launchpad25
|
The death of cartoons on broadcast TVI found this on the Toonzone forums reguarding why it's harder for animation to thrive on broadcast TV.
| Quote: | I did some research and I think I might have finally figured out what happened. Apparently, in 1996, Congress passed something called the Telecommunications Act. Well, I dug through some old articles from the time and then looked through the bill's text in the Library on Congress' website. And what I found truly shocked and frightened me.
First off, the bill removed a ton of the restrictions on ownership of radio and television stations. Hence why there's been so much consolidation in media lately. This really sucks of course because a lack of competition means that no one needs to strive for better quality programming. Basically, just one big hand out to conglomerates
But back to my original question about the lack of cartoons nowadays. Well here's where the bill gets just pathetic. It established the stupid TV rating system and V-chip requirements. Of course, this is pointless because most parents nowadays are either too stupid or just plain lazy to actually use both of those, so what a waste. It also required all TV stations to air at least 3 hours of E/I programming each week. This also made things difficult because, with few exceptions, most of the kids shows at the time were not E/I material. Finally, like the previous people mentioned, it issued guidelines of what could and could not be advertised during kids shows. There goes the money.
The effect of all this was to profoundly weaken broadcast stations, not to mention make it almost impossible to anyone to make a profit from kids shows. Dragon Ball Z was a perfect example. It got edited to all hell and was a complete failure in syndication precisely because of this. So when it moved to cable, it became a hit, because cable basically has no restrictions at all.
Bottom line, the act was like landing on the zero in roulette, everyone lost. |
|
John Gibson
|
Seriously, how many kids actually watched anything Educational or informative? I can tell you kids only watch shows where they can either collect the toys from, or trading cards from. It's gotta be fast, and full of action, and really high pitched voices.
Kids hardly watch a cartoon or show if it's "edumacational" 
I miss Mr. Rogers, man.
|
Murder Legendre
|
Not to mention the quality, in today's cartoons, has plummeted.
|
Erikjust
|
thatīs no news to me, they are doing the same thing to the American schools, anything that would possibly benefit the students but not the teachers is intimidately discarded by the teachers, through large mass demonstrations and such.
|
John Gibson
|
I remember watching news highlights of the Gulf War in the 6th grade. My teacher taped it, and we watched it along with another 6th grade class. The only time I remember watching something informative in school. Any other time, we'd watch the BBC version of the Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, or "The Karen Carpenter Story".
Nowadays, I'm sure if it doesn't entertain the teachers, fuck it.
One high school class actually had us watch "Juice". WTF?
|
alexjlopez
|
| John Gibson wrote: | | I remember watching news highlights of the Gulf War in the 6th grade. |
Geez, John, you're a lot younger than I thought. Given your love of 80's cartoons and games, I thought you were closer to my age--I was actually in the army during the Gulf War hehehe.
|
John Gibson
|
A friend of mine was, too. We went to college together, which reminds me, I graduate on Friday. Wooo.
I'm turning 29 in a few days. how old are ya, alex?
|
alexjlopez
|
36 here hehe. Oh, and pre-grats on your graduation, man!
|
launchpad25
|
| John Gibson wrote: | | Nowadays, I'm sure if it doesn't entertain the teachers, f*ck it. |
That would explain how something as stupid as 'The Punctuation Wizard' got shown at my school. To this day, i will never forgive my vocabulary teacher for showing me that insulting piece of dung!
| John Gibson wrote: | | One high school class actually had us watch "Juice". WTF? |
One time in middle school, we watched 'Running Scared' as a 'friday afternoon movie'. That's right. 'Running Scared'. An 'R' Rated 'buddy cop' movie in middle school. | Murder Legendre wrote: | | Not to mention the quality, in today's cartoons, has plummeted. |
I'll say. Heck, i can pull better cartoon ideas out of my posterier than what currently passes for cartoons these days!
|
John Gibson
|
Could have been worse. Imagine watching Pulp Fiction in Kindergarten..
|
launchpad25
|
| John Gibson wrote: | | Could have been worse. Imagine watching Pulp Fiction in Kindergarten.. |
Luckly, i graduated before 'Tarantinomania' hit the country like a thunderstorm.
|
John Gibson
|
Wonder why it wouldn't surprise me if teachers secretly brought in VHS tapes of daytime soap operas, and screened them for the kids instead of that boring old Math lesson.
Today, instead of Geometry, we're gonna watch "All my Children".
|
Murder Legendre
|
The only memory I have of the Gulf War was my dad showing me where Iraq was on a map... when I was in first grade. :O
|
launchpad25
|
| John Gibson wrote: | Wonder why it wouldn't surprise me if teachers secretly brought in VHS tapes of daytime soap operas, and screened them for the kids instead of that boring old Math lesson.
Today, instead of Geometry, we're gonna watch "All my Children". |
This might stem from the fact that teachers just aren't trying anymore, or just don't care about their students.
|
launchpad25
|
Getting back on topic, i go on Youtube, and i've found some old promos from TV stations back when they were still independant, or when they just became affiliated with the FOX network. Half of these clips almost bring me to tears because of how much these stations have changes since my childhood, and cable is kinda picking up the slack where the broadcast stations left off in terms of nitch programing. Particularly cartoons, and sci-fi. In 10 years, or so, broadcast television as we know it will probably become irrelevant, and become like local 24 hour CNN clones while cable will be the standard TV format for all other programing. Unfortunately, we'll have to pay for it every month like the internet.
|
Black Flag NC
|
| John Gibson wrote: | | I'm turning 29 in a few days. how old are ya, alex? |
I'm glad we have some older gamers on here. I just turned 29 on the 21st of October. When's your birthday John?
|
John Gibson
|
The 6th.
You know, I think the death of TV in general is coming soon, with the writers strike in effect now, it seems broadcast TV will come to a halt real soon. We may be reduced to watching re-runs, or week long marathons of reality TV.
I weep for the future.
|
Black Flag NC
|
Dude I've narrowed my TV viewing to sporting events, History Channel, South Park, Simpsons, Family Guy, Man vs Wild, and Mythbusters. Everything else is uninteresting, repetitive (how many CSI shows do you need?), or reality TV hell.
|
Splodge
|
I rarely watch TV these days. I still watch Futurama repeats and a couple of other cartoons. Other than that, most of my viewing is stuff I have on DVD (alot of which they don't show anymore) - Star Trek (TOS), Twilight Zone, Red Dwarf, Samurai Jack, the Marvel cartoons, some anime etc.
Having said that, there are a couple of shows on now I might give a chance - just Heroes really - and even then I'll probably catch it on the net if TvLinks ever comes back.
|
|
|
|