Disney does commercials...
lvi...@cas.org
Sigh.
This evening the kids had on the Disney Channel, as they often do.
They were watching Goof Tro[ou]p . I was startled however during
the episode to hear a commercial break. The commercial was for various
Disney shows that would be shown during the evening.
For those of you unfamilar with TDC, until that moment, I had only heard
such commercials before or after an show. I jumped up and checked the
clock, to reassure myself that indeed we were mid-episode. When the
episode came back on, I was confused.
However, more horrors were to come. At 6pm EDT came the last televised
showing of Cinderella. The kids were excited about seeing it. I even
allowed one to postpone her homework until it was over. Imagine my
horror, during one of the Disney classic scenes, to see a break for a set of
commercials! Again, they were talking about the other shows that evening
or the next nights.
Why in the world would Disney ruin a perfectly good format to show such
nonsense? I have no idea. I do know though that I was quite disappointed
in them. Yet another step downhill in quality, from my point of view.
--
Larry W. Virden INET: lvi...@cas.org
<URL:http://www.teraform.com/%7Elvirden/> <*> O- "We are all Kosh."
Unless explicitly stated to the contrary, nothing in this posting should
be construed as representing my employer's opinions.
steve
Mjwright wrote:
>
> I too turned on the Disney Channel at night during a commercial break
> during "Operation Dumbo Drop." I got very confused when they said that
> they were returning to their movie. I order premium services so I can
> avoid commercial interuption. I also saw that their series programming
> had a Disney Channel bug displayed throughout the entire show. I thought
> I was watching VH1 for a minute. Very strange. I guess they don't want
> to be a pay channel anymore.
>
> Michael Wright
A lot of cable systems are now offering it as part of there basic
package. It's no longer a pay on some cable systems if not all!
Mjwright
Andrea McKenna
In article <5ibv6f$2...@srv13s4.cas.org>, lvi...@cas.org says...
>
>Sigh.
>
>This evening the kids had on the Disney Channel, as they often do.
>They were watching Goof Tro[ou]p . I was startled however during
>the episode to hear a commercial break. The commercial was for various
>Disney shows that would be shown during the evening.
>
A little clarification is necessary here: What you are seeing are not
commercials. Commercials are paid advertisements that help support the
channel on which they are seen. You are watching schedule promotions for
the Disney Channel, where (I assume) no money has exchanged hands, since
they're talking about themselves.
Speaking as a television professional, what I think the Disney Channel is
up to with this is, a little audience testing of the waters, if you will.
Ever since the Disney purchase of ABC last year, Gerry Leybourne has been
hinting that the Disney Channel is going become part of "basic" cable and
will no longer be a premium, subscriber-based channel. If this is
the plan, it means that TDC will have to seek other streams of revenue
(read: paid advertisements.) What I think they may be doing is testing
to see if their viewers complain about the interruptions.
Andrea
David Gerstein
Andrea McKenna wrote:
> If this is the plan, it means that TDC will have to seek other
> streams of revenue (read: paid advertisements.) What I think they
> may be doing is testing to see if their viewers complain about the
> interruptions.
I don't mind the interruptions coming in shows like GOOF TROOP, which
was made with breaks already prepared for commercials to be shown. I
don't like when a classic Disney feature is interrupted for an
advertisement.
IMHO, more bothersome than any commercial interruption is the constant
Disney TV "paw print" at bottom right of the screen during the main
portion of all programs I've seen on the Channel in the last few days.
Most stations only put this kind of station I. D. on for a few scattered
minutes in each half hour.
On the other hand -- things DO seem to be improving in other ways at
TDC. As I write this, a Donald Duck cartoon is being shown to fill time
between two standard half-hour shows. This use of the old shorts used
to be standard on TDC, but I haven't seen it in years. I say... great!
It's good to see these shorts played at some other time than their daily
pair of half-hours.
--
David Gerstein
<rama...@ix.netcom.com>
Tony Calguire
On 8 Apr 1997, Andrea McKenna wrote:
> Speaking as a television professional, what I think the Disney Channel is
> up to with this is, a little audience testing of the waters, if you will.
> Ever since the Disney purchase of ABC last year, Gerry Leybourne has been
> hinting that the Disney Channel is going become part of "basic" cable and
> will no longer be a premium, subscriber-based channel. If this is
> the plan, it means that TDC will have to seek other streams of revenue
> (read: paid advertisements.) What I think they may be doing is testing
> to see if their viewers complain about the interruptions.
>
That day is already at hand. My cable system has alrady moved the Disney
Channel from being a premium channel into it's basic cable lineup.
--
_____________
/_____ _____/ Tony Calguire
_____/_/____
/ __________/ calg...@freenet.msp.mn.us
( (__/ /____
\__/ /____/
/ /
/_/
Rhett M. Stroh
In utter confusion, Andrea McKenna (amck...@kuht.uh.edu) spewed forth:
: Ever since the Disney purchase of ABC last year, Gerry Leybourne has been
: will no longer be a premium, subscriber-based channel. If this is
This is the case in San Diego, since Jan. 1
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rhett Stroh "Fight! Win! Prevail!" |
| rms...@gdesystems.com http://www.inetworld.net/rhett |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Dennis Younker
Re: Disney does commercials...
> This evening the kids had on the Disney Channel, as they often do.
> They were watching Goof Tro[ou]p . I was startled however during
> the episode to hear a commercial break. The commercial was for various
> Disney shows that would be shown during the evening.
> such commercials before or after an show. I jumped up and checked the
> clock, to reassure myself that indeed we were mid-episode. When the
> episode came back on, I was confused.
> However, more horrors were to come. At 6pm EDT came the last televised
> showing of Cinderella. The kids were excited about seeing it. I even
> allowed one to postpone her homework until it was over. Imagine my
> horror, during one of the Disney classic scenes, to see a break for a set of
> commercials! Again, they were talking about the other shows that evening
> or the next nights.
> Why in the world would Disney ruin a perfectly good format to show such
Disney is migrating to a basic cable service slowly but surely. They are
carried on "expanded basic" on many hundreds of cable systems around the
country.
lvi...@cas.org
According to Rhett M. Stroh <rms...@gde.GDEsystems.COM>:
:In utter confusion, Andrea McKenna (amck...@kuht.uh.edu) spewed forth:
:: Ever since the Disney purchase of ABC last year, Gerry Leybourne has been
:: hinting that the Disney Channel is going become part of "basic" cable and
:: will no longer be a premium, subscriber-based channel. If this is
:
:This is the case in San Diego, since Jan. 1
Here in Columbus, Ohio Disney moved from being a extra cost cable channel to
being one of the 'free' channels since around late spring 1996 I believe for
Time Warner and during the summer I seem to recall for our other cable
provider.
lvi...@cas.org
According to Andrea McKenna <amck...@kuht.uh.edu>:
:In article <5ibv6f$2...@srv13s4.cas.org>, lvi...@cas.org says...
:>
:>Sigh.
:>
:>This evening the kids had on the Disney Channel, as they often do.
:>They were watching Goof Tro[ou]p . I was startled however during
:>the episode to hear a commercial break. The commercial was for various
:>Disney shows that would be shown during the evening.
:
:A little clarification is necessary here: What you are seeing are not
:commercials. Commercials are paid advertisements that help support the
:channel on which they are seen. You are watching schedule promotions for
:the Disney Channel, where (I assume) no money has exchanged hands, since
:they're talking about themselves.
Okay. Thanks for the clarification. I am disappointed in seeing promotional
messages, PSAs, commercials, etc. being shown in the middle of movies
and shows shown on The Disney Channel. I've sent msgs to TDC on this
topic. If others object, perhaps they will do so as well.
:Ever since the Disney purchase of ABC last year, Gerry Leybourne has been
:hinting that the Disney Channel is going become part of "basic" cable and
:will no longer be a premium, subscriber-based channel. If this is
This is already the case in many places around the USA.
:the plan, it means that TDC will have to seek other streams of revenue
:(read: paid advertisements.) What I think they may be doing is testing
:to see if their viewers complain about the interruptions.
We currently have a mix of such channels. Lifetime, Discovery, Learning,
etc. all run all the types of spots that break up a show or movie. It
is, to me, much more annoying than the 'bugs' identifying the station
I am watching.
AMC, Turner Classic Movies, and I believe Plex (as far as I have noticed) and
perhaps there are others, schedule theirs between shows, like Disney used to
do. I prefer this greatly over the interrupting method.
What I object to the most is cases where I notice that portions of the
show or movie are missing. I've not noticed this yet on Disney; when I do,
I will cease watching it like I've done other cable stations.
sfull...@aol.com
Oh how very true In 4 of the eight systems i work in disney is provided as a part of basic
Anastasia Marie
Andrea McKenna wrote in article <5idvo8$2...@Masala.CC.UH.EDU>...
>In article <5ibv6f$2...@srv13s4.cas.org>, lvi...@cas.org says...
>>
>>Sigh.
>>
>>This evening the kids had on the Disney Channel, as they often do.
>>They were watching Goof Tro[ou]p . I was startled however during
>>the episode to hear a commercial break. The commercial was for various
>>Disney shows that would be shown during the evening.
>>
>
>A little clarification is necessary here: What you are seeing are not
>commercials. Commercials are paid advertisements that help support the
>channel on which they are seen. You are watching schedule promotions for
>the Disney Channel, where (I assume) no money has exchanged hands, since
>they're talking about themselves.
>
>Speaking as a television professional, what I think the Disney Channel is
>up to with this is, a little audience testing of the waters, if you will.
>Ever since the Disney purchase of ABC last year, Gerry Leybourne has been
>hinting that the Disney Channel is going become part of "basic" cable and
>will no longer be a premium, subscriber-based channel. If this is
>the plan, it means that TDC will have to seek other streams of revenue
>(read: paid advertisements.) What I think they may be doing is testing
>to see if their viewers complain about the interruptions.
I have recently located to Los Angeles and was happy to find the Disney
Channel as part of my basic cable package (thanks, Continental Cablevison).
I enjoyed the channel while I was growing up (never missed an episode of
Kids Inc) but eventually, since it was a premium channel, my family
cancelled it.
I was also very surprised to see these "breaks" during programs. After my
surprise had worn off, I realized what you've stated above was probably the
case. So what is the deal with Disney? If all cable companies are going
to offer it as standard, I think people will learn to accept the new setup.
But I don't think I'd subscribe if I had to pay extra, due to the
changes.
Not that Disney is listening, but I would propose adding commercials to
such things as the series they air (people are used to commercial breaks
during sitcoms) and leaving their movies in an "unbroken" state. I didn't
see "Pocohantas" in the theater, and taped it during it's one airing on the
channel. Wisely, they aired it without any breaks.
If they use a little common sense, and handle this decision carefully, they
might be able to profit from those paid advertisements they will need,
without losing customers who pay extra for the channel.
Just my $2 (inflation, you know).
Anastasia
Carol Koster
Yoo Hoo, ng's!
On Sat, 12 Apr 1997, Anastasia Marie wrote:
> From: Anastasia Marie <anas...@mindspring.com>
At the moment not all cable systems are offering the Disney Channel "free"
as part of a basic or enhanced basic package. There are contracts that
have to be played out and the bottom line to each cable system has to be
determined: Do they make more money with the Disney Channel "free basic
cable" or available on a super basic or enhanced tier of programming, or
as a "premium" channel such as HBO, Showtime, etc.? While it's been
published that the Disney Channel is negotiating with cable systems to put
the channel on a "basic" program service, it's not a universally "done
deal" yet in all locales. (I wish it were in ours: We have to pay extra
twice for the Disney Channel, once as a premium channel, once to get the
programming tier where the channel is located on. This is Time-Warner
Cable, which last year bought Cablevision Industries where we live.)
> But I don't think I'd subscribe if I had to pay extra, due to the
> changes.
Some of their changes are very nice. Their new on-air look is terrific,
IMHO.
The Disney Channel is getting better, but it's still a hodge-podge of
series and their own films that weren't originally successful combined
with off-network rerunning of their cartoon series from Saturday mornings
and the Disney Afternoon, movies from the Disney vaults and other studios'
childrens/family fare, musical specials, original dramatic specials (some
of which are very good), nature shows, educational shows and other
programming for all ages. It can be stellar, it can be pedestrian. But
look at other TV/cable networks and they are not always uniformly
fascinating either.
> Not that Disney is listening, but I would propose adding commercials to
> such things as the series they air (people are used to commercial breaks
> during sitcoms) and leaving their movies in an "unbroken" state. I didn't
> see "Pocohantas" in the theater, and taped it during it's one airing on the
> channel. Wisely, they aired it without any breaks.
>
> If they use a little common sense, and handle this decision carefully, they
> might be able to profit from those paid advertisements they will need,
> without losing customers who pay extra for the channel.
>
> Just my $2 (inflation, you know).
Some of the cartoon series being rerun from Saturday morning network and
Disney Afternoon syndication already have built-in commercial breaks.
Some original programming, especially the "Making of..." about the feature
length animated features, are "sponsored" such as by Target stores. Some
of their on-air contests feature name-brand prizes very prominently.
Disney may have an aspect of their cross-promotional agreements with such
companies as Target, McDonald's, etc., to include some Disney Channel
exposure for them.
Another thought: In breaking up feature length films _which are also
available on home video_ perhaps the Disney Channel is enhancing the value
(to Disney) of getting people to buy the home videos. It used to be one
could amass a good Disney video library of films and cartoons for just the
cost of the monthly subscription to the Disney Channel, and such programs
were aired uninterrupted. Now some of these are being interrupted, making
the only alternative buying (or renting) the home video version, and
Disney makes more money off of it. Or you sit beside the VCR and hit
"pause" when the breaks start and "unpause" when the breaks end while
taping. Or you speed-cue past the breaks when watching the tape later.
In this respect, I liked the Disney Channel better without the breaks in
long-form programming. There is plenty of time for breaks and promotional
announcements between shows and filler shows. IMHO, of course. :-)
--Carol Koster ()~() FidoNet Disney Echo Moderator
FDC Walk-Around Minnie Mouse (_) Minnie on EntertainMuck
TDC YOO HOO Minnie Mouse, Princess & Purveyor of Pretty Perky Polka Dots
Disney Theme Park "Guest of Honor": DL 1958, WDW 1981, Mickey Mania
Parade Grand Marshal September 1996, TDL & DLP Guest of Honor Wanna-Be