I Was Going To Put This In "Home For Random Thoughts"....

[Lord Jim]

But then I decided that it fried my bacon sufficiently that I didn't want it to get lost in that Island Of The Misfit Posts....

What is going on with this recent tendency to have science, nature, and historical documentary programs suddenly insert completely gratuitous "fast action" scenes?

Presumably it's designed to try and attract a younger demographic than your humble correspondent represents....

But I have to wonder....

What Madison Avenue sharpie concluded that the way to look "hip" in 2010, was to have some middle-aged anthropologist hop about like Mickey Dolenz on The Monkees....

[Gob]

Examples Jim? I cannot say I watch much TV.

[loCAtek]

It's time compression LJ, for the 'Short-Attention-Span' Theatre crowd. Not just for kids, but those adults with ADD, too. You've got 15 seconds to get their attention, and 30 to get your message across before you lose them. Television gots to educate the masses, between commercial breaks!

[Captain_Obvious]

30 seconds? I think you're giving them (us) waaaaaaay too much credit... too much time to sit still and pay attention... O_o

[tyro]

Jim, Jim, Jim, it’s television.

The same medium (to the bottom of the barrel) that gave us such notable enlightenment as “The Flying Nun”, “My Mother the Car” and “Carter Country”.

It has been years since any news program would report on anything smaller then the outbreak of WWIII unless there was a video clip that would last as long as the commentary. I think that is what they mean by “fair and balanced”.

Imagine you are in this cut throat business called Home Entertainment and you need to have ratings to survive.


You know, pretty soon there will be sex and nudity to go along with those fast action scenes.

In fact, I can see it now: on the History Channel, “Hitler and Eva Braun’s Favourite Positions”