for $8.95 you can block Fox News from your TV

[donsu]

http://www.elitestv.com/pub/2004/Dec/EEN41b7716d3dc04.html


New Company Pulls the Plug on Fox News

The war between progressives and conservatives for control of Cable TV News is about to go to the next level. An upstart company has developed a filtering device that people can use to block the reception of the Fox News Channel in their homes. The company, Foxblocker, http://www.foxblocker.com advertises that along with its eponymous product, which retails for $8.95, it will send a notice of purchase and use to Fox News' top ten advertisers for each unit sold.

Foxblocker's website explains that they obtained the inspiration for the product while watching the Robert Greenwald production of Outfoxed, a documentary that purports to show the rampant right-wing bias of the network.

Will the product have an impact? The answer is impossible to tell at this time. Fox Entertainment Group reported both an operating income growth of 58% and a viewership growth of 29% for the Fox News Channel in the third quarter, both strong growth numbers by any standard.

Calls to Fox News for comment were not returned.
---------------------------

[SoCalDem]

1. My Dish remote lets me block Fox for FREE..n/t

as do MOST modern-day remote controls :)

[Jack_Dawson]

2. Stupid

Or...you can just change the channel for free.

:eyes:

[Bleacher Creature]

3. I'm not at all tech saavy -- so I'll throw the question out there.

Is this real? I can see how it blocks the signal --- but how could it send a signal to advertisers??

[Sporadicus]

4. I've Got No Need for Such a Device

I haven't watched one second of Faux News since time immemorial.

[Joe_VB]

5. I just blocked that channel on my cable box...It was easy and free.

[SharonAnn]

6. Thanks. I just bought one for a friend of mine. Her guests turn it on

and she's always having to tell them to change channels or turn off the set.

They think it's funny to annoy her (they're her in-laws).

This will make a great Christmas gift for her and she can at least block the set in the main part of the house. Or, maybe she'll want to block it where the cable enters the house.

She'll love it.

[proud patriot]

7. Too Cool

:evilgrin:

[DrWeird]

8. You know, you could always just use the TV's built in menu.

It's really not that hard.

[Bleacher Creature]

9. I've got to agree with all of the other posters

It seems like a waste of money. I just turned on the "parental control" lock for Fox News and didn't have to pay $8.95.

However, if there were some way to let FNC know that people are turning them off -- that's a different story since I think that you still have to be a Nielsen family to count towards ratings -- even for cable.

[idiosyncratic]

10. If for $8.95, the message actually gets back to FOX it would be

worth it. I would buy one each for a couple of friends of mine and have it secretely installed.


(I don't have cable or satellite TV, so I can't send FOX the message.)

[msgadget]

11. Somebody always finds a way to make a buck.

I'm not PAYING to block a channel I don't turn to. I'd pay for a reliable device that records shows sans commercials, however.

[Democracy Died 2004]

12. Do you people read?

"it will send a notice of purchase and use to Fox News' top ten advertisers for each unit sold." I don't believe this was about how smart you are to program your remote etc.. but the part about sending the notice of purchase is great. So program your remote BFD how does Faux know you did it?

[donsu]

14. thank you - I noticed that readers were not 'getting it' about the advs.

and sighed to myself. thanks for pointing out the point of this post.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cattleman22]

16. I doubt this would affect advertisers

The Nielson numbers would still tell those advertisers how many people watched Fox during a given hour and what the demographics of those people were.

[troubleinwinter]

13. Well, it IS funny!