I want to learn about American TV

[MuddyOne]

RMSharpe, so people in the military are leftists now?

Join the army. Go to interesting places. Meet new people. And kill them

NPR does lean a little to the left on several things. It doesn't compare to Rush's retoric though.

 

[amadeus]

The difference between Rush and NPR is that NPR is funded by public (tax) dollars and is supposed to be unbiased. Rush Limbaugh is a conservative commentator funded by private dollars.

Rush Limbaugh admits he is a conservative. NPR denies that they are liberal.

So, NPR is being manipulative and corrupt, using public funds for a political agenda.

 

[Serutan]

Originally posted by Rodgers
1. American TV

On terrestrial stations there can be NO nudity, swearing or anything too "unconventional" but graphic violence is fine. If you get cable (which is expensive) then you can see anything you want - hardcore porn etc. There is something called HBO, which seems to be the equivalent of TV nirvana but that is even more expensive. The trerrestrial stattions are - NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox.

Some swearing is allowed, even on the broadcast (terrestrial)
channels. While regular cable channels (what one would see
on the basic packages referred to already) can have somewhat
worse language, and some partial nudity, it is still pretty limited.
There are some decent documentary channels (History, Discovery).

HBO is not TV nirvana. It's a movie channel that shows
mostly rubbish. And you have to pay extra for it ("premium
channel" as they say). Also the porn channels are either
premium or pay-per-view.

Basic cable isn't that expensive, but if you get all the
options that are offered, then you're talking expensive.

Originally posted by Rodgers

There are also local (statewide stations?) stations and something called "public access" which (for an inexplicable reason) has to be available to all citizens to use whenever they want. This mainly involves unwatcheable nonsense made up for the benefit of the programme makers friends or minute niche audience. Also, there is a lot of extreme political stuff that wouldn't get aired elsewhere.

The local channel part has already been answered. The
take on public access is pretty much right on target.

Originally posted by Rodgers
Lots of unusual sports get shown for hours at a time on TV - bowling, pool and tractor pulling. Oh, and WWF wrestling.

You forgot "World's Strongest Man" (and apparently Woman,
too). And baseball

The WWF doesn't (I don't think) appear on an all-sports channel.

Originally posted by Rodgers
The news programmes involve Barbie dolls (again!) and Kens engaging in false banter between every item. Often there is a "wacky" weather man who is way over the top.

The most succint way to describe local newscasts
There are a few exceptions, but bloody few.

The networks, both broadcast and cable, are almost as bad.
They're much more interested in creating sensation than in
news. Also, they like to spends lots of time displaying
pretty titles and graphics instead of reporting anything.

Originally posted by Rodgers
Finally, there is PBS - government run? - which shows opera and Monty Python for the benefit of Frasier Crane types and is always having telethons to keep it going.

It's sort of government run, as most PBS stations are associated
with universities, and they get a fairly good chunk of their money
from the government. And it does have some good documentary/educational shows.

2. American Radio

Originally posted by Rodgers
Mostly as awful as English commercial stations but I mention it here because of the "shock jocks" - Howard Stern (?? the one who made that film about himself recently) and Russ/Ross someone or other (big fat guy - anti semitic?).
{snip}

Although I don't agree with him on much, Rush Limbaugh isn't a {fill in the blank}-ist. But the PC types like to show a good deal about themselves by accusing him of such. And although National Public Radio pretends to be unbiased, they have a heavy leftist bias. Which would be OK if they were'nt getting government funding.

As I understand it, Stern has lost a lot of steam lately. One
can only hope. Of course, I never found him entertaining.

Also the morning shows on most commerical music stations fall *way* below the lowest common denominator. As well as playing
almost no music.

 

[Rodgers]

Sorry to dredge this one up again, but something occurred to me yesterday -

How often are shows like "I Love Lucy", "Mister Ed", Three Stooges stuff and other old stuff ACTUALLY shown? My impression is that they are on all the time, despite their age.

 

[MuddyOne]

The most liked ones are generally on at least one channel once a day. "I Love Lucy" is in that category. Shows like "Mister Ed" make it into programming some seasons.

 

[amadeus]

It depends on what kind of station you're watching.

ABC, NBC, or CBS have full lineups for every day. WB and FOX play some old programs like "I Love Lucy" or "Hogan's Heroes" during the day, but have a prime-time lineup.

Cable channels, which are paid for on a month-by-month basis are usually dedicated to one format or another (ESPN, CNN) with a few exceptions (TBS, TNN, USA.)

DirecTV and satellite programming though, I don't know much about. Never had 'em.