Hometime series ending, another Saturday "friend" gone.

[semipro]

I typically take a break on Saturdays to watch a few home improvement shows on PBS. Its been a ritual for many years much as watching cartoons was as a child. Shows like This Old House, New Yankee Workshop, and Hometime inspired me. I don't watch sports and rarely get caught up in other programs such that I schedule time to watch them so these shows were special.
Hometime changed as most shows do over time, moving from home improvement projects to a somewhat elitist focus on building high end houses without regard for sustainability or affordability. Yet, when I saw the show Saturday and they announced it as their last I experienced a sort of gut wrenching sensation that surprised me. It wasn't that long ago that Norm Abram decided to end New Yankee Workshop. I was somewhat saddened by that but let it go. Maybe the loss of Hometime was the tipping point.
Whatever the case, the friendly familiar lineup of PBS weekend home improvement shows that I've followed for almost 30 years has lost yet another 'old friend'.

 

[Highbeam]

I taught my girls about product placement and advertising revenue while watching hometime. Funny how they became more and more focused on pushing products and brands. Too bad they are calling it quits.

There are a zillion shows like this on Netflix (or other internet sources) now with no commercials, take a look.

 

[peakbagger]

It was a good show early on but in later years it was high end with major product placement and not much education. I expect what it really has come down to is that cable has stolen its market for product placement. A lot easier to look up a you tube video these days.

 

[Lake Girl]

I've noticed the same trend, product placement, with Mike Holmes (Toronto, ON area). I was a big fan not just for the exposure to new and better building materials but he would go into a situation where the home owner had horrible performance with a contractor and "Make it Right" with no money put forward by the homeowner. A bit depressing to see them mention cleaning supplies ie Clorox wipes or whatever and seeing prominent tool placement (even if I agree that Dewalt tools are good!). Guess the end credits where not adequate .... The product placement cheapens the flow of the show and, in my mind, reduces his integrity.

 

[peakbagger]

Sorry, but IMHO Mike Holmes plays the sensationalism way too much. Yes his methods work and there are plenty of examples of very poor construction in that area of southern Ontario for him to sensationalize but he does tend to overkill some of the fixes and I expect that others who don't know any better who watch the show end up demanding far more than they need for repairs. My feeling is that many of the Mike Holmes fixes are caused by lax or non existent code enforcement. Contractors know what they can get away with and what municipalities enforce the code and the bad contractors stay away and the good ones make sure they follow the code.

There was a fairly well publicized This Old House season years ago where the project went bad and the owner aired dirty laundry in the press. Much of the sponsored equipment was not fully installed, commissioned or completed by the end of the series and once the final episode was wrapped, the owners claim to have been stuck dealing with it. Reportedly afterwards, anyone who wants their house in TOH has to sign some very restrictive legal documents that they wont say a bad thing even if things go to heck under threat of major penalty. That also applies to the talent, apparently its shut up and accept the checks and if they play ball nice they will let them do a spin off series. I always get a kick out of the black electric tape over logos that wont pay up for advertising.

Of course the ultimate in bad shows was the ABC series where they would tear down some hard off families home and build them a mansion in a few days. I was always curious how many of the original owners still owned the home after the first tax bill and utilities bills came in. Also I expect that the breakneck building speed led to some long term quality issues as they obviously were ignoring cure times on many of the products they used.

 

[xman23]

It's sad news. Yea the PBS shows have changed a bit. I think the PBS shows are better done than most of the other home make over shows. Years ago I met Dean and Robin at a home show, they autographed plans I had of the cabin. We have it framed and hanging in the house.

 

[Lake Girl]

Mike Holmes plays the sensationalism way too much

Which is why I stopped watching his show ... around the time the "Mike Holmes Inspection" show started airing

 

[vinny11950]

I do like how Mike Holmes overkills the water basement/foundation issues in the homes he works on. Can't have enough water proofing.

I have seen renovation shows where they redo a basement without doing anything about the water filtration issues they were having.

On the PBS shows, they were great in the early days, and still are if you have the patience to learn what they show. Other shows in other channels just gloss over the rapid building process and never give much detail on how and why they do things, what tools to use and the technique on how to apply them. Bob Villa gave more detail that way, which is why I liked him a lot.

 

[sportbikerider78]

I stopped watching all TV. Now, I just pick what I want to stream from Netflix, random places on the internet and youtube.

It is nice living life without the PBS, CNN, CBS, NBC and FOX bias.

 

[peakbagger]

I do remember the TOH first season with Bob Villa, Norm and Rich Tretheway's father (I think Rich is in the background) standing in a basement beating an asbestos covered boiler apart with sledge hammers complaining about the dust. The TOH spin off where each of the experts go out and do a basic fix with a homeowner is good except for the embarrassing transition scenes where they stand around and try to act.

 

[semipro]

There are a zillion shows like this on Netflix (or other internet sources) now with no commercials, take a look.

I actually spend most my time screen time now watching YouTube and NetFlix.
Its interesting how we've transitioned from setting time aside to watch broadcast programs to the just-in-time approach of Internet sources or Tivo.
Perhaps that's what I lament about the loss of Hometime. If I wasn't traveling I'd typically take a break from whatever I was doing on Saturday to watch a few hours of home improvement shows on PBS. There was a comforting familiarity in this that's being lost. It was something I looked forward to throughout the week. That sense of anticipation is being replaced with the instant gratification of web media now.

 

[semipro]

The TOH spin off where each of the experts go out and do a basic fix with a homeowner is good except for the embarrassing transition scenes where they stand around and try to act.

Yeah, "Ask This Old house". I don't find the host interaction segments as embarrassing as the bits where they try to get seemingly inept homeowners involved in the improvements. Although I like the show it seems more like a way for opportunistic homeowners to get stuff done for free.

 

[Highbeam]

I actually spend most my time screen time now watching YouTube and NetFlix.
Its interesting how we've transitioned from setting time aside to watch broadcast programs to the just-in-time approach of Internet sources or Tivo.
Perhaps that's what I lament about the loss of Hometime. If I wasn't traveling I'd typically take a break from whatever I was doing on Saturday to watch a few hours of home improvement shows on PBS. There was a comforting familiarity in this that's being lost. It was something I looked forward to throughout the week. That sense of anticipation is being replaced with the instant gratification of web media now.

True, I find the commercials maddening. Commercial breaks and then in the show they have constant product placement. Is the host of the show doing it the best way or is he doing it the way that his advertisers told him to do it and paid him to do it. My opinion of these people as experts has changed to an opinion of them as sleazy salesmen sellouts. Sometimes it's still fun to watch.

I still watch jeopardy almost every night at 7:30 pacific time. I'm sure I can find old episodes online but it's probably the only regular scheduled show I watch.

On Netflix I watch the documentaries mostly, kills the rest of the family. They don't like the non-fiction. Unless I watch shows like Cooked where the result is that I start making bread.

 

[semipro]

I still watch jeopardy almost every night at 7:30 pacific time

Do you blurt out the answers?
I rarely talk to the TV but Jeopardy really gets me going.

 

[Highbeam]

Do you blurt out the answers?
I rarely talk to the TV but Jeopardy really gets me going.

Oh yes but not in the form of a question. The whole family blurts, they love getting answers right.

 

[Lake Girl]

My one son really enjoys watching "Forged in Fire". He is a history fanatic and particularly enjoys weaponry of the Middle Ages. Yesterday's episodes had claymores and Egyptian khopesh ... a rare thing to see him sitting in front of the TV for hours at a time. He got a bunch of new books at Christmas so he's usually toting one around and shares the oddities he finds. Easter day I learned the early Christians in the British Isles followed different traditions (timing of Easter, language used in documents, etc.) Celtic Christians followed Ionic origins and documents are written in Greek; other Christians followed the Roman origins and wrote in Latin. While I knew about St. Columba and the Ionian penisula as that's where some of my ancestors originate from, I didn't know about the variances in language used. One more thing I learned from my boy

 

[firefighterjake]

True, I find the commercials maddening. Commercial breaks and then in the show they have constant product placement. Is the host of the show doing it the best way or is he doing it the way that his advertisers told him to do it and paid him to do it. My opinion of these people as experts has changed to an opinion of them as sleazy salesmen sellouts. Sometimes it's still fun to watch.

I still watch jeopardy almost every night at 7:30 pacific time. I'm sure I can find old episodes online but it's probably the only regular scheduled show I watch.

On Netflix I watch the documentaries mostly, kills the rest of the family. They don't like the non-fiction. Unless I watch shows like Cooked where the result is that I start making bread.

I like bread . . . just putting it out there.

 

[firefighterjake]

I cut the cord . . . well actually it was satellite so it was more like removed the dish . . . did the Roku/Netflix/PlayOn.

Switched the internet provider and for $5 more a month we now get faster internet (and more reliable) and cable TV.

My wife and I watch TV much differently. I prefer to watch Netflix and plow through an episode or two of what have you . . . while she will turn on the TV and half watch it . . . watch a few minutes and then vacuum for example, watch a little more and start dinner and then watch a little more, etc.

 

[kennyp2339]

LOL - I'm thinking of that little jingle at the beginning of the original Mike Holmes show, my cat was still a kitten and every time she would hear that jingle she would come busting into the tv room like a nut. It was just to funny

 

[Bobbin]

No cable TV, no Dish. Over the air is pretty weird now. We get a lot of "rerun" channels, very cool old movies, and PBS with its line up of topic specific channels on the digital tier (World and Create). I don't generally watch TOH very often (too many high end "projects" in wealthy communities that never give a budget and are so beyond the average homeowner who's usually on a fixed budget), it's not based in reality, IMO, but it's nice eye candy. ATOH runs hot or cold with me, but I do like the new electrician, he's pretty good at explaining something that I've never understood and has scared me off for too long.

 

[mass_burner]

Cable local only, $10/month. Internet and Kodi free media server. Can pretty much watch any stream out there without ever going to the internet. Plus it consolidates acess to your personal pictures, movies, music from the same screen.

 

[CaptSpiff]

Cable local only, $10/month. Internet and Kodi free media server. Can pretty much watch any stream out there without ever going to the internet. Plus it consolidates acess to your personal pictures, movies, music from the same screen.

WHAT??? I pay $10 just for my Remote & Box monthly rental fee! Please start a new thread on how you get Cable & Internet for that low rate.

 

[mass_burner]

WHAT??? I pay $10 just for my Remote & Box monthly rental fee! Please start a new thread on how you get Cable & Internet for that low rate.

I watch Hometime also, funny how they swapped out the woman for a younger model, but the guy is older and grey haired now.

I watch on a local pbs channel, which I get for $10/month under local channel only option. They don't advertise it, and they make it hard to find online, but they have it. I'd call up and ask explicitly if they have a local only option. I'd get ota, but we have horrible reception.

 

[peakbagger]

I have the cheap time warner cable which doesn't require the cable box (yet) in my area. Its interesting how the reps are trained to confuse customers. I call and ask for basic cable, the rep replied "oh you want standard cable" I reply no I want basic cable, the rep replies "standard cable costs X", I reply no I want the federally mandated cable service for local over the air stations", cable rep on at least one occasion has referred me to his/her supervisor, I repeat the game and finally a price is named. I ask is this the absolute minimum cost for federally mandated cable and are there any extras?, usually a pause then "the pricing includes a remote and a universal set top box". Do I need either one of them? "Yes unless I have TV with cable compatible remote (almost all new digital TVs have cable compatible remotes). Do I need a set top box? Yes so that they can upgrade my service in the future remotely. I don't want that option, how much is the cost for federally mandated basic cable service, "$24.95".

Note some cable systems now require a set top box for any service and you have to rent it. The FCC is very soon going to force the cable companies into allowing third parties to sell these boxes.

Cable companies also usually rent cable modems for internet service. That is not legally required and cheap internet modems are available for what it costs to rent a cable modem for about three months. The cable company has to publish info on compatible modems.

More than half the cost of standard cable is to pay for specific sports channels, like ESPN, if they offered cable ala cart and someone had no use for televised sports, the cost would be far less.

 

[Highbeam]

I have the cheap time warner cable which doesn't require the cable box (yet) in my area. Its interesting how the reps are trained to confuse customers. I call and ask for basic cable, the rep replied "oh you want standard cable" I reply no I want basic cable, the rep replies "standard cable costs X", I reply no I want the federally mandated cable service for local over the air stations", cable rep on at least one occasion has referred me to his/her supervisor, I repeat the game and finally a price is named. I ask is this the absolute minimum cost for federally mandated cable and are there any extras?, usually a pause then "the pricing includes a remote and a universal set top box". Do I need either one of them? "Yes unless I have TV with cable compatible remote (almost all new digital TVs have cable compatible remotes). Do I need a set top box? Yes so that they can upgrade my service in the future remotely. I don't want that option, how much is the cost for federally mandated basic cable service, "$24.95".

Note some cable systems now require a set top box for any service and you have to rent it. The FCC is very soon going to force the cable companies into allowing third parties to sell these boxes.

Cable companies also usually rent cable modems for internet service. That is not legally required and cheap internet modems are available for what it costs to rent a cable modem for about three months. The cable company has to publish info on compatible modems.

More than half the cost of standard cable is to pay for specific sports channels, like ESPN, if they offered cable ala cart and someone had no use for televised sports, the cost would be far less.

Good for you. We switched to OTA television and have been very very happy. Excellent quality broadcast of all the networks that we ever watched. Supplement with Netflix for 8$.

I fought the modem fight with our internet provider, centurylink. We paid the 8$ per month modem rental fee for several years before getting smart and just buying the stupid 100$ modem at the store. It's already paid for itself and is now "earning" us 8$ per month in "negadollars".

Some cable companies, even when you cancel your account, still pipe the basic cable through their lines so you can keep watching for free.