March 12,
2007
Why Do I
Need a TV Station On My Side?
One of the
local TV stations here has a slogan in which it claims “We are on your
side.” Quite frankly, I’m really not sure what it means.
I mean, are
the people at that TV station telling me that the people at the other TV
stations in town aren’t on my side? Can I expect to receive a
letter soon from the other two stations that begins “Dear Mr. Batz: We,
the management of TV station so-and-so have decided after careful
consideration that we are no longer on your side. This is just a note to
let you know about our decision. Please don’t take it personally.”
Before the
other station started broadcasting the “We are on your side” slogan, I
never really thought much about which TV stations were on my side and
which ones weren’t. Gullible me, I just took it for granted that all
of the stations were on my side. Or at least kind of on my side, anyway.
Now, thanks
to that oft-repeated on-screen message “We are on your side,” I’m not so
sure.
Furthermore, if that message is meant to imply that folks at the other
TV stations aren’t on my side, what did I do to make them feel that way?
Did they somehow find out that maybe I snuck a peek at the offerings of
a rival TV station while they were on a commercial break? Or perhaps
they learned I didn’t run right out and purchase a new car from one of
screaming auto dealers who advertise on their station.
Then again,
maybe the message “We are on your side,” simply implies that the people
at that station are on everybody’s side, no matter your
education, your religion or whether or not you own your own home. Now
that makes sense to me because the more viewers you have, the better
your ratings are. And if you have great ratings, which translates to
more viewers, you can air claims that you are “The No. 1 station in the
Miami Valley.”
I don’t
understand what good it does you to have a TV station on your side. Will
the station protect me if I suddenly find myself in danger? If that’s
the case, wouldn’t I be better off having somebody else on my side
besides the employees of a TV station, like maybe a professional boxer?
In the
meantime, I‘ve limited my TV-watching, at least for now, anyway, to the
other two stations.
Nah! Nah!
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