Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dartvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!dartvax!merchant From: merchant@dartvax.UUCP (Peter Merchant) Newsgroups: net.music Subject: Videos & "Morality" Message-ID: <2318@dartvax.UUCP> Date: Mon, 20-Aug-84 08:33:16 EDT Article-I.D.: dartvax.2318 Posted: Mon Aug 20 08:33:16 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 22-Aug-84 03:53:50 EDT Organization: Dartmouth College Lines: 44 { I like big...things. } You may be able to lock out your cable channel, but many video programs are moving off cable and onto the networks or into syndication. NBCs "Friday Night Videos" is the forerunner and brought the concept of a "video" to a mass audience. Also, for those of you who truly dispair of it, NBC has begun broadcasting "Friday Night Videos" over their satellite to radio stations. Thus, check with your local NBC affiliate and you may be pleased to discover that you can get it in stereo. ABC has recently entered the competition with "ABC Rocks", a very weak half-hour attempt to pull viewers from Friday Night Videos. I saw it when it first debuted, right after ABC Nightlines on the spot and hard nosed look at The Jacksons. No word of stereo simulcasts. It also seems to have disappeared from our local viewing area, at least as far as I can see. There are also many other video programs in syndication. I'm afraid you are going to have to protect your young child some other way, possibly by throwing your TV set out the window and reading. As for the "morality" question, I have to agree that it is not up to the television networks/cable networks to protect the children of today as much as it is the parents responsibility. As it is, though, MTV realises that it is in it's better interests to avoid the "questionable" portion of many videos. After all, if MTV started showing bloodshed, mayhem, violence, sex, and other yucky things, parents will start complaining to the local cable carriers/network affiliates/local stations. And usually the non-cable people are very worried about public opinion of their station because that amounts to ratings. MTV is concerned because if they get too nasty, they may find local cable carriers getting rid of them. And that means lack of bucks. Oh! By the way, MTV may soon have a "competitor" of sorts. Ted Turner has decided to go into the video cable biz. His video channel will be a more "Adult Contemporary" format, with the mellower stuff that you don't usually see on MTV. -- Peter Merchant