Super Bowl hype tires even the best of fans

I received an email from an alert reader who appears to be a great fan of The Steelers, but says the coverage, “is over the top.” He goes on, “Although it may alienate fans of certain regular shows, the stations hope to get a higher rating with the Steelers coverage given the percentage of those who claim Allegiance to the Steelers Nation.” He goes on to say that when the Steelers make playoff runs, he cuts out the hype and waits for the game. Anything you need to know about a game that has any significance (other than injury reports) is made known within two or three days of knowing what teams will be playing. FWIW, we tend to agree with this alert reader. Enough is enough already! Then again, you have to think of the sales department. Especially with the current economic situation, stations may not care who they are disenchanting by creating new, temporary programming if they are making money with more ad dollars given the potential for excellent ratings. Ratings = better ad rates. (Oh and speaking of the economy, we hear that when the Steelers win big, you can almost expect good things on Wall Street.) 

Now, what to watch if you’re not watching the Super Bowl. “What? Someone in Pittsburgh isn’t going to be watching tomorrow’s Super Bowl?” I hear you cry. Believe me, it’s possible and someone has to make sure the other stations don’t slip into oblivion for three hours.