My thoughts on television (TV Programs in General)

Member Name: Fiver29

Product:	TV Programs in General
Date:	05/01/09 (93 review reads)
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I am afraid for me the TV is an absolute essential. I would love to be one of those people who can say they take it or leave it, but in all honesty its my obsession. Even now while I'm typing this it's on in the background even if it's just as background noise.

The only time it get turned off is when I go to bed, or when I'm studying, or occasionally when I get an attack of conscience and think about all the extra electricity its using and turn it off then.

~Thoughts on the impact of TV~

I have to say even though I love my TV and its been a superb invention it also has some drawbacks.

On the positive side, television has brought countless hours of enjoyment to hundreds of thousands of people. People can lose themselves in stories they might not otherwise have had access to. Documentaries and news broadcasts have informed and educated people in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. I know I learned nearly everything I know (which isn't much granted) about the oceans from David Attenborough, not from school or any formal learning. Programmes such as Round the World in Eighty Days by Michael Palin allow people to see cultures, even if its just a glimpse, that they might never have seen otherwise.
The Open University programmes were a staple diet at one time for all new mothers who's babies were feeding during the early hours (although for me it was endless repeats of Prisoner Cell Block H).

Apart from the obvious knowledge which can be gained by the news programmes and documentaries, the television can also be used by governments and interested bodies to get a message across. This has recently been done in EastEnders, where the message about child abusers not necessarily being strangers was featured. It was heralded as a successful campaign when at least one girl came forward because she realised the same thing had happened to her, as she'd just watched.

Often television has an unexpected effect on people. During the Olympic Games in Beijing sales of bikes went up ten fold. Whether these people keep up their new found hobby is another thing, but had the games not been televised that increase wouldn't have happened.

However, as I said before television also has its bad points. One of them being the way in which sex, violence and bad language have become common place. Now I'm no Mary Whitehouse, but I do think television producers abuse the 9pm watershed, even when reprimanded for it nothing appears to change.

I feel that its a great shame that television producers often seem to think that a programme isn't good unless its full of sex and swearing. To me that is just poor writing, if a writer can't make a story interesting without resorting to the lowest common denominator, then they need a new career.

Children's television has also changed for the worse in my opinion. I have lost count of the amount of times I have stopped my children watching things because its giving off the wrong message. Programmes with stroppy kids behaving badly and getting their own way, or youngsters being obsessed with having relationships with the opposite sex instead of being children.

~Ways of Viewing~

Unlike the old days (when we lived 'int shoebox 'int middle o' road) there are slightly more than three channels.

We subscribe to Sky, and receive a digital satellite signal and I believe there are supposed to be well over 300 channels (there's probably more by now), we however only get the family channels, the documentaries and music channels.

Virgin Media are a digital cable company who I believe offer a similar selection of channels as Sky.

For those not wanting to pay for a monthly subscription digital television can be received via Freeview, which has 48 digital channels. Or Freesat, which involves a one off payment for the installation of a satellite dish, but then the viewer can receive the same free channels as the Freeview customers.

All of these services now offer the ability to purchase equipment to record and pause live TV and record more than one digital channel at a time.

The reason I mention digital so much is that analogue will soon be a thing of the past. We are losing it in our area some time this year and just up the coast from us Whitehaven/Workington lost their analogue signal last year.

~What I Enjoy~

For the most part I watch US dramas, with a few British programmes (soaps) thrown in. If I'd done this review 10 years ago I would have said the exact opposite, but in my opinion the standard of British drama has dropped dramatically and much of it isn't worth watching any more.

The British programmes I do watch include, EastEnders (yes this has dumbed down in recently years, but its more habit than anything else), Coronation Street, Holby City and Casualty. Apart from these soaps the only other British programme I watch regularly is Have I got News For You.

The rest of my viewing covers three areas really, medical drama, crime/legal drama and sci-fi. These include programmes such as House, ER, The Practice, Prison Break, Stargate SG1 and Atlantis and so on. Of course there's always 24 as well but I'm not sure exactly which genre it belongs in, I guess just action!

I am really looking forward to the start of the new season of 24 next week. Its been a long time coming and was definitely missed when the Autumn schedule began.

~Hopes for the Future~

I would like to see the BBC get back on track and start producing the wonderful nature programmes and dramas that it used to. And I'd like to see all the channels stop focusing on cheap TV with reality programmes and talent(less) shows.

Summary: I doubt most will agree, but its my opinion on TV