / enthrallment with the Robertson clan. And I make no apologies.
Can't stand Duck Dynasty. Hardly watch tv at all anymore. It's all so repeitive and predictable. Perhaps the best part of television now is turning it off and opening a book--maybe writing something as well. I have just over 75 channels of crap to choose from and the vast majority is just so much visual drek.
Did you know that Hulitt Gloer's son was a writer for Duck Dynasty? Good gig to have... but I was surprised to hear that they had writers.
@David Best - I recommend getting a TV with an HDMI input. Then hook your laptop up to your TV through the HDMI cable. Et voila: ESPN in your living room for free.
@The Medievalist - We are living in the golden age of television. The problem is that for every The Wire, there are three repetitive, predictable, and forgettable reality TV shows.
@The Medievalist - We are living in the golden age of television. The problem is that for every The Wire, there are three repetitive, predictable, and forgettable reality TV shows.
Not surprised at all to hear about writers on Duck Dynasty. It plays as very scripted. In fact, I have often referred to it as a brilliant sitcom with bad actors.
One more TV addition:
I was formerly part of the Downton Abbey cult, for which (unlike Duck Dynasty) I feel much shame.
One more TV addition:
I was formerly part of the Downton Abbey cult, for which (unlike Duck Dynasty) I feel much shame.
I've done the HDMI thing before Jeremy, but it is still the website input, and you can't get regular primetime ESPN at the website unless you already are paying for it with the proper cable provider.
A Few More Thoughts:
I listed a few earlier, but there are works (below) that I have not yet caught up with that are consensus picks for important storytelling:
Homeland
Game of Thrones
House of Cards
and others
These are being produced right now. Give "right now" the props for that.
Also, under this cable regime, i have seen almost every Baylor football game on TV over the last few years. Pretty amazing.
I listed a few earlier, but there are works (below) that I have not yet caught up with that are consensus picks for important storytelling:
Homeland
Game of Thrones
House of Cards
and others
These are being produced right now. Give "right now" the props for that.
Also, under this cable regime, i have seen almost every Baylor football game on TV over the last few years. Pretty amazing.
And, finally, I obviously agree with Jeremy who asserted that we are in a "golden age," but it is sometimes hard to appreciate as we are awash in a tidal wave of less-than-mediocre TV fare.
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