Took the morning off this morning to watch the DIY car shows and found out they are mostly infomercials. Yuck!!!

 

Radio and TV is a wasteland. At least radio is "free", but it's all practically unlistenable/unwatchable.

 

It has evolved that way... the shows need sponsors and one way is to fund the builds... and the equipment they use. It's give and take.....

If you want to avoid the "infomercials", then surf the show's online episodes like on PowernationTV's website. Personally, I bought build DVDs and run them for background noise and "reinforcement" of some of their techniques.... From their shows I have Das Bronco, ClasSix, Project Old Skool, 66 Chevy C-10, and Project Blue Hair.

 

This is a big reason why I quit subscribing to early Mustang (or any automotive) magazines a long time ago.

They used to have lots of good technical and how-to articles in them --even wrecking yard upgrade component item articles too.

Any more, they are low on page and substantive content and bloated with pages of advertisements --most of the articles are just infomercials pushing some company's $3,000.00 front disc brake setup or whatnot.

....as far as television goes, I hardly ever watch it. I couldn't tell you what comes on what channel at what time or on what day because that's how little of it I watch. Current television programming is nothing more than a cesspool of mindless brain rot to me.

 

Car Craft Magazine is as DIY as it gets IMO.... the even have a section called "Junkyard Builder" which shows and describes JY parts and how they can be adapted to old steel.. some articles include 3g alternators, Mark VIII electric fans, hydroboost, electrical sources and how tos, steering gears, 8.8 axles, CV info, etc.

4WOR is too Jeep oriented.

 

What's interesting, is websites like this, and guys like you oftentimes provide a superior product. Maybe not all prettified up and tied with a bow, but our hosts here are getting their "stories" for free. Think about that. It makes me sad too, I used to love magazines but times change. The dynamic is totally different.

Something got lost or scrambled along the way, because it used to be the type of guys that post here took jobs in the industry writing about it, because they lived and breathed Ford blue (Or Chevy or MoPar etc) Maybe that's still somewhat the case...

I think some of the bean counters figured they could just hire anybody, (or that's the result anyway, cost paring to the bone) whether they knew anything about the subject at hand?

Sometimes the stories in the commercial pubs start out pretty good - like a really good opening paragraph or outline on a certain subject.

Then I come to find out that's the entire article. LOL They are just phoning it in. What I'm getting at though is the web and archived forum architecture is a gold mine for our hobby and craft. I'd make analogies to how nobody buys Playboy anymore, but that would be really crass.

 

2X Ted and all the above. Hiring cheap labor rather than seasoned and experienced help is the norm now. Which is why I was out of work for 5 months. Prior to around the 2008 recession it used to be opposite. And it's not just in the Parts Man's world. Hiring cheap and paying little is wide spread. The end result is exactly as described above.

 

I gave up my "pay TV" crap a few years ago. Hated to pay for crap. Sadly even on free TV I see the same commercial(and infomercials). Go figure?

All the "faux" reality car shows on today just give me a headache. I haven't really watched any, but from what I hear. I like reading builds on places like here, where real people work on real projects with real skills.

 

In the beginning was radio and it was free to the recipient because the advertising paid for the programming.

Television came along and the same thing, advertising paid for the programming and the broadcast was free to the viewers.

Later on, people received their expanded T.V. channel selections through cable, a pay-for service. Most people now receive their channels through a dish --also a pay-for service.

I don't think if I'm paying for programming that I should have to be subject to irritating advertisements.

There are also a multitude of channels in the packages you buy that I have absolutely NO interest in so, this is wasted money going for something I care nothing about and don't even watch those multiple channels. If you're paying for a satellite subscription, I think you should have the choice of picking what channels you want and you should be able to view those channels free of advertisements, since YOU are paying for this service and not receiving it for free.

 

I remember when cable was "commercial free", way back in the late 70's? Things like HBO were all the rage. You paid to see the show, not commercials.

I got Dish back in the mid 90's and thought it was awesome compared to the lack of programming on regular TV. It still had commercials, but it wasn't as bad as today. The reruns on pay tv are ridiculous now. I should not watch the same show over and over day after day and the same 4 commercials every 4.5 minutes through a show.

On free TV, I watch the same stupid commercials, but at least it doesn't cost me. I do miss a few shows from Dish, but survive just fine without. Now I have smart TV, so I watch Youtube videos for free and that includes many cool shows too.

I get it, someone has to pay the bills, but sooner or later the BIG cable companies will learn they can't rape the customer. I get to think about what I paid to watch TV, makes me sick. Of course I don't want to think about what it costs for a cell phone(I pay for multiple lines because I'm that nice guy).

I had Sirius radio for about year(about 10 yrs ago). That too wore thin and didn't want to pay to listen to music anymore. With about 150 cassettes(ya, I know) and plenty of CD's why should I pay to listen?

The ala carte idea is great, but who would PAY to watch some of the crap they add to every group of channels? Who needs 5 HSN channels??

 

"Free" programming or not, it is paid for by you, because of the added cost of the products you buy on the shelf. Then you pay to have the commercials broadcast to your radio, or television over the cable or satellite. Nice work if you can get it.

 

Ya, I know there is no free lunch it all comes out of our pockets sooner or later. Just when I pay twice and way too much for it is when I get aggrevated.