This station identification thing has gotten way out of hand. It started out with small logos in the bottom right hand side of the screen that came and went. It has now progressed to the point I have to put with a banner adds stretching from one side of a screen to another taking up close to a 10th of my big screen TV. What's I guy supposed to do, buy a bigger set just so he can regain the lost footage?

Some stations don't use watermarks and others don't even bother to have them fad in and out they just leave them plastered up there for the full length of the show. Haven't these idiots ever heard of the burn in danger with rear projection TV's? Why should I have to set through a streaming banner add for some show coming up latter on? Do the station operators really think I can not live without knowing when the next sitcom is coming on? The biggest burn is the damn premium channels that are starting to use this lame stunt. If I am paying to see these things, why in the world should I be excepted to stare a STARZ logo during the show?

The only clear screen anymore seems to be when a commercial comes on. Apparently the advertiser's will not tolerate something that the station operators demand that we do. When you have a comical break, you can always flip channels, leave the room, or at least mute the stupid thing. But how do you ignore something as intrusive as a full time station logo burning into your screen?

So the question becomes what can we, John Q Public, do about it? Can we file complaints with the FCC? What about our congressional representatives? I am afraid sending individual letters to the stations would be like peeing in the wind, nobody would listen. What we need is exposure. We need to make this a hot topic on the net. We need to bitch loud and hard until someone realizes that this one issue can be enough to change our mind about watching their channel.

How about some examples? Lets rate these guys with :) or :( for the stations policy on using this terribly intrusive advertising ploy.

I'll start with:
WB11 :(
watermark, too high on screen, lasting too long
TBS :(:(:(
watermark, too high on screen, lasting too long, does anyone really care it is a superstition.
CNN news :(
Thank god for big screens or you would not be able to see the news being talked about
TECHTV :(:(
watermark, too high on screen, lasting too long, text AND LOGO give me a break
Discover health :(:(:(
watermark, too high on screen, lasting too long, text, LOGO, AND a spinning globe just shoot me...

Any others that got your attention???
-JRO

This message was edited by jrolmstd on 02/09/02 23:58.34.