SKIPPING COMMERCIALS IS STEALING ACCORDING TO TURNER CEO

2600.com ^ | 2600.com

[Grig]

It was inevitable. The broadcast industry is now describing people who skip over commercials as thieves! And with new technology like HDTV and insane laws such as the DMCA, they may very well make it stick in the future.

Jamie Kellner is the chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting, which encompasses everything from CNN to TNT and is a part of AOL Time Warner. On Monday, an interview with Kellner appeared in CableWorld.

In response to a question on why personal video recorders (PVR's) were bad for the industry, Kellner responded: "Because of the ad skips.... It's theft. Your contract with the network when you get the show is you're going to watch the spots. Otherwise you couldn't get the show on an ad-supported basis. Any time you skip a commercial or watch the button you're actually stealing the programming."

While most programming on American TV is so insultingly bad that nobody would ever need to steal it in the first place, there is great danger in permitting this line of reasoning to become accepted. If this is seen as a "problem," expect legislation forbidding any device that allows consumers to skip the sacred commercial. Kellner, however, is not completely unreasonable. When asked if he considers people who go to the bathroom during a commercial to be thieves, he responded: "I guess there's a certain amount of tolerance for going to the bathroom. But if you formalize it and you create a device that skips certain second increments, you've got that only for one reason, unless you go to the bathroom for 30 seconds. They've done that just to make it easy for someone to skip a commercial." Heaven forbid.

The text of the entire interview can be found at http://www.inside.com/product/product.asp?entity=CableWorld&pf_ID=7A2ACA71-FAAD-41FC-A100-0B8A11C30373.

[TBarnett34]

This looked like an Onion article at first..absolutely ludicrous!

[My Favorite Headache]

He has completely lost all sense of reality. The lithium must not be the drug of choice this month. Maybe some haldol?

[DManA]

Everytime I throw junk mail into the garbage unread am I ripping off the USPS? Junk mail subsidizes the post office.

[dighton]

Transsexual Nazi Eskimo bump.

[hauerf]

Tivo is your friend. And as soon as the prices settle, it'll be my friend too.

Happily, DirecTV with TiVo is already cheaper than dirt (ie, $99.99 plus installation). If you already have DirecTV, you can (or at least you could) get a TiVo unit to replace your current receiver for $35. Check DirecTV web site.

[Tribune7]

Am I guilty of theft when I get up to take a piss during commercials or go to the fridge to get a drink?

Yes. And not merely state staute but UNIFIED WORLD law. With trial in World Court. If you take a p*ss during a commercial you are a world criminal.

Am I guilty of grand larceny when I change channels during commericals in an attempt to watch 3, 4, or 5 shows at once?

And why do you need 3, 4 or 5 channels? Capitalist pig! Tractor repair and socialist heroes are all you need to be informed about.

[doc30]

Next thing you know, they will propose a system that locks your TV when a commercial comes on - can't change channel or turn it off without unplugging it. Then they'd even put a pause in it until the next commercial starts so you will be forced to watch what other people pay to put on the tube. Could you imagine channel surfing, then hitting an infomercial and not able to change the channel until its over? Or if you hit QVC or HSN, the TV stays on it indefinitely?

[concerned about politics]

Am I guilty of grand larceny when I change channels during commericals in an attempt to watch 3, 4, or 5 shows at once?

LOL. We do that too. Anything but watch the darn commercials.
They sing and dance about toilet paper, for crying out loud!

[Walkin Man]

Yup, I bet all the people that shelled out the big bucks for an HDTV or a DTV are really going to be PO'ed when they find out that their TV's will not work with these new standards!

[mc5cents]

Oh I don't know. Some commercials are worth watching. For example those ESPN spots with the team mascots. The one with the NASCAR guy is very funny.

[Andrewksu]

It's 1984! If you frown at the t.v. if you dislike something you are not supposed to, you will be arrested. Ve vill be vatching you!

Although, some of the commercials are better than the shows, what happens if you only watch the commercials?

[Walkin Man]

Hey, I just picked up a Panasonic Showstopper(Replay TV), an open box special at Circuit City, cheap. Theres no monthly service fee like TIVO and on the remote is a lovely button labeled, "Quick Skip" that instantly fast forwards in 30 second intervals. Gets rid of all of those pesky commercials in a heartbeat. In Teddy's world that makes me public enemy number one I suppose but thats OK, I love pissing off rich communist UN lovers!

[MarkWar]

>They should be forced to watch Billy Maze, DiTech, Bloussant, and Enerex commercials till they go mad...

[laughs] When I get up early, the first thing I usually do is start at channel #78 and flip down looking for a Bloussant infomercial. [laughs again] I can watch women talk about their breasts -- and demonstrate enhancement -- forever. Heck, I've considered taping those things....(I believe Bloussant has two out...) Those Bloussant infomercials are better than most shows...

Mark W.

[cake_crumb]

"Besides, time IS money, and when they start paying me to watch TV, I'll start watching their commercials. My rate, $50.00 per half hour. The meter is on."

I like the way you think !! If not outright cash from the advertizers, we ought to at least get free cable or satellite TV. Why should WE have to PAY for the privilidge of being accused of "theft" when we choose not to watch a billion brainless ads for products we'll never use??

[cake_crumb]

"I remember a show back in the 80s called Max Headroom, in which, as an aspect of the plot, it was illegal to own a television with an off switch."

I LOVED Max Headroom!! It was one of the only TV shows I ever watched - along with Alf! I was heartbroken when Max was cancelled.

I think it was cancelled for BEING TOO PROPHETIC. Hit the old media too close to home, as it were.

[TADSLOS]

Bottom line - There's just too many other things to do in life than going zombie in front of a tv set. "Reality TV" should be a wake up call. If you can't deal with reality around you and must resort to spectating to see what you think is reality, then put a fork in yourself, you're done. Just turn the damn thing off and walk away.

[Still Thinking]

Let's look at his "logic" from the other end, shall we? The networks chose to broadcast the shows, knowing not all the audience watch all the commercials. Therefore, if they suddenly get 100% penetration, they are getting something they did not pay for, which to his twisted mind, is "stealing". Also, I believe the networks are running a higher percentage of ad content than they were several years ago, and I have yet to receive my first check in compensation for the "missing" programming. What a CLYMER! Also, what about all the commercials on media like cable and videotapes that are already being paid for, and they still expect us to watch the ads "for free"?

[Mr. K]

FOR GREAT JUSTICE!

[mutchdutch]

Sometimes commercials are the best thing on tv........

[Kaslin]

I admit some commercials are funny to watch, but no matter how funny a commercial is it can not make me buy stuff