Give Me My Credit!

While on the subject of TV, I cannot object more to the way TV stations deface the credit screen. Usually it is done by squashing the original picture to free up half the screen to show previews for upcoming programmes. This makes it impossible to read any of the credit text, and the voice over covers up the ending music. While viewers usually don't bother reading the credit roll, it is sometimes a good source of information, such as finding out the actor for a particular character and the year it was produced. Occasionally, the credit roll is creatively transformed into an entertaining segment. For example, in one episode of The Simpsons, Homer "fired" every name that appeared on the credit. In the cinema version of Toy Story II, pretended bloopers were shown alongside the credit. One might argue that distorting the credit roll audibly or visually lowers the value of the show to viewers.

Just because the credit screen is not part of the story and is generally boring does not mean it can be mutilated to make way for promotion. In their pursuit of maximizing advertisement air time, TV stations will soon find themselves stepping over the line. When entertainment value for TV shows is all but eroded, the audience will surely turn to the Internet and DVDs for their viewing needs, legal or otherwise.