Least Necessary Network

G4 or Spike TV?

videonovels...

P.S.

These are not technically networks. Networks consist of individual,
local-only stations that are all affiliated under one banner (such as
nbc). When you draw lines between the stations on a map, it forms a
net, hence the term "network".

Cable channels are exactly that: single channels. Not nets.

Alan Figgatt...

True. So if we expand this to include broadcast networks, the leading
contender should be the "i", formerly Pax, network. They no longer
produce scripted shows. I get one of their digital stations and from
what I figure there are 2 subchannels with mostly infomercials with some

Alan Figgatt...

Both Doc and Sue Thomas F.B.Eye are no longer in production. What I
don't know is whether any of the religious programming is produced for
i/Pax or is provided from other sources.

I get the digital signal for WWPX-DT - I think it may be a Pax owned
station, not just an affiliate - located in Martinsburg, WV on VHF 12. I
would not have expected to get it because it is 48 miles away and I am
using a UHF antenna which is aimed in the other direction. The signal is
coming in the backlobe of the antenna. They have 4 SD subchannels and
they all have poor picture quality. Based on what I have seen, it is a
waste of 6 MHz of broadcast bandwidth.

Maybe if they convert their digital stations for HD broadcasting, they
could have 1 HD subchanel for the movies and TV shows and 1 SD
subchannel for the informercials and religious programming. Might get
some viewers as the number of people with ATSC tuners and HD TVs
increases as the 2009 analog shutdown approaches. Probably not a viable
business model, but OTOH, they went $250 million in the hole for Pax.

Alan F

really old and poor video quality movies & TV shows. The other 1 to 2
subchannels are religious programming. Wonder what their ratings are?
Got to be close to a 0.0 share.

Alan F

I can't decide.

videonovels...

PBS. Huge waste of taxpayer money (like Amtrak). PBS should be
converted to a commercial network, perhaps airing them during the last
10 minutes of each hour so as not to interrupt the show.

Invid Fan...

Given how little government money they get, I wouldn't call it a "huge"
waste. They already do run ads before shows, to make up for previous
funding cuts.

They can still do their "send us money" campaigns, so they are not
totally reliant on commercials, but they definitely need to get off the
government welfare / sucking money out of taxpayer wallets.

I don't like paying taxes for a channel (or anything) I never use.

-L....

You obviously don't have children...or any vested interest in them.

Invid Fan...

I feel the same about most government programs. I keep telling my local
representatives to close the schools as I graduated long ago and
shouldn't keep paying for them...

videonovels...

Not true; You did not pay for the school while you were a student
(since you had no job). So now that you do have a job, you are

ravenlynne...

Umm...I think that was a joke.

retroactively paying for the 13 years you spent there. Figuring
~$10,000 a year spent per public student and you paying ~$2000 a year
in property tax = about 65 years until you've paid for yourself.

I don't mind paying for items that everybody uses or benefits from
(like national defense, schools, welfare), but I don't support programs
that only benefit a minority (such as PBS, Amtrak, subway). I think
programs that are only used by a select group of people should be
charged directly (such as ticket sales) to those users. The non-users
pay nothing; smilar to how the gas/road tax works.

stonej...

Spike is good for:

Cops and World's scariest police chases.

Slap happy stooge hour on Sunday mornings

James Bond movie marathons several times a year.

Dumping one of the C-Span channels wouldn't be a bad idea.

weberm...

Neither. PBS.

stonej...

akjack...

You should know that a "cable" channel is not a network.

Networks have affiliated broadcast stations at more than one location.

Neither G4 or Spike along with many other channels is necessary.

Casey McDonald's Guidance Counsellor, Ian J. Ball...

G4.

Spike now has "Blade", which puts it ahead of many cable nets.

G4, OTOH, walked away from their original audience (along with A&E and
Bravo, et al., which are all useless now as well).

stonej...

Yes. Yes, it would.

..
Garondo Marondo!

ravenlynne...

pete...

Yes! Because what this country needs is even less access to our government.

chicagofan...

Right... I wonder, is it possible to be *any more* ignorant than we appear
to be now?

My first thought when reading that header was "Fox News", but after opening
the message saw that he had narrowed the choices. In that case it would be
G4, and I agree they really ruined the only good tech channel we had. :(
bj

record hunter...

I forgot about WW. I only watched it for two years. It was too
depressing post-Busch.

Shoof...

Yep. I MISS LEO!!

Tee Jay...

chicagofan...

Thanks a lot! I miss all of them... even Dvorak. :)
bj

Tee Jay

stonej...

If by access you mean long winded speeches from representatives and
senators to near empty chambers
yaking on about some pet project or ideology. If that is your idea of
access you can have it.

G4. But only because I get what I want from it via podcast.

Anim8rFSK...

I watched the comic con coverage; I don't know how they could have done
a worse job.

Spike's not much better but it has blade.