OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

I don't know how many of you watch AMC (American Movie Classics), but it sure has changed for the worse. They used to show movies uncut and unedited, mostly from the 30's-60's, when I first had it back in the mid-80's. Then I guess they would show more modern movies during the 90's. I haven't really watched it all that much the past couple of years. But now http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif I was watching The Terminator on it other day. Not only did they have commercials on there, they did edit some of the more bloody scenes of the movie. When did this happen? I was shocked. This used to be a good channel to watch. Now I guess I'll to cross it off my list and watch FMC or TCM if I want to watch some of the older movies.

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

Yeah don't you love cable you pay for it every month and you still gotta watch commercials. Really worth it huh?

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

Do you have any idea how expensive cable would be if you didn't have commercials? That is how TV stations make their money. Without commercials, it might cost you 40 bucks a month, per channel. Or even a lot more.

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

I dont watch tv anymore and its done me a world of good

[ January 20, 2004, 21:36: Message edited by: Combat Wombat ]

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

Limited commercials are the best way (just as long as they dont switch to free to air amounts of ads)

Pay TV channels have to pay for overheads and also new technology they have to constantly upgrade to stay competitive.

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">the budget of a company paying for advertising is a slice of the total money paid. the budget for advertising is a slice of that. now, assuming it all goes to the tv...

all those people that buy things from companies that pay for advertising could provide more than a slice of a slice, without straining their budget, i'd think.

but all of them would have to be paying for no ads.

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

By the way, how often you have commercials in midst of the movie/TV program? For example, here in Finland, if we have 40 minutes show, there is first 3-5 minutes commercials before the show, then there is 2 times 3-5 minutes comercials in midst the show and Lastly, there is 3-5 minutes commercials at the end of the show, which means total time 1 hour for 40 minutes show.

Luckily, we have 2 channels where are no commercials what so ever. Movies go undisturbed, etc. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

that sounds about the same.

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">APIB (Amen Preach It Brother)

Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television

[ January 21, 2004, 10:45: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

(I didn't have a TV till a friend gave us one about a year ago).
I only watch Buffy and Star Gate 1.
Comercial breaks are time for me to talk to my sweetie or resume IMing or do email. Still I wish there were less of them.

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">We could not afford cable when I got married, nor could we get decent broadcast reception. Can't say we miss TV except for things like the Olympics. As for progams we might have missed, I fully expect them to be available on DVD for rental or purchase some day - it is just a matter of time.

[ January 21, 2004, 13:13: Message edited by: Geckomlis ]

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

There are still some things that I watch on TV. I like things like "Nova," "Scientific American Frontiers," and "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS. I also like "Jeopardy" and "CSI" on commercial broadcasting. Aside from that, I have to be pretty bored to watch TV.

As to Loser's comment on the value of playing SEIV: there is little comparison between that and watching TV. SEIV usually makes you think, TV usually does not. Granted, both are time killers.

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">would be more beleivable if he didn't think guns are evil.

on the other hand, a newspaper is a much better instrument for the distribution of information. i would say that the blurbs on tv are not very informative and that no harm would be done to eliminate broadcast television and have all shows downloadable off the internet and that would eliminate some of the mindlessness.

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

Most shows are downloadable off of the internet, albiet illegally... the Internet has been slowly ruining several aspects of our economy for a while now, and companies are just starting to realize this... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif Hence the vile outlashes of the RIAA...

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I must defer to one of the greatest philosophers of our age:

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Newspapers, like television, are only as good as their editing. I'll grant you that newspapers aren't as inherently prone to the fifteen-second-sound-bite format as TV (unless you read USA Today, with its 75-pictures/graphs/charts-per-page format http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif ).

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

I'm with the Wombat. I haven't watched TV for years. The hardest part was weaning myself off the shows I really liked, but eventually I got there. I still waste my time, internet, computer games, whatever, but now I waste my time on things that, at least, have an illusion of accomplishment.

Lets face it, the time I send on SE IV is no more productive, and has no more benefit than time I'd spend watching TV. But what it does do for me is leave me with a feeling of accomplishment. Even when I lose.

Also, leaving TV behind has cut me off from a large source of memes of unknown value.

I haven't read that essay yet, GW, but I'm stuck here at work for about thirteen hours today, so I suspect I will get to it.

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

calvin, in two places at once: http://www.ucomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

http://www.reemst.com/calvin_and_hobbes/?page=day

Re: OT - WTF happened to AMC?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I'm talking about one channel that up to about a year or two ago, was commercial free, or at the least, showed the commercials, which were usually previews of upcoming movies, after the movie was over. When you get used to that format for about 15 years, then they change it without you're being aware of it, is what I'm complaining about. Plus, they edited a movie. Granted, T1 is a pretty violent movie, but I wasn't prepared for the hatchet job on a channel I had never seen that done on before. But I guess they had to make a profit. I just don't like it, though.