First my CBS affiliate in New York interrupted Grant Aleksander's first day back at GUIDING LIGHT as Phillip. They wiped out the entire second half of the episode and the "moment" he returned. This was due to the flight crew from the plane that landed in the Hudson River doing a press conference (which didn't reveal anything new and was rather awkward and useless). Now they pre-empted most of the first half of this morning's episode of GL, which happened to be the scenes where Oliva was all set to explain to Natalia how she was in love with her. Anyone who reads this blog knows I've been waiting for this moment for many months.
Luckily I can catch the show later at CBS.com and other places, but talk about bad timing. Two of the most anticipated moments of the year, or in years, on GL pre-empted. Today's interruption was for a press conference regarding the new Archbishop (Timothy M. Dolan) of New York. And just my luck I got to hear him answer a question on the Catholic church's position on same sex marriage. Lovely.
Eventually CBS New York went back to GL before the conference was over. Maybe they realized what a colossal waste of time it was.
I have no problem with soaps being interrupted for "breaking" news, but neither of these interruptions were urgent. And neither would have interrupted any nighttime show.
I feel your pain! A few years ago they preempted GL to tell us the Steelers landed in Detroit in preparation for the Superbowl! I am a HUGE Steeler fan, but seriously did we need a news break to for that???? Winter storms? We live in freaking western PA! It doesn't take a meteorologist to look out a window to see that snow is falling!
ReplyDeleteDon't interrupt MY SHOW!
Make no mistake (and I know you don't)...it is these affiliates that have more to do with the death of GL than any other force.
ReplyDeleteI have diatribed on soap message boards about how affiliates are an antiquated distribution system based on radio technology.
They are now, more often than not, a basis for the rot of television. They program the slimiest syndicated fare, and they undermine shows with a failure to running their network's lineups. In GL's case, low clearance rates and hodge podge time slots lay at the feet of the affiliates.
Affiliates are also a locus for censorship. I'm no fan of the Osbornes, but I am appalled (as the latest example) that many Fox affiliates refused to carry the program. What a lack of commitment to the network!
In my world, the networks would cut loose the affiliates tomorrow. (Half of them would die, and that's okay, because cable outlets have been doing an increasingly good job of local storm and emergency updates).
Then, they could concentrate their resources on a cable network, where they keep all the revenue. TV (and soaps) would be in a much stronger position.
Mark and Roger - well said by both of you.
ReplyDeleteGuiding Light is being repeated at 3:07 am according to WCBS-NY website.
ReplyDelete