Pageant Mother Misses Irony After Child’s Photo Shows Up On Adult Website

image of Pagent mother upset her child exploited
Pagent mother upset her child exploited

On Tuesday the local news had a story about a mother who found out a photo of her young daughter, that had been posted on a reality television show website, showed up on a adult website. She called law enforcement and was told the posting and the disgusting message with it was not illegal. I probably would have more sympathy for the mother but the reality show she and her daughter was on was “Toddlers & Tiaras.” The story and the mother’s reaction is full of irony.

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CBC Windsor to be removed from Findlay Time-Warner lineup in January

While surfing the Internets tonight I came across a brief notice posted on the local news section of WFIN’s website:

Subscribers to Time Warner cable systems in northwest Ohio will be missing some familiar channels beginning in mid-January.

New regulations affecting the carriage of out-of-market over-the-air TV stations will result in the loss of Channel 10 from Columbus and CBC Channel 9 from Windsor, Ontario in Findlay. Time-Warner will add WLMB, a low-power religious channel from Toledo.

Fostoria customers will lose Channel 3, WKYC from Cleveland, and WPTA from Fort Wayne, Indiana will disappear from the Ottawa system. Three low-power Lima stations may be added in Ottawa and other Time-Warner systems.

Other changes affect cable channels being dropped and others being added, according to a letter from Time Warner’s Pat McCauley. 

Time-Warner changes will mean the loss of some familiar TV stations

I confirmed it on the Time-Warner website with the change to happen on or about January 14th.

This is very sad in a sentimental way.

In 1972, cable TV came to Findlay. Our family signed up and of the 14 or so channels available included Channel 9 out of Windsor and at the time WTVN Channel 6 from Columbus (which is now WSYX). Some years later WBNS Channel 10 replaced Channel 6.

I grew up on the CBC as it showed some interesting programs over the years. It was through the CBC that I learned about and became a fan of Curling as well as Hockey Night in Canada and the CFL. I also enjoyed The National with Peter Mansbridge and The Fifth Estate magazine show. Then there was the The Edison Twins and Degrassi Junior High.

I remember when Time-Warner first aquired the cable system in Findlay they tried to drop the CBC and protests ensued forcing them to continue to carry it. Now under the cover of “new regulations affecting the carriage of out-of-market over-the-air TV stations”, I doubt the change can be stopped. I am also upset because there are 50 billion shopping channels and religious channels on the system yet they plan to drop two good stations for a low power religious channel out of Toledo?

Columbus and Windsor are about 100 miles from Findlay, in these days of broadband digital broadcasting distance doesn’t mean anything. I can, and do, watch The National over the Internet for free. Too bad Time-Warner wants to give up getting subscriber money for quality programing. Do they still carry WKBD out of Detroit or WEWS from Cleveland?

My cable system in Columbus has over 500 channels. Is Time-Warner really unable to find a place for Channel 9 and 10 on the Findlay system?

Just sad.

*Update* It seems that Time-Warner and Viacom are having a spat so come Jan 1 all of Time-Warner could lose all the Viacom owned cable channels like Comedy Central. For more info see this link: http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/happy-new-year-time-warner-cable-to-yank-mtv-nickeodeon-comedy-central-off-the-air/

*Update 2* Time-Warner and Viacom reached an agreement early Thursday 1/1 so no one should lose any channels.

Big Ten Conference profiting from tax payers

Jim Delany, commissioner of the Big Ten Conference and the member schools decided to create a cable TV network to showcase the conference’s cash cows – football and basketball games.

Exclusive television deals aren’t unusual. Notre Dame has had an exclusive deal with NBC for many years to broadcast its football games each fall. What is different is that the Big Ten Network (BTN) will be on cable and no local broadcast stations will be able to show games slated for the BTN.

The network is slated to start on August 30th but as of now BTN only has coverage on 20% of the cable audience available in the conference’s region. One of major cable providers in Ohio – Time Warner – has refused to carry the channel.

The problem is that not only does BTN want to charge $1.10 per subscriber but also is insisting that cable providers put the channel on Basic cable. The cable providers say that BTN is a niche channel – that only a limited number of people would be interested and so it should be on a sports tier where fans would pay extra.

Delany and BTN President Mark Silverman countered:

…it’s ridiculous to banish BTN to a sports tier when channels such as Versus, the Golf Channel and Sports Time Ohio—not to mention Food Network, Animal Planet and HGTV—have homes on expanded basic.

“There’s already niche networks all over expanded basic,” Delany said. “I get 70 channels at home, and I watch about 12 of them.”

Playing Defense: Jim Delany knows if you can’t watch the Buckeyes, he’ll get the blame

I don’t have a problem with the conference having a TV deal because such deals pass on funding to all member schools. I do think that such schools, a majority state supported, should not be allowed to put their games on cable TV. Such games should be available, for free, on TV.

I help pay for the programs through my tax dollars and I am being asked to pay for cable to see the games.

History of MTV

At 12:01 am on August 1st 1981 Music Television – MTV for short – signed on the air. The cable channel changed the cultural landscape in many ways – not all of them positive. MTV made style more important than talent. It opened up the Reality TV genera. It lowered the collective attention span of a generation. Back in 1981 it was new and fresh and something we had to have. It also started the trend of music video channels not showing videos.

Ironically the 25th anniversary of MTV is being celebrated on the sister channel VH1 Classic, which includes the demographic that was around when MTV started. Officials at MTV didn’t think kids today would care about the start of the channel since it pre-dated their own birth.

VH1 Classic will broadcast the entire first day of MTV starting at 12:01 am August 1st until August 2nd.

Recently VH1 Classic has been showing the videos from the 1st hour of the 1st day of MTV as a taste of the special broadcast. The only one well known today as a trivia answer is “Video Killed the Radio Star” from the band The Buggles. It was the very first video played. There is also 2 videos from groups who I never heard of before seeing their clips. Here is a list of the videos played in the first hour:

1. Video Killed the Radio Star – The Buggles
2. You Better Run – Pat Benatar
3. She Won’t Dance With Me – Rod Stewart
4. You better you bet – The Who
5. Little Suzi’s on the Up – Ph.D
6. We don’t talk anymore – Cliff Richard
7. Brass in Pocket – The Pretenders
8. Time Heals – Todd Rundgren
9. Take it on the run – REO Speedwagon
10. Rockin’ the Paradise – Styx
11. When Things Go Wrong – Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
12. History Never Repeats – Split Enz
13. Hold on Loosley – .38 Special

Another trivia note – MTV evolved from the program “Sight and Sound” on the experimental interactive cable channel Qube that was based here in Columbus, Ohio back in the late 70’s.