RTV ruined in Detroit.

[Carmine]

Out local RTV affiliate (7.2) has been reduced to a small window on an insipid weather channel. They are asking for your comments on this wonderful new idea. If anyone cares to comment, here's the direct address (which took forever to find on their shitty website):

http://www.wxyz.com/subindex/about_us/contact_us

Write you own or cut and paste mine below! (I had to chop down a few things to sneak in under 1000 characters) It is my hope that by being as caustic as possible, somebody will get a laugh and print it out for the employee break room.

Find the jackass who had the idea of combining your stupid weather channel with RTV and fire them yesterday. You've managed to ruin the only thing I've enjoyed on Channel 7 in years... That's right, I don't watch your regular depraved and idiotic ABC programming. The local news coverage is just fear-mongering and consumer info for dummies.

Somehow I knew it wouldn't last. Since I don't wet my pants at the idea of a summer thunderstorm (apparently like the rest of your audience) I can withstand full-hour increments without knowing your best guess at tomorrow's weather.

But when RTV came along, allowing me to relive childhood memories with all those great 60s/70s/80s shows, I was actually enjoying TV for the first time in years. Thus this morning when I popped on the TV at breakfast, I wasn't at all surprised to see RTV crammed into a tiny pop-up window, looking like a free website circa 1998.

So thanks. You crapped on a small joy I had. I'm not going to watch RTV surrounded by the weather forecast, scrolling text, pictures of Mr. Sun, blah, blah, blah. I doubt anyone else will either, and we'll just skip right past it because it looks like half a dozen other worthless weather info-channels already on cable.

If you are reading this; you've no doubt heard of the internet. You are aware that I can "log-on" to places like weather.com and get BETTER information than what you can provide on the edges of a TV screen. Perhaps you are also aware that they make portable telephones which can also provide me with weather information ANYTIME I want it, whether I'm in an elevator, climbing a mountain or taking a dump on the toilet. Maybe this is why 7.3 failed? Duh!

Great job Geniuses.

[DaveWM]

RTV is the ONLY thing worth watching on the TV including cable. What a disaster to do what was done.

[radiotvnut]

Yep, what they did is truly pathetic. I'm about ready to write such a letter to the geniuses in my area. From day one, RTV and FOX have shared the same subchannel, with FOX programming, of course, taking priority. When it first started, RTV programming ran from 7-7 every weekday. Then, they chopped off the 6-7 slot for "Dr. Phil". A little later, they chopped off the 5-6 slot for "deal or no deal". Finally, they chopped off the 4-5 slot to show "America's stupidest home videos". Also, at first, RTV programming picked back up from 9-12. Of course, they chopped that off for "law & order" and "paid programming". Now, come on! I can see that shit on most any other channel on cable! That move insured that I can no longer watch "Adam12", "Dragnet", "Incredible Hulk", "Emergency", or "Knight Rider". Weekend RTV programming is a hit or miss, depending on the sports schedule on FOX. Sometimes, they'll chop off part of a show when it comes time for a FOX program to air, which is very irritating. These problems could be solved if they'd stick RTV on one subchannel and FOX on another subchannel; but, I know it won't happen. If they do anything, they'll just chop off more RTV programming for more stupid shit like "judge john", "judge jane", or some talk show. I've explored the idea of buying old TV shows on DVD and it's looking like that's the only way we'll be able to see many of the old shows.

[tubesrule]

I noticed this started sometime yesterday, and was still going on this morning. I wrote to them early this morning about this ridiculous change, and it seems they have already changed it back. Lets hope it stays that way.

Now if RTV could just change the line up more often and stop repeating the same episodes, we'd really have something.

[Adam]

It does look like they changed it back. Maybe they got a lot of negative e-mails? I do wish they would change up the shows they put on more often, but at least we avoided it becoming another weather channel.

[leadlike]

How does RTV work moneywise for their affiliates? I remember an early RTV website that was geared more towards getting affiliates, stating that it was "the ultimate turnkey operation" almost like a vending machine. Does RTV pay a flat rate for the digital sub, or does the affiliate soak up the additional advertising revenue on the subchannel?

I'm glad they changed it back. It is very rare something like that happens, as the ratings for such things are so low that when something like RTV is compared to a paid program or brain-dead weather feed, they look about the same-hence the death of local programming.

Locally, we get RTV and THIS. RTV used to be trimmed, especially on weekend evenings, when they would have a horror movie host come on. That pissed me off to no end. But now, I guess demand was enough that we get movie hosts on Saturday (Wolfman Mac's Chiller Drive-In) and Sunday (Offbeat Cinema). Come to think of it, RTV was the only reason we kept Comcast, as my digital converter box wouldn't reach to the Harrisburg station that carried it.

[miniman82]

I use a lot of RTV on my VW engine.

[Eric H]

Originally Posted by miniman82

I use a lot of RTV on my VW engine.

And no doubt it still leaks.

[oldtvsandtoy]

Originally Posted by Carmine

Out local RTV affiliate (7.2) has been reduced to a small window on an insipid weather channel. They are asking for your comments on this wonderful new idea. If anyone cares to comment, here's the direct address (which took forever to find on their shitty website):

http://www.wxyz.com/subindex/about_us/contact_us

Write you own or cut and paste mine below! (I had to chop down a few things to sneak in under 1000 characters) It is my hope that by being as caustic as possible, somebody will get a laugh and print it out for the employee break room.

I think its about time you got cable!!! Get out of the dark ages

[miniman82]

Originally Posted by Eric H

And no doubt it still leaks.

Actually, the only leak it has is a self-induced leak at the drain plate. My Corvair leaks way worse than my VW does.

[RobtWB]

I am fortunate that my cable provider carries RTV - however the quality of the cable signal makes it near impossible to watch. It is hit and miss with picture quality throughout the 70+ channels - some are excellent, some are fair, lots of channels are just plain horrible.

When I first signed on with cable tv I took a package/bundle - expanded basic cable/internet/phone - it was ~ $100 a month - my current bill is $ 162 - time to cancel the deal.

Was recently goofing around experimenting with homebrew bowtie arrays using 3 different set top convertor boxes - a magnavox - a g.e. - and a digital stream - all produced excellent picture quality and multiple channels. Time to save some coin and place a quality roof top antenna.

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by Carmine

Our local RTV affiliate (7.2) has been reduced to a small window on an insipid weather channel. ...

In Seattle RTV is on 7.2 and it's presented as a normal channel. Not a window.

[ChrisW6ATV]

I wish this channel was available in the San Francisco area. We have plenty of stations that could carry it.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by oldtvsandtoy

I think its about time you got cable!!! Get out of the dark ages

I am not the poster you were responding to, but I would not have cable TV now if you paid me to take it. I drop-kicked my cable box into the TCI office (Television Criminals, Incorporated) in 1995. (Well, I actually just gave it back to them, the drop-kick is wishful thinking.) I had satellite TV until the end of 2005 and I have saved over $4,500.00 in fees since then.

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

I am not the poster you were responding to, but I would not have cable TV now if you paid me to take it.

I have cable mainly to get internet service. The TV channels come along for the ride. I don't watch that much TV, even though I like to play with TVs.