I have a confession to make.Some of you may recall way back on June 11, that I posted the admission that I still had a couple of episodes of The Hour on tape, and I was soliciting advice as to when would be the optimum time to watch them – sit down with them immediately while the news was still the news, or save them for later in the summer and view them as a little slice of history instead?
At the time, this question actually morphed into quite a fascinating discussion in the comments about the nature of news casting and subsequently into the intriguing science behind tracking the viewing history of video clips on the Hour website.
But now the original question is once again haunting me because, you see, I still have the final episode of season two, unviewed, on tape. I will definitely watch it, but am trying to decide when and how to do so.
Should I watch it right away, to finally satisfy my curiosity about the final episode, or should I save it as a post-Thanksgiving dinner appetizer, if you will, to the start of the new season? Should I try to recall the state of the world in June 2006 before I watch it, or should I just dive in and enjoy it as a blast from the past? Is there a point to be made for ever delaying the viewing of a news program for this long (inadvertent though it may have been), or is the collective attention span and nostalgia cycle shortened to such an extent that this exercise would be pointless?
Or have I missed the boat entirely?
Barbara B
28 comments:
My vote is that you watch it just before the Season Premiere, then post your thoughts comparing the two.
That is excellent suggestion, Jeremy! With season two still fresh in my mind, that would present an excellent opportunity to assess the differences between last season's format and the brand spanking new one. I am quite pumped for that exercise!
Oh Jeremy, we miss you bud! write us and let us know how your doing please.
Barbara B. you sure The hour is still on that tape?? I just recalled I did not see that show because I was there in the studio... everyone I know managed to not tape for some reason...
Looking forward to your review.
Lets watch it post Thanksgiving dinner, Barb. That would be fun! :)
And Jeremy has given an excellent suggestion...comparing the past and the new season.
I would have died waiting so long, I'm in awe of you :) I love Jeremy's suggestion!
Yup, it's still on tape, Barbara W. I didn't do any taping (in addition to doing no viewing) this summer.
I'll let you know if I spot you on the tape.
That may not be the best idea Jas. The only vcr is down in the groady old basement with the couch with the broken springs (and I'm not cleaning down there)!
Please don't be in awe of me, Mel. It was more a matter of procrastination than willpower!
I know for a fact Barbara B. I am not on the tape. The audience I was in was 7 people and we were sitting in front of the green screen. If the cameras had panned over to us it would have looked odd on TV. They do show another 'audience of people' involved with the show, they were to our left and they only gathered there at the last 5 minutes..
Ah the magic of TV. Half the show was live and half taped and George kept coming over and talking to us when he was not doing the live segements. I know I say this a lot but he is soo sweet. That was a fun night.
I love Jeremy's suggestion... comparing the new format with the old one sounds pretty cool to me!
Or you could watch the June episode right after the one on October 9th...
But, you have to watch that tape!!!
You go to be in front of the green screen, Barbara W? Well I would say you've arrived!
I recall from the taping in Calgary that George also kept coming over to chat during the taped segments; he really does squeeze the most out of an evening.
Good point, Evelyne, if pressed for time I will watch the taped show later, but not to worry, I will watch it.
my homemade best of the hour tape is the only thing that got me through this summer...
i really wish they'd post the season three promos somewhere... they're so great
What everyone else said ;P
Isn't it funny, we tape things because we can't imagine missing them, and then we forget about them, and ultimately they become less current. I love watching my old vhs tapes for the commercials.
i think i have the last show on DVD so if someone needs a copy, i could probably figure out how to do it.
i have still have a week's worth of shows to watch from when i was in LA in january.
i think jeremy's idea is most excellent.
Hi Jill, welcome! You have homemade best of tape? How cool is that? I've been hearing about the season three ads, but haven't seen any of them myself.
As a film studies student, Allison, how do you view less current newsy episodes? Are they past their prime, or has their vintage added another quality to them?
And old commercials, yes, espcecially the obviously dated ones, are great fun.
668, you have taken over the crown of Most Tardy Viewer! I'd be interested to hear what you think of that week's episodes when you do watch them.
hey! it's not my fault! my vcr died! ok, my vcr died long after the fact, but that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it...:)
you're thinking about it too much. just watch it.
Tammy
I think it depends on the particular type of show. Watching satire, like Stewart or Colbert often provides more laughter because often times they are predicting the future before it happens, the rest of the world is just slow to catch on.
More news-worthy shows I think have a sense of futility about them. We're probably in the same position from when it originally aired.
Really old news shows, as in, decades previous, show how constructed we as viewers really are. I'm thinking about Robocop right now, a programmed response. Like a synapse, we, the viewer nod, when the anchor pauses.
I'll admit, I don't even remember the season finale of The Hour. I feel group work coming on...lets all watch and report back.
hahaha 668, always stick to a really great excuse when it comes along; I'm with you on that philosophy.
I've got to disagree with you there, Tammy, you can never think too much in my opinion. I suppose I am rather dwelling on this topic, but I do find it interesting, sorry.
You are absolutely right, Allison! (See, that's why you are in film studies.) What a well-considered analysis of how programs age and how we see them in retrospect.
I suspect that I will be in exactly the right time frame to feel the futility in the world when I watch last June's The Hour. After all, how much has really changed?
A group report is a good idea. That will give us a better skew of how we perceived the show.
I am surprised that you held out this long. I actually faired better than I did last year.I didn't have to dust of the taped Vancouver shows or the one from Whistler, or even the Greatest Canadian. Might be the computer and listening to the Strombo Show! ;)
I would love to get a comparison from your perspective B.B. Always enjoyable!
I am trying to organize a little viewing "party" at my place for the first episode. It just depends on if I can see it a 8pm in BC or if I have to wait until 11pm?
A viewing party sounds like a great way to kick off the season, Serah! But yeah, The Hour airs at wonky times in BC, doesn't it? I'm pretty happy it's remaining at 9pm in Alberta, as that is perfect viewing time for me.
i like the fact that it airs at 8pm in BC. it doesn't really conflict with anything for me. and last season, the 5pm show worked really well for me. i liked being able to see it "live".
I'm looking forward to seeing it live as well, 668, because sometimes watching the rerun I felt like I had missed out already - you know the emails had already been sent and read.
I can't do tv before 9:00pm though!
Remember, you can still catch it at 8pm on Newsworld....
But email will be a problem: to better match the schedules of important guests, the show will shoot earlier in the day.
I'm going to miss being on the West coast, b/c it aired at 5pm (on Newsworld), perfect dinner hour, then at 8 and 11.
So everybody will be seeing a taped show then, Jeremy. That's alright too, it doesn't give advantage to any particular time zone - very Canadian!
And yes, Newsworld is still carrying The Hour as well; thanks for the reminder.
You'll need a new viewing schedule this season, Allison! But just think of how much closer to the action you will be if you happen to make it to the show.
Jeremy does that mean the live audience thing is not a go?
what the story?
Ah perfect...the good old 8pm slot. No conflict with CSI. There will be nights that I watch at 11pm which I have been know to do anyhow. Also know to watch at 8 and then at 11, again.
Sad that there won't be any roadtrips this season. I understand with the new live audience, it must be more of a challenge to organize. Maybe season 4? Fingers crossed.
Unfortunately my viewing party has been reduced to me working, having dinner with the folks (probably leftover turkey) and watching at 11pm alone. At least my daughter will be asleep and there will be no interuptions.
My mum tends to talk at me while I watch the show, throwing things in like..."do you even care what he says?" This is mostly because I am sitting on the edge of my seat and staring, yes, staring at the tv. (All of you understand, I like the show; I am paying close attention; and George IS adorable, blah, blah, blah). And then I turn to my Mum and say, "Hey I'm smart. I watch a lot of programs on Newsworld, thank you very much".
i am lucky. my thanksgiving dinner has been changed to a thanksgiving lunch, allowing me to catch the strombo show (if it is on) and the hour during it's 5pm broadcast out on the west coast.
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