Millions Of TV Viewers Go Dark, Few Complain (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

Media Daily News ^ | June, 18, 2009 | Joe Mandese

[abb]

"By the end of this decade or shortly thereafter, television networks as we know them today will cease to exist. They will be just another url on the world wide web competing against millions of others."

"Network evening newscasts will go dark after the '08 elections and their news divisions disbanded."

Walter Abbott, (b. 1950), Media observer and commentator

[abb]

ping

[abb]

http://www.wbur.org/2009/06/18/globe-suitors-2
Who Wants To Buy The Boston Globe?

http://www.slate.com/id/2220736/
Doubting Twitter

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/News/85192-Weakened-watchdogs/
Weakened watchdogs
If the Globe shrinks, will Beacon Hill run amok?

http://blogs.wsj.com/privateequity/2009/06/17/on-the-logic-of-deal-making-in-the-dreary-newspaper-industry/?mod=rss_WSJBlog
On The Logic Of Deal-Making In The Dreary Newspaper Industry

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=262938&ac=PHbiz
Developer to buy newspaper properties

[Mrs.Z]

Forget newscasts...

I have 500 channels and NOTHING TO WATCH but the US Open this weekend (maybe Fox at night a little)

Fortunately it’s summer...so who cares.

[PeterPrinciple]

suggests millions of TV viewers either don’t care, or are still perplexed

---

I wonder which it is.......................

[N. Theknow]

suggests millions of TV viewers either don’t care, or are still perplexed

I wonder which it is.......................

They probably bought new phones at the same time and can't figure out how to work them either.

Sometimes, after observing people, I wonder how in the world they even manage to change a light bulb.

[N. Theknow]

If “broadcast-only” is the extent of what one can receive....why bother?

[Alex Murphy]

Days after their analog TV signals went dark, 2.2% of U.S. households still haven't bothered to hook up to digital reception, according to estimates released Wednesday by Nielsen Co. Even more troubling, the estimates are based on households in Nielsen's national and local TV ratings panels, which means that more than 2% of Nielsen's panel is reporting zero TV usage in the days following the conversion.

Ping for later

[Lockbox]

and the answer is...............

they can't tell the difference in the broadcast quality

[GAB-1955]

I'm one of those people.

It's not the difference in the technical quality, but in the lousiness of the shows. I can get many of the shows I want as part of video on demand. I'd rather watch “Adam-12” on Hulu than the drivel that comes on today. For news I have the Web and Freep. For music I have BBC Radio 3 and WFMT and KING-FM in Chicago. For sports I have Westwood One. What do I need this stuff for?

[Leg Olam]

Neilsen is dead. With digital the viewers are being tabulated. Its a two way system. Welcome to 1984.

[CholeraJoe]

2% of households are stealing cable from their neighbors anyway.

[abb]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ombudsman-blog/2009/06/what_howard_kurtz_didnt_disclo.html
What Howard Kurtz Didn’t Disclose

http://www.poynter.org/forum/view_post.asp?id=13963
Full disclosure, please

http://www.johntemple.net/2009/06/good-question-why-didnt-i-do-at-rocky.html
Good question: Why didn’t I do at the Rocky Mountain News what I now say local newspapers should do?

[hoagy62]

Hate to tell you this...but KING-FM is in Seattle, not Chicago.

[GAB-1955]

Yep. My wife loves it. She knows where it is and so do I, but you try typing with the flu.

[hoagy62]

I understand, FRiend. I myself am on the tail end of that gunk...had it since Monday, and I’ve missed 3 days of work. I still feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, but today it’s only a light truck.

Just hope I still have jobs (I have 2) to go back to....

[tiki]

They didn’t mention those who are receiving illegal signals, it must be more than I thought.

[tiki]

I know what you mean.

[tiki]

I unplugged the phone line to my system shortly after I got it so I’m pretty sure they don’t know what I’m watching.

[ctdonath2]

more than 2% of Nielsen's panel is reporting zero TV usage in the days following the conversion.

And that's not including those who went to zero TV usage pre-conversion for other reasons. I moved 3 years ago, didn't get around to installing cable (broadcast was unwatchably fuzzy) for a long time, and repeatedly balked at the price ($50/mo for dreck? no!) - still don't have it, don't intend to, Netflix + Internet is enough.