[Problems with the Upgrade]

Note: this post courtesy of Renee

Thank you, Renee. Apparently you have now got my message!

 

 

In my opinion, two monthly-schedule issues remain to be resolved, if the needs of those experienced in viewing televised classic movies (from TCM) are to be met. Experienced viewers normally wish to schedule their movie viewing long (perhaps even three months) in advance, and often record these movies, either temporarily for delayed viewing or for building a permanent private archive. Basically, these needs are met by planning movie viewing using a printout of a schedule created at the TCM web site and furnished routinely, without qualification, to all visitors to this site.

 

Issue #1

 

Among other things, this printout must contain the starting time and date for each movie on the list. Four schedules are required, corresponding to the four USA time zones.

 

Issue #2

 

At any point in time, three completed monthly schedules (the current month along with the next two months) must be available to all visitors to the TCM web site from the drop-down SCHEDULE menu.

 

CONCLUSION

 

That was really easy, wasn't it?

 

As a point of departure for a possible debate, but *only* on these two specific issues, I am inviting anyone who disagrees with either of them to step forward and state the nature of his/her disagreement. Although anyone who is registered to participate in this forum may post anything that he/she desires, within the web administration's rules, I will not respond to any poster who argues to the effect that "this (i.e., what you deem to be necessary) is contrary to the way that things have always been done by TCM," or that "doing it this way will be too expensive," or that "this will take too long," or that "this is not worth the effort." Etc.

 

In point of fact, such an argument is company(TCM)-inspired. It is a thinly disguised attempt to evade, by obfuscation, the desired focus upon the most pressing need of the moment. This is a *viewer-oriented* focus upon the desirable function of a schedule for use in preparing future viewing of TELEVISED movies that are currently being promoted on a TCM web site that is simultaneously selling the same movies on DVD. TCM is walking a delicate tightrope here, and there is general agreement that extraordinary measures are required to pull this off successfully.

 

Hence TCM's business model and where it is headed is a legitimate (for the non-business-oriented viewers of classic movies) subject of an entirely different debate from that which I am proposing. Yes, I also have my opinion on this much more complex matter, which has many (and worrisome) implications. I will not shy away from such a debate, if it can be properly channeled--which I seriously doubt. That is, I do not wish to dilute a sensible effort to resolve these two issues by heading off in all directions at once in the thoughtless, random fashion that is so common in this tightly controlled (i.e., censored) and frustrating discussion forum.

 

IC critter

[Controversial Cool Classic Crittercism]

[The shrinking NOW PLAYING MAGAZINE]

> {quote:title=Calamity wrote:}{quote}

> I hope this doesn't become a duplicate message. I thought I'd posted but even after refreshing & logging out-logging back in I don't see it...

>

> Thank you (again!) for the description of what's in the Now Playing guide. It does sound pretty nice even without including the shorts. I didn't know that about how they were scheduled but it explains why the monthly online schedule lists them for some days but not for others. Mystery solved!

>

> Oh and I still like getting fun snail mail too.

 

It seems like there are a *whole lot* of messages disappearing from this board lately! I would sure like to know why. Can we all be imagining things? Don't they have a messageboard administrator around here somewhere who can explain this to us? It's not much fun if you post something and it doesn't show up. It seems to be that the board administrator should find out what's happening. Maybe he is not aware of the problem. Just my thoughts, since I just signed up in order to start posting and if I can't do it I might as well forget about this whole business.

 

By the way, I don't get the NOW PLAYING MAGAZINE.

 

charlie