On Sun, 21 Dec 2014 13:23:50 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 12/21/2014 5:52 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:

It has always been my suspicion that most of the advice columns or
articles are triggered by the fact that the author is going to get
paid for what he/she writes :-)

I've been in the position of having to write regular missives, whether
articles, email reminders or whatever. Even doing it as a volunteer,
one eventually feels the pressure of trying to think of something new to
say.

I imagine this is a much bigger stressor if one's paycheck and continued
employment depends on it.

And this is, I'm sure, one of the reasons that television programming is
so bad. TV burns through lots of content. The good stuff gets used up
early, then programs descend into the drek. Even Shakespeare would have
exhausted himself in a few seasons.

For a couple of years I wrote a weekly column in the local newspaper
about computer stuff and initially it was pretty easy to do but after
a while when you had covered most of the aspects of what you were
writing about and it began to be more and more difficult.

My impression of television is that it represents what the majority of
the viewers want to see. The networks apparently do stay on top of
what people are watching and take programs off the air when interest
in them drops although the sponsor's wants/needs certainly are taken
into consideration. But if Mr. Average Viewer really want to watch
Gilligan's Island then that is what they get.
--
Cheers,

John B.