Television Isn’t Worthy of One Eye

Broadcast television just isn't what it used to be.

Remember when you turned on the tube, sat down, and within seconds you were enjoying something interesting?

Even with the over 500 channel digital television universe, most things “aired” by broadcasters aren't worthy of one eye, let alone both. They hit below the belt – way below – for content these days.

Just ask Matt Lauer.

The television personality that has the honour of co-hosting NBC’s flagship morning show 'Today' was making his own news – if you can call it that – by doing a bit on how one of his colleagues slapped him on the butt behind the scenes.

They did a whole “bit” on how inappropriate it was, trying to make us laugh. Instead, if you have half a brain cell left after watching fellow co-hosts Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb drink themselves silly before most of us even have had a cup of coffee, were left wondering – WTF?

Gifford and Kotb both deny being alcoholics, yet they drink wine every morning. It’s just their thing – to drink first thing in the morning, at work, on TV.

If a high school teacher was doing the same thing at work in front of a class of kids, that teacher would be fired and sent to AA.

NBC isn't the only major American network producing brain numbing content, leaving us wondering what the hell?

Most American and Canadian networks produce crap these days – it’s a sad reality in this era of tasteless reality shows.

The Learning Channel – TLC – doesn't teach us much anymore. Unless you enjoy learning about someone crazy’s addiction to eating her dead husband’s ashes, in their show ‘My Strange Addiction.’

There are still some great shows on television. Showtime’s ‘Californication’ and HBO Canada’s ’Call Me Fitz’ are really amazing shows. They are well written, shot and directed.

'Californication' follows the wild life of novelist Hank Moody played by the undervalued David Duchovny, while 'Call Me Fitz' stars Canadian Jason Priestley as 'Fitz' -- an egomaniac used car salesman constantly battling his conscious.

The writers are both those shows is a thing even Shakespeare would give a nod too.

And that’s the real problem with most television these days – it’s not well written.

Writers are always undervalued – I was one – once. It doesn't matter whether it’s television, radio, print or even the web – they are still underpaid, overworked and treated like second-class citizens.

Which is why the shows are so poorly structured – you’d produce crap if you were treated like a slave.

So we get poorly written shows, with talent-less drunken hosts on major broadcast networks talking about butt-slaps, as our brain cells melt away in the miserable million channel universe.

Where’s my remote control? I can’t take it anymore.

The Insanely Dangerous Things We Do to Get On TV

Yesterday, “Fearless” Felix Baumgartner became an instant television star after jumping over 38-kilometres (23.61 miles) above the Earth,on verge of space.

The Austrian dare-devil dropped about 1, 100 kilometres per hour (684 miles per hour) breaking several world records, while becoming the trending topics on most of the social networks, and having his space-suit-mug plastered on all media around the world.

This isn't the first – and it won’t be the last – insanely dangerous thing someone has done to garner instant fame. Remember this past June when Nik Wallenda walked across Niagara Falls on a tight rope?

Both dare-devils survived their crazy stunts, and both made the headlines for the next few days.

Maybe it’s the reality TV generation we unfortunately are in, but it appears the only way to get on television these days is to be doing insanely crazy stuff.

From shows which test people’s level of bravery like Survivor, to ones that test our patience like The Jersey Shore, you don’t have to be a talented actor or have any sense of real intellect or creativity these days to get on a major network.

Just being beautiful and allowing yourself to be humiliated for all to see appears to be the norm.

And if you aren't beautiful, or willing to be voted off the island, you can always jump out of a balloon high up near the barrier between space and Earth, or walk across Niagara Falls.

Why do television networks produce this puff? Whatever happened to shows which actually made us think, feel and laugh?

Truth is, broadcasters have always catered to the largest and widest possible audiences. That’s why they are called “broad” casters. It’s like fishing, they toss their net of shows out into the viewing ocean, and whatever people fall into their net they contain with mindless drivel, while the rest escape to their digital, on demand podcasts.

Perhaps that’s why television and radio are dying – because of the failure of broadcasters to keep pace with the competition from the on demand digital media.

Television and radio broadcasters on the major networks in both Canada and the States have reported significant drops in their viewing and listening audiences over the past decade.

Over a decade ago, on demand digital media didn't exist. We were forced to watch and listen to whatever television and radio programming network executives thought we wanted.

Now we the people are calling the shots. With on demand digital media, we the people are our own program directors. We may occasionally surf late night television, and tune into local radio shows for our morning commutes. However more of us are just saying no to the broadcasters stilted and stale programming choices, as we discover shows that actually mean something to us on our podcast catchers, and other digital media such as Netflix, Apple TV, and on demand networks and shows available through other similar systems.

Although watching someone free-fall from a low Earth orbit may entertain and amaze us for 15-seconds, that 15-seconds of fame is long gone almost as fast as it began.

To really have a successful television or radio show, you need a stable of steady, regular, dedicated viewers and listeners. Tossing out the old fishnet and hoping you catch something is very fleeting, and won’t build a dedicated fan-base to sell advertising.

And if you don’t continue to sell advertising, eventually you won’t be in business, because that’s what pays the bills.

But hey, look on the bright side – at least you can get your 15-seconds of fame. Well, so long as the broadcast television and radio stations continue to exist in the ever growing world of on demand digital media.

How much time is left?

Better hurry up.

Fifteen-seconds doesn't last long.

Nope.

Not long at all.