I’m old enough to remember when the only TV channels we had were those available over the airwaves. In Hampton Roads, we had four or five stations. One of the promises of pay TV – Cox came to Hampton Roads in the late 1970s – was advertising-free content. Of course, that never happened. Today, I doubt if the viewer can tell the difference between over-the-air TV stations and most cable stations; despite increasing cable and satellite bills, advertising is everywhere.
Still, it is possible to hook up a TV and an antenna and receive TV broadcasts. The TV in my bathroom is hooked up that way. But it seems the same thing that is killing newspapers – a lack of advertising revenue – is killing broadcast TV.
The changes could mean higher cable or satellite TV bills, as the networks and local stations squeeze more fees from pay-TV providers such as Comcast and DirecTV for the right to show broadcast TV channels in their lineups. The networks might even ditch free broadcast signals in the next few years. Instead, they could operate as cable channels — a move that could spell the end of free TV as Americans have known it since the 1940s.
Pepsi, an advertising fixture at the Super Bowl for the last 23 years, has decided to forgo advertising this year.
“You can’t just go to market with a TV ad anymore,” says Lee Clow, chief creative officer of Omnicom Group’s TBWA Worldwide, the agency behind the new campaign.
FedEx is also passing on the game, citing “cost containment” as the reason. Nevertheless, CBS, who will broadcast the game, says that the ad spots are almost completely sold out. Unfortunately, once a year does not make an advertising revenue stream.
I suspect it will be simply a matter of time before we start seeing broadcast TV disappear from the airwaves. And just as with newspapers, the dissemination of information will be limited to those with the resources to access it. As long as you can afford cable or satellite and the internet, the loss of broadcast TV and newspapers isn’t a big deal.
I can afford them – but I’m not looking forward to the day when they are all I have to rely on.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Access to information won’t be limited for those who can’t afford cable or the net; a library card is free.
Assuming that the library is located within walking distance, I’d agree. Except that’s not always the case.
Speaking of free air time…
If anyone is interested in supporting good candidates in the special elections to be held on January 12th, here are the two Democratic candidates’ web sites:
8th (Virginia Beach) Bill Fleming: http://www.flemingforstatesenate.org
37th Dave Marsden: http://www.marsdenforsenate.com
It doesn’t matter what your usual party affiliation is. Visit these sites and take a look at what these gentleman have to offer.
Anyone who is willing to run for public office these days deserves a heap of respect, just for having a go at it.
Thanks for those links.
You forgot one other thing – availability of cable or satellite signal in your area. I could afford to pay for broadcast TV via my satellite service, but I’m not permitted to according to DirecTV agreements, and cable is not available in my area.
My neighbors and I worked for 6 months to get a decent, reliable digital signal after the switch.
You are absolutely correct. I did without local TV stations for about 3 years after switching to DirecTV because local channels weren’t available and I couldn’t get an antenna to work well enough to pick up the channels.
As for that digital switch – I had to replace the TV in my bathroom because that converter box didn’t work.
I’m old enough to remember when cable came along, and how everyone said, “no one is going to pay for tv”!! So much for that, huh? Sadly, local tv has made itself so bad, that many are willing to pay for good tv. Look at how WVEC dumped Joel Rubin for another vitamin infomercial! Shameful! And its no better elswhere. DC local tv is horrid, Orlando is laughable, Boston a joke and honestly even New York City local TV is bad. So like radio, they are driving viewers away. Radio did this over the years by being driven by cost cutting measures, ala, Rush, Hannity, and all the other satellite provided programs, and turned their backs on locals. Even the poorly produced local radio makes satellite look pretty good. How many times can Macreeny laugh at his own, tired, jokes, told time after time, after time? So like Detroit, radio and tv have driven customers away. Only exception is WHRO, both radio and tv, where local excellence is the rule, not the exception.
Get used to paying for tv, its the only way you are going to get anything worth watching. I’ve got FIOS and close to 2000 channels, but even then, seldom is there anything worth watching. ( I will admit Bridezilla’s is a hoot) (oh and Jesse Ventura’s lunacy with his conspiracy program is worth a laugh)
Face it, tv as in life, you get what you pay for!