Monday, February 02, 2004
Peace, all.
I'd thought I'd share my non-Blog rabble-rousing with you. I sent this e-mail to CBS today:
Greetings, friends.
You're no doubt hearing tons of complaints about the Super Bowl fiasco of half-time. Add my complaint to the list. You know why. I'll be glad to take a number.
I was almost as disturbed by your choice of commercials: wholly inappropriate for family viewing. My seven-year-old often reminds me when a TV Commercial is on, "Um, Dad, that's bad for me. Turn it off." If she hadn't been "grounded from TV" yesterday, I would have been angrier and she might have said the same thing to you.
My requests are these:
- If you insist on showing graphic and violent commercials, see if you can get the NFL to move the game to 10PM EST, and tape delay for the other time zones. And after they laugh in your faces over that, I would urge you to consider more appropriate, if not lawful, commercial fare. I cannot control the crass nature of television advertising, but you can tell your corporate sponsors I'm more than glad to use the little button on my remote to mute or channel surf at will.
- Second, I would urge you not to wait for the FCC to come down with its $27,500 fine per CBS affiliate. Do the right thing and write the checks out now. Send that amount to a charity for each CBS station in the US. Do it tomorrow. If you e-mail me, I can suggest a worthy kids' charity in Kansas City that does good work. I'm sure the Chiefs or any of the other NFL teams would put you on the right track in their towns.
