Channel 7 continues to suck

I am glad the Austalian Open is over. A lot of great tennis was played throughout the tournament's duration and the Russian Safin is a worthy winner. So, why am I glad it is over if I enjoyed it so much?

Well, I'm glad I don't have to sit through more tedious advertisements for Channel 7's upcoming line-up. Channel 9 pioneered this technique, with its overuse of promotions running along the bottom of the screen during cricket matches (and thus distracting us from the commentators trying to flog us one of their books or a plaque commemorating the 713th on-air swear word/racist comment/inappropriate innuendo accidently muttered into their microphones). Channel 7 has grabbed hold of this practice and used it at every available opportunity. Throughout the tournament, as I'm sure we all noticed, any break in play was immediately accompanied by a quick cut to a billboard displaying promotions for Channel 7's upcoming line-up. This was in addition to the actual ad breaks (y'know, Channel 7, the place where the ads are supposed to friggin' go?).

The ads repeated most throughout the tournament were those for Lost, Better Homes and Gardens, Dancing with the Stars, and Desperate Housewives. Why these shows needed to be advertised so extensively is unknown. Just because Joanna Griggs (who, besides a short-lived swimming career, has no real claim to fame except the fact she bonked Gary Sweet) is now hosting Better Homes and Gardens (replacing Noni Hazelhurst who, apparently, is pursuing her acting career. No joke. Guess she got the acting bug all those years she was pretending to be happily married to John Jarratt) does not warrant the show's constant promotion. Just because Derryn Hinch is going to try and develop a personality on Dancing with the Stars, doesn't mean the show won't be the same crap it was last year. And just because Channel 7 outbid the other Channels for Lost and Desperate Housewives (which Channel 7 has, for some reason, promoted as an Angela Lansbury style mystery series rather than the comedy and social satire that it actually is) does not mean we, the audience, have to hear about them at every opportunity. Channel 7 really needs to learn from Channel 10's mistakes with overadvertising.