Rabbit ear antennas, once a staple for millions of Americans watching free, over-the-TV, are making a comeback, the L.A. Times reports.
According to the report, "In these penny-pinching times, watching TV over the airwaves is becoming an increasingly attractive option for many households, particularly among the Los Angeles region’s minority communities.
"Although the number of households with antennas in the U.S. fell slightly in the last year, nearly 20,000 Asian American homes in the region began using rabbit ears, and 8,000 African Americans switched to over-the-air TV, according to the media research firm Nielsen Co.
"Nearly a quarter of Latino households with televisions, or about 440,000 homes, already tune in with an antenna — the most of any demographic group in the area."
–Chuck Ross
Yes, but only if you’re lucky enough to live in the right place. As for extra channels, that depends on whether you live in an ethnic patchwork area, where it makes sense to have targeted channels. Most stations use their extra channels for weather and infomercials. One local weather channel is a plus, but five or six is overkill. What’s truly comical is that public stations get to show THREE shows no one wants to watch, instead of only one.
Over-the-air television will make an even stronger comeback if and when broadcasters ever get serious about airing multiple channels, which the digital age makes possible. In a five-station market, you could easily envision 15-25 separate channels, all available over the air for free. That would meet the viewing needs of all but the most addicted TV viewers. The promise has always been part of the digital revolution. The only question is whether broadcasters will deliver.
Doug’s comments that public TV channels GET to show multiple channels is a lot of utter manure. The fact remains that many PTV stations are multi-casting different channels aimed at different audiences instead of relying on a main channel and the localized weather dot-of-doom, or even “boutique” commercial channels packaged as quasi-cable offerings stuffed to the gills with informercials, re-runs and the more of the same junk on the main channels. he also forgets that while PTV doesn’t have programs where people are voted off the island live in a faux reality or whose news products are tainted by their corporate sponsors, public TV still treats its audiences as intellgent human beings, or at the very least, humans aspoiring to a higher degree of intelligence.
If he were to actually ask PTV viewers why they watch, he would find out that there is a very loyal audience that has developed a kind of allergic reaction to the brain-dead programming choices being offered, especially on cable.
Give it a rest. The people speak. They can’t see the value in paying through the nose for junk TV, even if the reception is crystal clear.
As for broadcasters: The technology bar has been raised. Why not try to raise the content bar to something higher as well? You can put a pig in an evening dress and it’s still a pig.
No reason targeted channels have to be ethnic or weather-oriented or of any other similarly narrow focus. They can be whatever the market will support. A station could have, for example, a business channel, a sports channel, a cooking channel and a traditional broadcast channel. What is needed is imagination and creativity. Trouble is, broadcasters have never been good at thinking outside the box. In this enviornment they really must.
Perhaps if the numbers of on the air sets increase the advertisers will realize this and support or add commercials that will promote better programs. We are being raped by the cable and satelite companies forcing us to buy 80 channels of junk,
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The RCA ANT 108 Rabbit EARS Antenna. I use em inside & out. As an outdoor tenna its killer. Modified 108 making it water resistant mounted on mast 25′ high. Mast is free standing. Powered by an RCA Video Amplifier with 4-WAY Splitter. Most OTA tv stations are 55 to 65 miles away. I get Indy, Dayton, Ft.Wayne. Designed it for my HD Radio. WOW! The antenna is horizontally mounted elements into a V configuration. Some sites R touting the rabbit ears antennas are DEAD? My system BLOWS those notions AWAY. These are my main antennas period. Some friends see my antenna and want what I designed. Proof the simple rabbit ears antenna is NOT DEAD but making a comeback in a BIG WAY! COOL DUDES!