Same as it never was...

While scrolling my tweets this morning, I came across this link- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/business/media/dish-networks-hopper-cuts-ads-and-causes-tremors-at-tv-upfronts.html?pagewanted=all

It's about the uproar that Dish is causing with it's new Hopper and it's ability to skip advertising.   Like the fellow who retweeted this, @mikedelic, I am lmao.  I remember the advent of cable TV, back before the internet was the latest wave of invention to ride.  Back then, we were ecstatic that we could actually pay for TV programming so that we didn't HAVE to endure the onslaught of commercials.  I'm speaking of course about stations such as HBO and Showtime and MTV and CNNand TNT- the broadcast stations still had those annoying blurbs, but it was refreshing to feel as though we had a choice because after all we were paying for that privelege.

Back then, Home Box Office actually showed movies ALL THE TIME- with the exception of really awesome little 'shorts'.  MTV actually played music ALL DAY LONG and didn't feel the need to blur it's lines or completely erase them by way of regularly scheduled non-music programs.  And CNN was there to actually give news instead of dishing it with a healthy side of advertising.  Yep, cable TV was young and fresh and new and relatively inexpensive and we loved it!   For awhile anyway.  Then the advertising started to creep in- in places that it shouldn't and all of a sudden one was left wondering just exactly what it was they were paying for. 

Skip ahead to 2012.  We still hate those annoying commercials and the advertising that the internet dishes out and tracks people by.  Seems that the People In Charge Of Advertising forget that we are not puppets that will sit and endure their constant onslaught.  For now, we know how to get up and walk away during a commercial and we still hold the freedom to NOT click on an adlink.  For now anyway.