Subject: Re: Twin Peaks Cancellation
From: tneff@bfmny0.BFM.COM (Tom Neff)
Date: 1991-02-19, 23:11
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

Rod Johnson talks about commercials versus zapping, zipping, time
shifting etcetera, and what ABC likes to see.

Personally I watch TP in one of two "modes" depending on whether I'm
home at the time: "real time," in which case I get to watch all the
commercials but they don't go on the videotape; and "later," in which
case the videotape got all the commercials but I zip them as I replay.

So far it sounds exactly like the sponsor's nightmare.  ***BUT*** there
are two mitigating factors:

 * When I zip "later," I always do actually know who the sponsors are.
Even zipped, a VW or Hellman's commercial lasts four seconds and is
identifiable as such.  So there's name recognition going on, even if not
the long-duration kind real time watchers endure.

 * When I watch "real time," I zap (mute) the commercials anyway!  I
ride two buttons: TV mute and VCR pause.  When the show resumes I press
both again, to resume sound and recording.  So sponsors shouldn't fool
themselves into believing that a real time audience necessarily gets the
commercials.  Zapping is rampant nationwide (this is one reason they've
gone nuts on the visual interest in ads).

Look on the bright side, sponsors.  When people timeshift they keep a
copy of YOUR MESSAGE that will always be there when the show's replayed.
You couldn't buy that from a network.

-- You are sunlight and I, moon | Joined by the gods of fortune | Midnight and high noon | Sharing the sky | Tom Neff We have been blessed, you and I | tneff@bfmny0.bfm.com