I have never once witnessed a case in which a television show scheduled for right after a football game started on time. Don't they (whoever they are) know by now that football games will always run long? Why don't they just overschedule the game, and tell the rest of us the truth about when we can turn the t.v. back on, and what we can watch? I'm sure that the sportscasters can think of something to take up the time if there is any more extra time than usual.-- rebekkahshiri, Jan 28 2002 Are you spying on me right now?-- mighty_cheese, Jan 28 2002 Goody goody gum-drops! Is that a Sleeman's Honey Brown Lager by the Fender Jazz V?-- thumbwax, Jan 28 2002 Try studying the developmental psychology of the crew that live here. Now that would be fascinating. Or depressing. And maybe not all that different from children.-- beauxeault, Jan 28 2002 What a coincidence! I'm also studying children's developmental psychology. I have spent the last two years with my first subject, and have yet to completely get to the bottom of his conceptual motivation, particularly in regard to repetitve game playing (what does he really mean when he says "Again, Daddy, again"? Does he really want it again? Or is he simply testing me to see if I obey his commands??) My second test subject is about to join the experiment at the end of March. Hopefully, after about 18 years or so I'll work out where they're coming from...-- goff, Jan 28 2002 Yesterday's (American) football game was actually over in time, but they spent another fifteen minutes saying little more than "St. Louis won, and will play New England next week." The people who care know, the people who really care will get a week's worth of detailed analysis before then, and the people who just wanted to catch the Simpsons (i.e., me) are annoyed.-- bookworm, Jan 28 2002 IF I watch, it will be for the commercials - same as the year before, the year before that...-- thumbwax, Jan 28 2002 Same here, Bookworm. I hate football, and think it's really irritating that something timed to take one hour usually soaks up a whole day, but invariably manages to mangle the one thing I wanted to watch...-- StarChaser, Jan 28 2002 Anything that makes people *not* miss "The Simpsons" gets my vote.-- snarfyguy, Jan 29 2002 [UnaBubba], Thanks for the advice. I'm still trying to work out though whether where he's coming from is really where he's coming from, or whether, in fact, he's already in disguise. I think he's laughing behind my back even as I speak...-- goff, Jan 29 2002 Sometimes [UnaBubba] is too subtle for his own good.-- angel, Jan 29 2002 YES. Excellent idea. I always miss my shows because they're too bloody busy yapping about the game for half an hour after it ends!-- JimX, Dec 23 2003 I've always hated the way that TV schedules are changed at the last minute for no good reason. Not just with sports, but also when someone dies unexpectedly. Even if it's someone I might care about, I don't appreciate tributes being shown immediately which throw the rest of the days programming off. They should save it for the News programs, which run at a scheduled time. It's not like whoever-it-is will be any less dead tomorrow.
I have a slightly different proposal. An advertised broadcasting schedule should be considered a contract, which they'd therefore be legally bound to keep to. Fail to show the last repeat of something? Send dvd/video or have local rescreenings (at the viewers choice of times) to everyone who requests it, or face punitive damages. I'd permit an exception for time-critical warnings like earthquakes, hurricanes, nuclear 3 minute warnings etc [1]; anything else can wait for the News.
[1] although even then generally they could be shown as a text overlay.-- Loris, Jul 09 2009 random, halfbakery