I interrupt your f-list to bring you this important information

[greatbear]

When I was trying to decide if I wanted to subscribe to satellite radio a few years back, the choice was fairly easy at the time. At the start, XM's music channels had commercials. Then Sirius came along. Their subscription rate was higher, but there was no commercials. A plus in the Sirius column for me, since the whole reason I was making the jump was to get away from the increasingly pervasive and annoying advertising on terrestrial radio. By that time, XM had matched Sirius in both commercial-free music programming (plus) as well as the higher monthly rate (minus). XM was created by the same people who brought us ClearChannel (big fuck fuckityfuck minus!), the hellspawn from Satan's bloody cooch which ruined radio. Sirius also had OutQ, the GLBT channel (huge plus). OutQ has Larry Flick, aka lfkbear (another big furry plus).

So, Sirius it was. Lots of diverse programming, decent hardware and commercial free tunes. Great for traveling. OutQ became my drive-time channel, with Larry and the bunch in the mornings, and waaay-left leaning Michelangelo Signorile in the afternoon. Life was good. Then it began to happen. The commercials that are unfortunately carried by OutQ (and just about all the talk formats, there is no getting around it, plus that format needs the breaks for proper flow) started to multiply and sour. But these are not your ordinary commercials. They have leaned heavily into annoying ads for dubious work-at-home schemes, ambulance chasing lawyers, debt reduction and financing, snake-oil medicinal cures, you get the idea. And the irritation factor is compounded with most of these ads repeating the toll-free numbers no less than three times, sometimes more. Always the sign of hucksterism and sleaze. You've seen it on late night network television. So much for the notion that gay audiences are sophisticated. Most likely, these are the only outfits willing to drop coin to be heard in the gay ghetto, and Sirius goes for the bucks any way they can. And I pay for this.

I find myself growing weary of riding the volume control between the slowly decreasing minutes of actual programming. What is it with advertisers? Whoever came up with the notion that irritating the listener/viewer is a successful business model should be shot repeatedly starting from the feet and slowly working upward. Clever advertising is more memorable but far, far less prevalent. Were I to become king of the planet, I would seek out every writer/producer of these shitty slimeball ads and punch them repeatedly in the nose till there is nothing left.

Sorry, Larry and crew, there are days I have to shut off the radio and listen to the engine instead.

Is there any respite to be had against the tide of horrendous commercialism?

Here is one of the most amazing commercials I have seen to date:

Watch on YouTube

And one of the worst:

Watch on YouTube

I have already mentioned a couple times where a clever, fun ad will make me want to buy a product. Too much craptastic advertising makes me want to go postal on someone's ass.

Comments

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Your observations about Sirius radio are right on target. I'm a bit less exposed to them as I don't listen to OutQ. I'm not a fan of the talk show hosts on this station with the exception of Larry. I'm not listening to morning radio, so I mostly miss his show.

I do hear a few commercials on Blue Collar Radio, but I can't remember hearing a single product commerial on my most oft listened to station, Broadway 77. Sure, there are plugs to attend shows, but not out and out commercials.

As you, I was led to believe that satellite radio was commercial free. If Clear Channel (I hate clear channel they have bought up most of the performing venues across the country) continues to have its way, subscription radio won't be any different than regular.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

XM started out with commercials everywhere. Sirius did us all a favor and gave us commercial-free music from the start. Still, some of the syndicated content and a lot of the talk channels have at least some commercials. Talk radio (which I generally dont like) seems to 'need' commercial breaks (or some sort of break) because of how it operates. I dont mind ads that promote station content. I just cannot stomach the typical, lowest-common-denominator advertising that seems to be everywhere. Certain levels of LJ blogs even have ads. I use a finely tuned filter to eliminate almost all web advertising. I gave up on commercial television because of the ads. I even boycott certain products because of lame advertising, though luckily a lot of those products are of no interest to me anyway.

There is more and more talk and movement towards merging Sirius and XM into one unit. Once that happens, two things I will guarantee will happen. The rates will rise, and advertising will blanket the channels. And I will have no choice but to drop the services and scrap the hardware.

[djmadadam.livejournal.com]

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Apply directly to the typical ad writer's face.
Apply directly to the typical ad writer's face.
Apply directly to the typical ad writer's face.
Apply directly to the typical ad writer's face.
Apply directly to the typical ad writer's face.
Apply directly to the typical ad writer's face...

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

It aired on TV in Europe, I believe, not here. I can watch the commercial again and again and never grow tired. Every part of the Rube Goldberg 'machine' are parts from the Accord. The gravity-defying tire trick is done with internal weighting of the tires (the heavy part is on top, a bit of a nudge throws them off balance and they roll with enough force to run up an incline). It took over 600 takes to get everything to work as planned. In other words, it took creativity, engineering and quite a bit of artful thinking to put that ad together. It engages the watcher rather than beats them silly or insults their intelligence. Why cant so many more commercials be interesting, 1 or 2 minute long visual treats like this?

I agree, it's just like poetry.

Accord commercial

[badgerpdx.livejournal.com]

I think the Accord commercial won a Cleo (top honor for commercials) but never aired in the States as that model isn't offered in North America. I read somewhere that it took over 1100 takes to get the Rube-Goldberg machine "just right". I think it was worth it. Probably one of the best commercials EVER.

Re: Accord commercial

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

A pity, that; if I needed that kind of cargo space, I'd much rather have an Accord estate car than a [expletive] SUV.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

You are not alone Phil,

I saw an article but didn't read much of it advertised in I thinik Advertise weekly or some such rag at work I think yesterday, or was it Monday? Anyway, they essentially said that based on a poll, a lot of people feel like you do, that is advertisements need to be rethought if they are to be successful. One of them I know needs redoing are all the questionable products and their low budget ads are some of the most annoying, but even the big houses are not getting it. Hitting people over the head with their tactics is not how it should be and the makers of Kaboom, Oxy Clean need to get rid of that yummylicious and furry Billy Mayes and replace him with someone less obnoxious (but as good looking though) and the ads would be muuuch better.

But I hear ya though.

I so need to google the Foster Farms and see if they have any of their commercials with the chickens and the old Dodge Dart. Those are so funny and are some of the best commercials out there right now.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Dont get me started on Billy Mays. Cute or not, I want to just beat him senseless. That'll shut him up and calm him down.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Oh you and me both...

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

I can imagine him being a very noisy, screaming bottom.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Funny, I was just thinking about something similar, not exactly as you had it, but along the same lines though when your comment popped up.

As in strip him naked and fuck his shit up. :-P

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Nothing a good Donkey Punch wouldnt take care of. ;)

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

LOL, well, that too.

[slothel.livejournal.com]

KABOOM!

[beastbriskett.livejournal.com]

I call Billy the Shrill Shill. He'll scream about anything for a buck.

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, most of the netcasts I listen to are commercial free; several of them from the TWIT.tv network are not - but the commercials are presented by the hosts, and there's generally only one per show. Of course, there's a huge difference between an unobtrusive commercial in a free netcast, and commercials in subscription satellite radio! Maybe they figure people will liken it to basic cable (with commercials) than to HBO or ShowTime (without commercials).

As for craptastic ads -- I really like this parody from Bill Maher. ;)

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Most of the 'net radio I listen to is ad-free. So it is with the music channels I listen to on both Sirius and XM (I have XM in my new truck free for three months. I will most likely change out the hardware to use Sirius instead.

The Maher ad, well, that there is some definite truth in advertising.

Re: Sirius

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

I got Sirius primarily for the music channels. Howard and OutQ plus some of the other channels were a bonus. As for my solution to the dearth of good radio here, I literally have my own low-power station here at the house. The studio PC is set up to broadcast whatever I program through a nice FM stereo transmitter that covers the 2 acres here and then some. I also have a AM transmitter as well. Nothing like hearing period-perfect programming coming through an antique radio. After all, AM has become a complete wasteland of wingnut talk shows, Spanish language broadcasts and religious blather.

Transmitter

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

Oh, really?? I'm sick to death of the wimpy FM transmitters I've bought - far too often the one in my car less than a meter from the antenna is overpowered and drowned out. Yeah, yeah, fuck the FCC - I want something that works. ;)

Are you Sirius?

[ricksf.livejournal.com]

I've had Sirius in my car and work truck for close to three years and generally haven't regretted it. The endless ads on commercial radio (it's so nice when they interrupt with music, no?) pushed me to satellite and Sirius because of their 'commercial free' stance.

While I've not been a listener of OutQ, many of the other channels have their own form of commercialism. They hound you with ads for upcoming shows, incessantly remind you that this is SIRIUS radio (I know already, I pay the damn bills!). My biggest complaint is with repetition, however. Several of the channels (OK, I listen to Broadways Best a lot, kill me) seem to have a tiny playlist which cycles through a set grouping of material again and again, to the point of frustration. Let's put it this way... The HeadsOn ad might be a relief!

[mfpatterson.livejournal.com]

We gave mark a Sirius set up for his car and a subscription 3 yrs ago. Like you, it got old real quick, the reception, even in phoenix, depended on where you were in the city, the volume was never "loud" enough and the programming kept changing. He soon got tired, stopped the subscription and now the equipment sits in the cabinet here in the office....

[beastbriskett.livejournal.com]

Advertising was my 2nd major in college. Knowing how these craptastic ads are done, and why, make them even more putrid.
However, if I'd gone into advertising instead of Illustration, I'd probably be rich now...

[progbear.livejournal.com]

Thought of this before, but seeing an example reminded me of it again—one type of commercial I hate: the one where they have a whole bunch of different people alternately all saying THE SAME DAMN THING! I can’t think of any specific examples offhand but DAMN this is annoying!