Recently the media has been playing a trick on you that you might not have noticed. Television networks have been trying out a tactic in which they allow programs to run overtime in order to increase the ratings on that television station. By making programs run over a few minutes, the programmers have caused viewers to watch into the next show’s time slot and, if they were to switch channels, they would be coming into that show late. In order not to miss any part of a show, the viewer would have to simply not switch channels and, apparently, that is exactly what many viewers do. This tactic has proven to be extremely effective because shows that should not be popular or have good ratings receive higher than expected ratings because they are scheduled in the time slots after popular shows that purposely run overtime.
Another problem with this media marketing manipulation is that viewers are not easily able to record shows. Many viewers complain that because shows sometimes overlap for those one or two minutes that the show goes overtime, they have trouble recording both shows. The recording device cannot record another show that begins during that one minute because the system will not allow it. Many viewers, including myself, feel that these extra minutes are simply a hassle and should be removed, but it is undeniable that this technique has improved ratings on the shows following the extended time shows. It is possible that the public could protest this, as they successfully did with television commercials which were louder than the programs they interrupted, a practice recently banned by the government. Many people would never know that they are being tricked into not switching channels. This seemingly minor issue, however, really exemplifies the meticulous control of the media and marketers over the public.