Prime time television?

Remember when prime time television meant it was the prime time to gather the family around and spend the evening together? I remember watching the Cosby Show or the Disney Sunday movie with my family. Now it is more often than not prime time to sell sleaze and filth to make the most sponsorship money. Sure you can vote with the remote and simply turn it off. But how do the sponsors know you aren’t seeing their ads at that time if you see them during other shows and still support their businesses? If you aren’t a Nielsen family, will anyone know if you turn it off? You’ll know of course, but how loud is your voice if it never extends beyond your walls? How bad does a show have to be before you turn it off? Or do we let them slowly desensitize us so we don’t realize how bad it’s gotten? If it’s “Great… Except for That One Part” is that good enough?

Last fall one of the stations wanted to run a show that made me ill inside just at the idea of it. And I decided I would speak with more than my remote. I signed petitions. I emailed the local and national stations. And the emails I got back were telling. The emails told me that it was a tasteful show. That it was a representation of things that had happened, implying that made it okay. There have been a lot of things in history that have happened and are definitely not okay. None of the people who emailed me would admit that they’d let their families watch it, that it was a prime show to gather their children around and watch with them. I tried to find the sponsors for the show so I could let them know that their advertising dollars at that time slot would be wasted. And I was one voice. But my voice combined with several other people who spoke up was heard. And the show only ran three episodes before it was pulled.

One isn’t that many. But when you get a lot of ones together, you can make a difference.