MADER'S RANTS Censorship: Part I March 6, 2004 - So the trip to L.A. was fun, except for a nasty head cold I got Sunday night. ...uuugh... As always, “Thank You” to our friends out there for your time. Especially our bud, T. Ya still have to explain the whole “Bone Head” nick name, brother ;-) One of the issues that is hot in Hollywood right now is the Congressional hearings and FCC noise regarding the quality of programming on American airwaves these days. For those of you living under a rock for the past month, this is fall-out from Janet Jackson exposing her right breast on national TV during the Super Bowl. The “boob heard around the world” - well seen any way - has lawmakers convinced that Hollywood has run amock. The gist of the argument is that what the entertainment biz produces is smut, or at least generally lacking in social value. It is unfair that millions of people in our great nation can’t turn on the TV or the radio without being offended by foul language or nudity. Bullshit! (oops, foul language…sorry) Ya see, our nation’s very foundation is that of democracy and a free market economy. The entertainment industry is the ultimate expression of these values. Dance with me on this, and I shall explain. Our biz is supported with advertising revenue. That revenue comes from companies that want to peddle their products to the masses in the most efficient way possible. In other words, the only reason we have commercials is because advertisers know that their message will reach a large group of people who will go out and buy whatever widget they make. Since they aren’t subsidized by the government, to attract advertising dollars, broadcasters try to put on shows that will bring the most viewers possible. Obviously, the more people that watch a show, the more a broadcaster can charge to advertise on it. And of course the advertiser is willing to pay it because they know their product will get more exposure. (big, cosmic “Duhh”) So, what drives all this? You! You make it all happen. Every time you tune into a program, you are basically casting a vote that says you like this program at 9 on Thursday better than any other choice you have at your disposal in that time slot. It’s not only better than any other show, but also better than dinner and a movie or a book or the radio or sex at that point in time. ...umm, not that some of those aren’t fun to do while watching TV...um, well, you get the point... When a show gets high ratings, the network keeps it because they can make money. When a show gets low ratings, it gets canceled because it doesn’t bring in the needed revenue. Or more simply, they let you vote. And what you like, they keep. What you don’t watch gets dumped. Its democracy and economics at its best. “But I was forced to watch.” Bull plop baby. You have a remote. Flip the channel. You have no excuse! One of the many arguments made is that the quality of programming has gone down over the years. This is complete tripe. With basic cable in many markets, you have as many as 60 channels to pick from. You don’t want “boobs?” Watch the “History Channel.” Aaaahhh, but there’s the rub. Most cable networks pull in mediocre numbers at best. What one would consider a hit on cable - say 5 million households - would get you canceled in week on a broadcast network. Well, except maybe the UPN and the WB. They are consistently behind the curve, and they dance a jig when they have shows that average a 6. We won’t even discuss PAX. Lowly 7mpictures.com has more viewers on the net than Lowell “Bud” Paxson’s national faith-based, family-friendly, network. And 7M didn’t cost a billion dollars to launch and hundreds of millions more from a broadcast network partner to maintain. To illustrate my point here is the top ten grid for Feb. 16 - Feb. 22: 1. CSI 2. AMERICAN IDOL (TUESDAY) 3. FRIENDS 4. SURVIVOR 5. ER 6. AMERICAN IDOL (WEDNESDAY) 7. WITHOUT A TRACE 8. THE APPRENTICE 9. EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND 10. CSI: MIAMI Gasp!!!! Note not one cable show in the top ten. And, golly! No sign of “The Parkers,” “Enterprise” or “Doc,” either. (Whatever shall Billy Ray Cyrus do?! ...sob...sniffle...weep) You could watch those shows if you wanted to. Or not watch TV at all!! But the reality is that the majority of you watch. The numbers prove that. Next week: “What the industry should do about the FCC and the Feds” Later, Mader