I can’t tell you the last time I watched a TV commercial. Maybe it was the Super Bowl.

Lisa and I binge on Netflix, Amazon, Showtime or HBO. No commercials there. And there’s a virtual buffet of great programs. We will never catch up.

Even though Comcast is our cable company, we’re too rural around here to be worth connecting. Which really bummed me out at first. Then I discovered DirecTV and VTel Local Wireless Broadband. We bought the top tier DirecTV subscription package and Internet over the air. Since AT&T owns DirecTV, our bundle gets us access to everything for about 100 bucks. But we almost never turn satellite on. You see wireless broadband speeds are rapidly approaching cable internet. So we use our AT&T/DirecTV
bundle streamed on APPLE TV. HBO doesn’t care what device I watch on, as long as they get paid.

So we’ve cut the cord.

Technically, we’re almost off the grid. We could go completely self-sustaining with a solar array, but that just doesn’t pencil out at this stage in life.

Which is a weird thought.

When we build a pressure treated deck, replace a roof, plant a tree, or even buy a car, it’s hard not to notice it will likely outlast us. That’s something you don’t say when you’re in your 30’s. And it’s strangely ok.

Maybe when baby boomers finally check out for good there will be fewer unnecessary sequels and remakes. It’s embarrassing.

The number one show right now on commercial broadcast networks is the reboot of Roseanne. No one under 50 cares. Add a few cop shows, cheap reality shows, sitcoms, and the late night shows (who rely on YouTube and Facebook to go viral with younger viewers), and you are witnessing the death of television as we knew it. Rattle your prescription bottles if you’re still watching free television. Revenue peaked in 2016 and has in a nosedive.

If there’s a lesson for media companies in the digital era, it’s this.

People are happy to pay for something if it’s better. FREE loses to better every time.

I guess I see plenty of TV commercials still. On Facebook or YouTube. I just don’t call them TV. They are video.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Bob

PS. Nice piece of press today. I’m continuing to interview for a return to broadcast radio. I’m being picky, or indecisive. Will let you know here first when I have something to share.

http://www.insideradio.com/free/national-radio-hall-of-fame-reveals-nominees/article_c8949414-574a-11e8-81c6-67427c666a00.html