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How Am I Going To Know What’s On T.V.?
The end of an American tradition.
Mediabistro reported today that the staff of TV Guide were told in a meeting today, that the magazine is coming to an end. The final edition is set to be the Fall Preview. It is also reporting that TV Guide Channel and TV Guide.com will continue.
Although I rarely ever read the T.V. Guide anymore, it seemed like an institution that would be around forever. There was a time when it was a big deal to be on the cover and everybody would consult it to find out the scoops on their favorite shows.
The magazine has been endangered for years. The Internet has made it faster to get the latest information; by the time T.V Guide hits the stands, everything in it is old news. The addition of Tivo didn’t help the magazine, either … now it doesn’t matter when a show is on; Tivo knows and will record it for you.
The magazine first published on April 3, 1953. Its premiere issue cover featured a photograph of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s newborn son, Desi Arnaz Jr. and cost 15 cents a copy. Today it costs $2.45. At one time it showed the listings for the entire week, 24 hours a day; that lasted until June 21, 2003. Then, the Guide changed; 5am-5pm Monday-Friday listings were condensed down to four grids: 5am-8am, 8am-11am, 11am-2pm, 2pm-5pm. If programming differed from one weekday to the next, “Various Programs” was listed.
To try and help with slow sales over the past few years, the magazine when through some changes. They tried publishing bi-monthly editions, but that didn’t last long Then, they tried putting out collector covers which would featured multiple cover of a certain show or entertainer. This feature was fairly popular, with their most popular editions proving to be the Elvis covers. They also changed the size from the traditional hand-sized book to the standard magazine size.
None of these changes have worked and now there will be no more T.V. Guide. What am I going to do without the crossword puzzle? I never thought I would see the day.
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3 Responses to “How Am I Going To Know What’s On T.V.?”
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Wow … this is really bizarre. I used to LOVE getting he T.V. Guide as a kid. I would rifle through it to see if there were any cool horro, sci-fi, or Godzilla movies on late at night during the week.
What a bummer.
Yeah,it seemed like T.V. Guide was one of those things that would be around forever. It’s kind of sad.
It’s weird to think the T.V. Guide won’t be on the shelves at the store anymore. Man, I hate the internet! It’s putting people out of jobs, and I think that really sucks. DIE INTERNET CREATORS!!!