Monday, 6 November 2006

November Blawg
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: I'm not reading TV Guide Anymore
Topic: Rant time

OR "Why I've stopped reading TV GUIDE and let my subscription lapse".

I havent blogged in a while and its mostly because I didn't have a topic. Why blog when you have nothing to say? I know, this comes from a girl whose blog uses the word "Blather" in the title. As I was about to create a new topic out of whole cloth...I remembered that I had said I would write about TV Guide in a future blog. Well the future is now the present and so here it is.

I am not renewing my subscription to TV Guide. Why?  Several reasons.

1. Its no longer special. Once in a while you would get a great collectible cover with some great animation or a wonderful picture. Great issues about the 50 best, and the like have places in my collection.

But that changed a year or so ago. One looking like a little book, the TV Guide was changed to a regular looking magazine. Just like everything else. If you ever look at the magazine stand at your store the magazine blends in with everything else. The TV Guide of old used to stand out and demand to be noticed. The only good change that also happened is that its back to 1.99$ a pop rather than the almost three dollars it was getting to. But thats the only positive thing.

I understand TV Guide probably had to make some changes, heck its competition these days are schedules on the internet, tv guides provided by your daily newspaper and guides on sattellite tv. This is very understandable, but there was no need to change the classic format.

2. Listings have become an afterthought. There are more news (though calling it news is iffy since you read about it two weeks AFTER it happened) and there is a lot of behind the scenes stuff too. But there is more of this than actual listings in the magazine. Telling you what time it is on almost comes third to tell you the gossip and the behind the scenes stuff.

3. Sudoku - only its letter style rather than the number style. I'm surprised people are still playing this thing.

4. The TV Guide Channel manages to be worse. They have Joan Rivers and daughter on during the red carpet entrances to the awards show. When thats on the listings really become an afterthought there. You have a better chance of finding Jimmy Hoffa then reading what two milimeters they give you at the bottom of the screen. Joan and her latest face of the week takes up all other space.

Ok so barely three or four reasons for me to stop reading, but its reason enough for me. What will I do now? I suppose looking in the newspaper will be enough for me. A tv guide should tell you whats on, maybe a few other things, but thats about it. 

Posted by citizennancy at 12:59 AM EST | Post Comment | Permalink
Updated: Monday, 6 November 2006 1:11 AM EST

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