Selling Your Soul to the Devil

In the nineteen-fifties, when television began to flourish, the idea began to blossom that pay TV was a concept whose time had come. Some skeptics would argue, however, that since television was free, why on earth would anyone want to pay for it. The answer, and key selling point for the idea, was that pay TV would be completely commercial free.

So what happened? We have all noticed that cable and satellite television has become a sea of commercialism and the promise of ad-free television seems to have vanished forever. The concept, as originally envisioned, has flown out the window and the only vestiges left are the very expensive pay-per-view concerts and sporting events. But even these high-priced venues have allowed advertising to sneak in.

An interesting experiment, for channel surfers, who pay a large cable bill every month, is to surf and and pay attention to whether a commercial or a show is on. You will find the actual percentage of commercials is a whopping 50 to 65 percent.

I like television, but I was sick and tired of this mind numbing barrage of inane ads. So about a year ago I cancelled my satellite television service. And I have since discovered a more fulfilling life and have taken on some new and exciting interests. The net effect, after a period of withdrawals, is that I feel as if I have snatched my soul back from the devil.