Lifetime Channel and Big Pharma

[malaise]

One of my cousins spent a few days with us and she is clearly hooked on Lifetime Channel. We never watch Lifetime so it was an interesting experience for me. What shocked me beyond belief was not the repetitive content of the movies, but the number of advertisements for big pharma on that channel. My guess is that if you are hooked on that channel, you may well need the anti-depressants.

Some serious brainwashing is taking place.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. ...

:popcorn:

[malaise]

3. Yah think?

OK let me grab some :popcorn:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Byeah..... the janitors don't care for this tack.... heh. n/t

[boobooday]

2. What is it like? I've never really watched it.

I suspect your analysis of the ad placement is the truth.

[zanne]

6. Lots of movies about...

-Women being abused by husbands
-Women being abused by husband AND kids
-Women being abused by others

It's the Abuse Channel.

[Echo In Light]

9. Gender propaganda w/fairly simple synopsis repeated: Man = Bad, Woman = Good.

[malaise]

10. That's perfect

:hi:

[zanne]

11. I see it the other way...

Women watch these movies. I don't know what attracts them to seeing women being abused. They seldom show movies where a woman is empowered.

[malaise]

13. I haven't watched the channel enough to make an

assessment, but just from these few days, women appear to lack judgement and are nothing but victims. Some frightening crap..brainwash, brainwash, brainwash.

[Echo In Light]

18. Nor have I, to be honest, but I had a friend back in the 90s who constantly disputed this channel

He was going through a messy divorce, had to spend time in jail over back child support payments because he wouldn't sign custody of his daughter over to his ex who was re-marrying.

Anyhow, even a cursory glance at its programming is enough to convey the overall gist of it.

[Echo In Light]

16. You know how some people feel "safe" when the govt removes civil rights under the guise of security?

I suspect there's a similar psychological gymnastic involved for those who perceive their victim-hood status as "empowering;" people who repeatedly make poor choices based on liking/loving/hating/finding attractive, etc, qualities based on corporate culture directives/indoctrination.

That way, for instance, the woman who repeatedly seeks relationships with men who end up hurting her or disappointing her in any way is personally let off the hook as this type of propaganda reassures her that most men are shadowy, deceptive and abusive, and that her misfortune doesn't have anything whatsoever to do with her own shitty taste in men {attraction to the prevailing properties exalted within the corporate culture mindset}.

[zanne]

22. "The Burning Bed" was a popular movie...

I have to wonder why. Did people watch it because a woman was abused or because she kills her abuser in the end?

[malaise]

26. You summed up my cousin very well

Even as a teenager she loved those Mills and Boons novels (Harlequin is the US equivalent) and is still looking for a tall dark handsome prince.
She married two men because they swept her off her feet and never took the time to study their attitudes to money, work, commitment, friendship or compatibility. Both were previously married, but she knew she could change them...NOT.

[boobooday]

20. Love the graphics

succinct description!

[tavalon]

34. My hubby calls it the misery channel

We went TV free quite a while back, though, so Lifetime is gone along with all of the other channels.

[malaise]

7. Woman marries devil of a man

take this drug, take this drug, take this drug
Wicked Stepmother and daughter wipe out family for their money
head on, leg on, invent new disease for tickling feet
Woman kills several husbands
Ambience, whatever...plus the list of side effects which take more time than advertising the drug.
Nightmare of a husband
get health insurance, get that lipo, diet, diet, diet, bla bla bla
He murdered our mother
what's the drug for having the best sleep of your life.

This $hit would be funny if it was so mind-numbingly dangerous

[boobooday]

21. Aaah, so, life is tragic, women are prey

Try some of this . . . it might help.

[malaise]

27. That's the precise

approach to marketing.

[K Gardner]

30. It's the Lifetime Victims Network.

[KharmaTrain]

5. The Coruption of "Popular Culture"

Yep...it's interesting to watch channels and see whose advertising...and reading between the lines. I've pointed out the large ad buys by the American Petroleum Institute these days on the news channels...or when there was the mine disaster in Utah, lots of commercials for the Coal lobby...and when there were questions about the safety of prescription drugs or medicare reform, there was Montel and his bus...the money flows freely to the corporate media and one can't seperate what's in the commercial breaks from the content of the programming. I know...been there and done that...sales departments always get the last say.

What you're seeing is definite targeting for the demographic the network goes after. Many cable networks are part of a larger conglomerate...IRC, Lifetime is owned by Viacom...the same folks who own CBS and Comedy Central and MTV and a bunch of other channels. They sell one client, like big pharma on a bunch of channels...and try to match the product with the channel. Older demos get the anti-depressants and "grampers" spots, younger demos get the stiffie drugs and the youngest demos get into more cosmetic things.

It's a combination of brainwashing and quick sells. The networks love to sell large amounts of time...they've got lots of it to sell and the big pharma or insurance or any of a number of large corporates see this as a great way to "saturate" a demo...all but burn their product name into your head. What always amazes me for all the years I've been an observer of this game is how successful it is.

:hi:

[malaise]

8. Nice post

Good spot :hi:

We don't see this $hit because we don't watch Lifetime.

[KharmaTrain]

15. Watch A Sports Channel

Last week I had ESPN on (go White Sox...LOL) and every spot break was a Beer spot, Stiffie spots or big car dealers...what's that tell you about the "typical" American 40-year-old male? :rofl:

I worked in that world for too long and know how this game is played too well. My wife loves to watch Lifetime, Soapnet and Disney Channel (another hussle job of their own)...drives me nuts. But then she's not so hot when I throw on Tweety. When we have to compromise, we throw on the Weather Channel. :rofl:

[malaise]

17. LOL

I'm lucky - hubby is not a TV fan and I'm a political junkie. He only watches cricket and football or my political channels.

[Echo In Light]

19. We're a happy couple: my wife disavows Lifetime, and neither of us have any interest in sports

We're more so movie buffs than bothering with many tell-a-vision shows per se.

:toast:

[AngryOldDem]

12. Back in the late '80s early '90s....

Lifetime gave up its entire programming schedule every weekend to air "physician continuing education" shows that, naturally, featured infomercials for several drugs. I remember a common theme was NSAIDs for arthritis. Obstensibly the shows discussed the issues around diagnosis, but at the end, some medication was always being shilled.

But it's not only Lifetime that does this. Watch Bravo during the day, and just about every other commercial is for some kind of birth control.

[malaise]

14. How do they get away with this

Damn!

[AngryOldDem]

36. They stopped it a long time ago.

Probably because they needed to make a buck. I always thought it was extremely odd -- the shift in focus...going from "women in jep" and Harlequin romance stuff to talking about NSAIDS and arthritis.

[JVS]

24. Bravo and birth control?

[AngryOldDem]

35. Yes. And I like Bravo, and have no problem with birth control,

but DAYUM...if I have to see that happy woman and her family glowing about her uterine implant and how happy their lives are with or without another child...I think I'll puke.

I watch Bravo a lot, especially during the day, because I like the programming and it's better than just about anything else. But I have taken to channel surfing during the ad spots.

[JVS]

37. Like the line from Palindromes

If I'd had another kid, I wouldn't be able to afford the treats I get you, the *Nsync tickets and the Gap accounts, and we'd be miserable

[JVS]

23. Think about which member of the family usually deals with medical care.

There's a reason they're not advertising snow-tires and lawnmowers you know.

[Echo In Light]

25. LOL...wowzer! ...it's Mr B Natural!

[JVS]

28. I thought it was Rachel Maddow wearing a silly hat an laughing.

[Echo In Light]

29. "Knew your father, I did!"

[JVS]

31. "You were the snake"

[arcadian]

32. Eye on the TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hii17sjSwfA

Eye on the TV
'Cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavour
It happens to be like
Killed by the husband
Drowned by the ocean
Shot by his own son
She used the poison in his tea
And kissed him goodbye
That's my kinda story
It's no fun 'til someone dies

Don't look at me like
I am a monster
Frown out your one face
But with the other
Stare like a junkie
Into the tv
Stare like a zombie
While the mother
Holds her child
Watches him die
Hands to the sky crying
Why, oh why?
'Cause i need to watch things die
From a distance

Vicariously i, live while the whole world dies
You all need it too, don't lie

Why can't we just admit it?
Why can't we just admit it?

We won't give pause until the blood is flowing
Neither the brave nor bold
The writers of stories sold
We won't give pause until the blood is flowing

I need to watch things die
From a good safe distance

Vicariously i, live while the whole world dies
You all feel the same so
Why can't we just admit it?

Blood like rain come down
Drawn on grave and ground

Part vampire
Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
Stare at the transmitter
Sing to the death rattle

La, la, la, la, la, la, la-lie

Incredulous at best your desire to believe in
Angels in the hearts of men
Pull your head on out
Your head believes it give a listen
Shouldn't have to say it all again
The universe is hostile
So impersonal
Devour to survive, so it is
So it's always been

We all feed on tragedy
It's like bood to a vampire

Vicariously i, live while the whole world dies
Much better you than i

[malaise]

33. That sums it up rather well

Thanks.