What are they thinking?

I've noticed that as I get older, more things seem to really annoy me or flat-out piss me off. I've even started keeping a list, so some day in the not-too-distant future I'll probably have an entry simply titled "Random Things That Annoy Me." But today I'm debuting what will probably be a recurring feature...What are they thinking?

Today's target: TV networks. I actually think I could run a TV network and do a better job than the average executive does now. I know that I could program shows. And I also would avoid indefensible moves like the ones I will explore today. First, we have FOX. They have a huge hit show in 24, one that is popluar partially because of its riveting stories told in real time. I was a latecomer to 24 only because I never got hooked during the initial season and I didn't want to come in late. Well, that all changed earlier this year as we powered through the first four seasons on DVD (thanks, Netflix). Alas, season five won't be released on DVD until later this year. But then, FOX made the wonderful decision to replay the season during the summer. Yes!

Or...no. It appeared that they were going to replay the entire season, and that's the really nefarious part. They started with episodes one and two, as they should. But only later did I learn that they weren't going to show all 24. They were going to show some, in order, but skip many of them. Are you kidding me?!? Who thinks this is possibly a good idea?!? The only conceivable motivation would be one with completely evil intentions: to get people hooked on the show, then have them go running to iTunes to download the missing episodes. That's what we did. Sure, we got the benefit of watching the show the way that we like, with bunches of episodes at a time. But if we wanted to watch the entire season we didn't really have a choice, did we? Terrible decision by FOX.

Next up I am forced to take aim at a target that I have ranted about before: baseball coverage on DirecTV. I have done everything I can to guarantee that I get to watch the Boston Red Sox on my dish. We have whatever uber-sports top-tier package there is, and it includes NESN. We also shell out a pretty considerable (for TV) amount of cash for the Extra Innings baseball package. Now, I have come to grips with the fact that FOX (here they are again!) has a national deal for their Saturday afternoon games, and because of that, sometimes I simply am not going to get to watch the Sox. I won't argue this ridiculous logic again aside from saying that they are idiots if they think that Red Sox fans are going to tune into FOX to watch, say, the Cardinals and the Cubs instead. Won't happen. I'll sit at a computer monitor watching the dots move. Somehow, someway, they are losing ratings and money with the current system.

But the newest transgression suffered upon my poor satellite dish is unfathomable. They have started to black out the pre-game and post-game shows on NESN. WHY ON EARTH WOULD THEY POSSIBLY DO THIS? I pay to have NESN. I pay to watch baseball games. WHAT IS THE LOGIC BEHIND THIS? I've already written an angry letter to NESN despite the fact that I think they have nothing to do with it. But I will never understand why the TV networks insist on going out of their way to alienate their customers. I just don't see what good can possibly come from any of these moves.

In other words...what are they thinking?