TV "Credits" - Squished!!!

Does anyone else here get really annoyed at the end of a show when the network of local station takes the credits (cast, etc) and squeezes them into a tiny little section of the screen, or squishes them so that it is impossible to see them, just so they can run a promo on the next show or the nightly news?



Many times, I like to see who was in a show, or what date the show was from, and zappo! You cannot see them! I was shocked that even NEW shows created by specialty networks do this. First run stuff on SCI-FI (like that Batllestar Galactica remake), at the end, they squished and sped up the credits so no one could possible read them.

Voice overs are cool, we always had those, but these promos over the credits really get me. Am I just being anal?

 

No, your right. I've always hated this trend. I also like to read the credits on shows especially to see who did cameos and names of actors that looked familiar.

 

I'm surprised the various entertainment industry unions haven't had something to say about this.

 

Me too--I've had that same thought! I understood the whole reason we have to sit through so many movie credits is because the various unions wanted them there, and I would think it's the same for TV. At the end of some of Nickelodeon's shows, I like to see who did the voices on the episodes. Such as Spongebob--I barely see the first voice credit when it blinks to the next one. They see it as being able to stuff one more commercial into a time slot if they shortchange on the credits. The same reason a couple of our local radio stations used to speed up their music--shorter contents is more room for ads.

 

The worst is Law & Order on TNT. They run the credits of the current show in an unreadable squished part at the bottom of the screen while the next L&O is starting. And, if you can actually make out any of the words, they go by so fast because of time compression that once again they are unreadable.

 

You guys are lucky. Local stations just CUT OUT the credits on most stuff altogether.

I don't watch much TV these days but it annoys me to no end when I've just seen a movie and want to know the name of a song on it or who played a part.

 

Guess it's competition. They want "no clicking" as Larry Sanders used to say.

 

You can always use the Internet Movie Database to check credits for TV Shows or Movies:

www.imdb.com

After you find a show, click on "Guest Appearances" in the top section of the left hand column.

 

I miss the good old days, when at the end of a show, they'd run the credits on the full screen, actually PLAY the closing theme, with the worst offense being a voiceover from a network announcer telling us to "Stay tuned for whatever". These elements (theme, credits) are part of a show and should be available to viewers.

I began to see the writing on the wall when the first thing to go was the theme music. Instead of running it under the voice-overs, they'd mute it entirely. Still OK, at least you could hear part of the theme.

Then came the dreaded "squish." Now the networks could use the time they'd normally run the theme music to running a promo for "next week's episode" or "next or tomrrow on _B_." This allowed them to sell the time they'd been alotting to promotion, gaining them an extra 30 seconds or so of revenue.

These days, the credits are so small and fast that it's virtually useless. They might as well just eliminate them if that's all we're going to get.

FWIW, as a Star Trek fan, I've noticed that while UPN hopelessly squishes the end credits on the ENTERPRISE's main time slot (Wednesdays), most affiliates will rerun the show, usually on the weekend, and there the credits are not only not so badly squished, but you can actually hear the closing theme (a rarity!).

 

The reason the big networks (they started it) started eliminating the credit segments is because they realized that they could use that precious time for...you got it...commercials. And, they also found that people tended to suft channels after their show went off, so, to keep them, they even cut out commercialt between the programs and the music. Music was always a cue for the viewer to got to the bathroomor change the channel.

It's all just another product of our shorter attention span, impatience, and greed.

 

I find it annoying myself. What's even worse is that the local stations here in New England will have a frame-like border on the side and bottom of the screen to run school closings during storms, which reduces the screen space for the program to about 3/4. It just stays on throughout programs and commercials.

 

On the other hand, would you prefer they interrupt your show for an announcement?

 

Yeah, but that's pretty important stuff actually. Part of their "public service". When I lived in the Denver area I pretty much got used to "storm warnings" crawling under my favorite shows, especially during thunderstorm season. The stations here in Wyoming are less aggressive when it comes to weather warnings, maybe because they don't have the staff for the coverage.

Dan C

 

Actually, I wish they'd use that crawl for ONLY emergency information, school closings, etc. I really get tired of seeing that crawl during every newscast, morning show, etc. Once the cable guys started it up, everybody else figured they had to jump on the bandwagon. I spend more time ignoring it than anything else.

 

I know, it's a no-win situation!!