We are pleased and proud to introduce to you a revamped, redesigned, new and improved TV Scout. The new issue ensures enhanced readability with larger type size and an easy-access, easy-to-understand format.
We at the Times-Herald take the TV Scout very seriously. We are very happy and proud of the new Scout. However, we know it is still a work in progress and we ask for your patience as the new Scout evolves. We also welcome your questions, comments, concerns and feedback so that we can make navigating the airwaves easier and more thoroughly enjoyable than ever.
I have found one glaring error in the new Scout. With the old Scout grid, each 30-minute time slot measured 30 millimeters---one millimeter for each minute of the program. An hour-length program would measure 60 millimeters, a two-hour movie would measure 120 millimeters, and so on.
Now, with your larger type size and expanded format, half-hour shows measure 45 millimeters on the grid, hour shows measure 90 millimeters, and so on. I was surprised and very let down when I tuned in to Jeopardy! expecting a 45-minute show only to see it cut off at 30 minutes.
What should have originally tipped me off to the error was the show 60 Minutes had not changed its name to 90 Minutes as your grid would have led us to believe! Please convert your grid back to scale immediately.
Don S.
Although your old system sounds credible, the best way we've found to figure the length a TV show is by looking at the times that run at the top of the grid.
I discovered a stunning error in the new Scout. For each day, your guide lists all shows from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. as Early Morning. However, according to a 1992 report by the Greenwich Department of Weights and Measures, from 11 p.m. to 2:59 a.m. is technically considered Late Night. Therefore, your TV Scout headers are inaccurate and misleading. Please correct this immediately.
While not to discredit the Greenwich Department of Weights and Measures report, we at TV Scout feel our headers Daytime, Primetime and Early Morning best convey the pertinent information to our readers.
Don S. really missed the point when attacking the all new Scout. Had he put in a little think time, he would've realized that the new Scout simply moved away from the metric system in favor of standard measurements. Now, a half-hour show measures 1/2 inch; an hour-length show measures one inch and so forth. Judging the length of a show has never been simpler. And in a time when the evildoers are pushing the United States to convert to the metric system, I applaud the Times-Herald and the TV Scout staff for standing up for what's right. Remember, give the terrorists and inch, and they'll take a meter.
Thank you for your support and insight into the fight against terrorism. However, TV Scout stands by its belief that the easiest way to track the length of a program is with the times that run across the top of the TV grid.
I think Ralph M. was on the right track but going after the wrong tree. After reading his comment, I studied the Scout and which particular shows fell under the headers Daytime, Primetime and Early Morning.
Before I tip my head as to what I discovered, I must first define what Primetime is. Primetime has come to mean the best of the bets, the cream of the cream TV shows. Since networks know that most viewers tune in during primetime, that's when they put their best shows on.
By virtue of making it to primetime, a TV show has already distinguished itself from the other, lesser, programs. Primetime is like an elite club. Primetime gives a show instant status and appeal.
Now I'll cut to the point. Scout can't change which shows networks put in their primetime lineups. But what Scout can do is magically change when primetime is.
Primetime could start at 5:30 p.m. and end at 1 a.m. if the Scout so chose. Or primetime could start at 7 p.m. and end at 11:30 p.m. The possibilities are infinite.
Now that got me wondering. Why 6:30 p.m. to 11:30? That's when it hit me like a tub of bricks. The show Re-Vamped comes on at 6 p.m. and the show 99 Bottles of Beer comes on at midnight.
Both are two of my favorite shows and both are not in the Scout's primetime lineup. In any other TV guide those shows would fall under prime time listings. When I did a little investigation, I uncovered the root of the Scout?s disdain for these two shows. Both programs' creators and executive producers are Republicans. Yes, Scout will do anything to quiet any views that differ from its own, even if it means redefining primetime.
While TV Scout appreciates your analysis, we find it has no basis in fact. If you study TV Scout's time grid closely, you will find our prime time listings begin at 6 p.m. and end at midnight. In addition, TV Scout did not take into account partisan politics when settling on a time window for its grids.
This past weekend I enjoyed the Chase 'em Down, Shoot 'em Up marathon on TNV. The marathon offered classic after classic until the credits rolled on the seventh movie. Out of the seven films, five made it on my all-time top 10. However, when I went to the Scout's movie listings to check the date each movie was made, none were listed.
In the Scout's new design, we have omitted one-star and two-star movies to accommodate three-star and four-star movies. Unfortunately, most of the movies in the Chase 'em Down, Shoot 'em Up marathon that you watched were one-star movies, and thus were not listed. The marathon's only non-one-star movie, Smokey and the Bandit II, somehow received three stars.
Why did you replace Two Gals and a Shower with Just Danny on Fox's Tuesday night lineup? My wife and I really enjoyed Two Gals. Also, I could not find Thursday's listings in last week's Scout. Why did you omit them? From what I have heard, Thursday is a highly viewed night of television.
Fox reluctantly pulled Two Gals after it was besieged with protests from feminist and gay rights organizations for its depiction of lesbian women. However, according to one report, it was the image of a dog using a toilet that got the show flushed. Animal rights organizations turned up the heat for Showing an animal in an uncivil, vulnerable, embarrassing and humiliating manner. As far as Thursday's listings go, they began on page 27, following Wednesday's listings.
After leafing through the new Scout, I was offended that my favorite show was listed as Who's the Boss instead of the correct version with the question mark Who's the Boss? For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what you could have against this show.
We've noticed under the TV channel listings, you have the channel E! listed as E. Due to this error, we've missed E! True Hollywood Story for the last two weeks. Please correct this.
Due to space issues, TV Scout has had to omit punctuation from certain aspects of our listings. We apologize for the inconvenience.
In addition, TV Scout will discontinue its feedback forum beginning in next week's issue to accommodate an extended Soap Opera Roundup.
Posted by David Holub on November 17, 2004
Tags: Humor
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