[redheadtoo]

... why bother them?

Our television signals have been bombarding the stars since we first began broadcasting. I say we have already bothered them to distraction.

I suspect that any intelligent aliens out there either totally hate us and wish our destruction or, because of an addiction to TV, are willing to become out slaves as long as we promise to keep broadcasting re-runs of Hawaii 5-0.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Our television signals have been bombarding the stars since we first began broadcasting. I say we have already bothered them to distraction.

Actually that's not quite true. Our signals have barely made it into space, so to speak.

Only civilizations within about 50 light years of the Earth would be able to "see" us, since the first strong radio broadcasts in the VHF band started only about 50 years ago.

In the movie "Contact" aliens only 20 light years away received early TV broadcasts and beamed them back to us as a beacon signal. In real life, that hasn't happened ... yet

[Oberon]

Our television signals have been bombarding the stars since we first began broadcasting.

Not nearly all of them, however... only the ones within a sphere of about a 65-light-year radius. That probably doesn't take in but so many Sol-like stars.