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I don't want to whine, but I've recently noticed (once again) that the German TV, in it's entirety, sucks.
Of course, there are good things about German TV. For example, the original Star Trek episodes are being broadcasted at a time when I can actually watch them (
). I could even watch South Park every day, if I wanted to.
But to give counterweight to these highlights, there is a huge array of things which vary from a simple nuisance to an outright insult. Here's my top selection of things that have recently bothered or enraged me:
1.) La canale de culture Franco-Allemand (i.e. the Franco-German cultural channel, Arte), has recently broadcasted Pink Floyd's Pulse video. Great thing! Of course they had to cut it (castrated it to 60 min) and excluded Comfortably Numb from the encores. To make it clear, they have simply cut the band's best performance ever. I used to think good things of Arte, for they have broadcasted Monty Python stuff in original English (subtitled, but what the hell). But this is simply ridiculous. And it's not just my opinion. Everybody I know who knows Pink Floyd agrees with me that this is their best moment.
2.) I know there is a delay to American TV shows. They need time to buy them, dub them and get everything else organized. But if "new" episodes from a show, broadcasted here for the first time in 2002, deal with the Y2K bug or people being two years behind in 2000, one starts to ask oneself questions.
3.) Daily broadcasts of American serials (intended to be weekly) like The Simpsons may seem like heaven. Until they're celebrating X-Mas for the fourth time this year. I believe I've seen the first South Park X-Mas episode more than any other one, but only once at X-Mas time.
4.) There is not one single good German TV show. There used to be some, but either they became bad after the second season, or they were stopped. Most German-made TV shows are either extremely bad, or they are copied from British or American originals.
5.) There is no decent Music channel. MTV used to have British shows, and English used to be the first language. They used to bring hours of videos. Now, music videos are reduced to an hour a day or so, and the programme is moderated by some sinister German youths. And as for music, forget it. No metal, no hard rock, only a Metallica event after they released their new album. As for the other big music channel, VIVA, there is hardly any music there either. They do have half an hour of metal clips somewhere at nighttime, but there, they only present the biggest commercial acts such as Manowar or Iron Maiden (Maiden is allright with me, I'm a big fan, but so far all I've seen of them there was a cut from their recent Dortmund concert). How are the smaller, yet better, metal acts, who are stuck in the underground and want to get out, ever supposed to achieve their goals?
6.) One could ask me why I watch TV at all then. Well, I watch very little TV, actually, but "highlight" shows, such as Casting Shows (which don't have a German name, they're actually called "Casting Shows"), Reality-Soaps etc. are even being discussed in school lessons with my teachers. Hello? This is my graduation year. I want to be prepared for my exams, not talk about how this so-called "Superstar" talks about their first sexual contacts!
So, how's your TV programme? The same frustrations? Is it better? Is it worse?
Of course, there are good things about German TV. For example, the original Star Trek episodes are being broadcasted at a time when I can actually watch them (
). I could even watch South Park every day, if I wanted to.But to give counterweight to these highlights, there is a huge array of things which vary from a simple nuisance to an outright insult. Here's my top selection of things that have recently bothered or enraged me:
1.) La canale de culture Franco-Allemand (i.e. the Franco-German cultural channel, Arte), has recently broadcasted Pink Floyd's Pulse video. Great thing! Of course they had to cut it (castrated it to 60 min) and excluded Comfortably Numb from the encores. To make it clear, they have simply cut the band's best performance ever. I used to think good things of Arte, for they have broadcasted Monty Python stuff in original English (subtitled, but what the hell). But this is simply ridiculous. And it's not just my opinion. Everybody I know who knows Pink Floyd agrees with me that this is their best moment.
2.) I know there is a delay to American TV shows. They need time to buy them, dub them and get everything else organized. But if "new" episodes from a show, broadcasted here for the first time in 2002, deal with the Y2K bug or people being two years behind in 2000, one starts to ask oneself questions.
3.) Daily broadcasts of American serials (intended to be weekly) like The Simpsons may seem like heaven. Until they're celebrating X-Mas for the fourth time this year. I believe I've seen the first South Park X-Mas episode more than any other one, but only once at X-Mas time.
4.) There is not one single good German TV show. There used to be some, but either they became bad after the second season, or they were stopped. Most German-made TV shows are either extremely bad, or they are copied from British or American originals.
5.) There is no decent Music channel. MTV used to have British shows, and English used to be the first language. They used to bring hours of videos. Now, music videos are reduced to an hour a day or so, and the programme is moderated by some sinister German youths. And as for music, forget it. No metal, no hard rock, only a Metallica event after they released their new album. As for the other big music channel, VIVA, there is hardly any music there either. They do have half an hour of metal clips somewhere at nighttime, but there, they only present the biggest commercial acts such as Manowar or Iron Maiden (Maiden is allright with me, I'm a big fan, but so far all I've seen of them there was a cut from their recent Dortmund concert). How are the smaller, yet better, metal acts, who are stuck in the underground and want to get out, ever supposed to achieve their goals?
6.) One could ask me why I watch TV at all then. Well, I watch very little TV, actually, but "highlight" shows, such as Casting Shows (which don't have a German name, they're actually called "Casting Shows"), Reality-Soaps etc. are even being discussed in school lessons with my teachers. Hello? This is my graduation year. I want to be prepared for my exams, not talk about how this so-called "Superstar" talks about their first sexual contacts!
So, how's your TV programme? The same frustrations? Is it better? Is it worse?
I'm a very huge Simpson fan (I've bought lately the 3 first special DVD collection), but they show 2 episodes of the Simpson EACH day, breaking and cutting them in very strange ways 
Only 5 basic channels though and you do pay £110 a year to get them. Thank you TV license fee.
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