Perrrrrrrrrrrrrrsonally, I don't really -watch- that much television. I find that most of the shows they put forth have little to offer by way of meaning. The "comedy" shows/sitcoms/what have you are often geared towards the lower end of comedy, or put-down comedy, which is either highly unfunny, IMO, or just plain rude (thus speaks Miss Manners).

Storylines are given little thought, and are just excuses to flash around the Next Hot Babe Wearing Too Little, or parade around being Ultra-Cool or what have you.

News tends to be "GASP! Hold onto your seats, everyone, we're gonna DIIIIIIE!" and never shares much GOOD news.

I mean, even something "family-oriented" like "America's Funniest Home Videos" presents a whole bunch of people getting hurt, and everyone laughing at it. Maybe it's just me, but seeing someone barely get by without breaking his neck is NOT FUNNY!

Violence, blood, and sex are all paraded around, ONLY they can't outright SAY anything "naughty." It's a giant paradox. Let's show the world people being hurt, being unfaithful, and all sorts of negative things, only let's not have the characters TALK about it.

Maybe my viewpoint's a bit extreme. But I'm really tired of these plotless series, tossed around to see who can out-gore the next. I'm waiting for the next show that is 1) interesting 2) not all Gorgeous Babes and Rippling Pectorals 3) has a STORY, PLOT, and FORWARD MOTION 4) Not Unnecessarily Gory and 5) makes you CARE about the characters.

Until then, I'll stick with books. ;)

My quarter's worth.

~ Chael

I gave up watching television about 13 years ago when our TV died in the middle of a Star Trek TNG episode. My mother never bothered to get it fixed; I went off to college and didn't own a TV, and haven't had one since.

I keep waiting for a Neilsen survey to be mailed to my house so I can blow the curve. :-)

However, I can perhaps offer you my perspective. Having not watched TV for so long, I find that watching it now confuses me. I fail to appreciate the jokes, can't find myself engaged by the characters on the dramas, and am lost by most of the references. Commercials are even worse; it's like watching a film put together by a speed-using dada enthuasist.

My theory is that everyone has a pop-culture organ that allows one to translate TV images into things that make sense. Mine has atrophied because of lack of use, so I am no longer capable of actually understanding television. I'm curiously eager to find out what will happen when I finally start rewatching all of Babylon 5 or when I break down and buy Buffy on DVD.

Y'know, I was going to make some pithy comment, but realized that it just isn't valid. Things like 'don't program as if your viewers are idiots', but the fact is, there are viewers who are idiots, and ones who want to watch the put down humor, things like "Survivor", etc., as much as the ones who want to watch the Actor's Guild interviews or Nova.

Honesty is best. Nielsen is looking for your actual opinions, so if you think don't like the humor, hate flashing ads, and think the news is worse than useless, say so.

Oh, and I think answering their surveys puts you on their short list to get more. So far I've done the short TV survey, the weekly TV survey (for a few months), the weekly radio survey (likewise), and the weekly grocery survey for over a year.