Posted on 09/10/2013 8:32:11 PM PDT by lee martell
Nowadays, thanks to the internet, cable, and satellite media, there is programming literally around the clock, at least in today's United States. There is never a time when you could turn on your state of the art, flat wall screen tv, press all the button combinations, only to find "nothing is on". This seems to be what the public wants, a never ending access to shows, movies, youtubes and music. It is nice to have but a short road to almost any type of production, at almost anytime. Of course, all depends on a reliable electrical grid to keep everybody connected, if that's what you want. I recall when local stations would sign off, I mean really sign off the air for the whole night. Many local stations would end the day with a solemn reading by a famous historic figure, or when it was near Christmas and Easter, Psalms were read. Then a test pattern, then a fade to black, or all night static. One Easter, the Kyrie by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was used; a combination adult and children's choir.
As late as in 1983 this was the case. I recall vividly the weekend the world found out that Lady Astronaut Sally Ride had gone into space. After all the interviews and hoopla, it was time for Channel 4 to go off the air. Channel 4 then played what is probably my favorite, a piece by Gabriel Faure called Pavane, Opus 50 for flute and orchestra. The scene shows a swan on the water slowly going to sleep.
I was a fan of the late shows, when I got older, the late-late shows, long before pioneers like Tom Snyder of the Tomorrow Show gave more of us a reason to stay up late. We no longer had to settle for yet another showing of a B movie. When I say B movies, I mean something like the one with Tallulah Bankhead, called 'Die, Die, My Darling!", or Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?".
Other classic B films came out during the "rodents are the perfect pet" phase, one was "Ben" a story about a Boy and his Rat. Theme song by Michael Jackson, prior to his 10th facial reconstruction. The second Rat film of the time would be "Willard" with Ernest Borgnine. This film centered around a nerdy young man who was as they say nowadays; bullied. His only friends were rats, which he trained to do his bidding. the Willard character was being pushed around by whoever Ernest Borgnine was playing. Willard's classic line was "Tear Him UP!!" as he sicced his ratty pals on poor Ernest B.
I recall when the broadcasters would conclude their broadcast day with an brass band instrumental rendition of the National Anthem with footage of flag presentation.
Others would begin with such footage.
There is a radio station in Houston that draws attention to how no one is doing it anymore and has returned to playing the National Anthem at 6:00AM (1070AM KTRH).
Late night tv now is surrendered to informercials.
Even the alphabet networks local affiliates do this.
And pay-tv cable channels are full of ads. Why pay for tv if you are paying to watch ads and fund liberal networks that you never watch and cannot opt out of?
Thanks Mozilla. We now have a Virtual Gallery of American TV Sign Offs. And you don’t have to stay up all night just to see them.
There USED to be an office of standards and practices at broadcasters. Now, anything goes, especially if it may step on “squares’ toes”.
I think in the past year National Geo(porno)graphic did a tv series about sexual kinks (including the portrayal of a woman running a urine stand like a lemonade stand in her front yard).
AND THAT WAS JUST THE TV ADVERTISEMENT FOR IT.
And Cialis ads during the World Series? Really?!?!?
!!!!!Please tell me you’re making that up about the urine stand vendor on network TV. I don’t own a TV, per se, but could rope in certain programs if I wished to. Am I that far out of ‘the loop’ to be shocked by such an image?
I haven’t had cable (or a television) for the past 5 years.
I saw the ad videoed off a tv screen and put on youtube.
There were various facial piercings edited into footage of the presidents in the Mount Rushmore Monument as well.
Here was where I learned of it:
National Geographic’s disgusting TV promo aired on Memorial Day
National Geographic; Taboo ^ | May 27, 2013 | GeorgeWashingtonsGhost
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3024417/posts
Here is the video clip of the ad for the National Geographic Channel’s “TABOO USA” with the “lemonade stand” footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QPU_FPgqiQ
Time-Lies, Newsweak, National Geographic, et al. Supported by thousands of blind subscriptions to school and public libraries.
They aren’t the same publications of old. Even Time-Lies-Warner-Turner-DC’s new Mad Magazine accepts advertising (which Gaines’ original magazine never did, he posited that it would be wrong to satirize the hyperbole in a Coca Cola ad and then take money from Pepsi for an ad.
When you think about it, what is there to stop anybody from showing anything nowadays, so long as it doesn’t ridicule the “fatted golden calves or the precious state birds” always over glorified and under heavy political protection.
I think Colin Powell’s son was or is part of the FCC. He was eager to throw all those provincial stuffy standards out of the nearest bay window. Looks like he largely succeeded. Now 88% of all media is portrayed from a young debutante’s point of view (i.e. Ms Fluke), while using language and morals of an adult male in a darkened saloon(i.e. Ms Cyrus).
Yes....KDKA used to show that....that’s how I knew it was time to go to bed.
Good times
“Zah killing zee gull tonight, old man. You can save huh, just sign zee papahs.”
“He stuck it in his eye, man!!”
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