The Year Of Saying No

It’s the good thing the winter TV season is about to start.

I’ll have “24”, Damages, The Closer, Burn Notice, American Idol and other shows to distract me amid the continuing layoffs, downturns and meltdowns at companies large and small. 

If big business keeps failing and flailing, there won’t be too many commercials to skip. 

Everyone, it seems, is in the deep end of a pool that just keeps getting deeper.

This makes the word for 2009 “NO”. 

Fed Ex said NO to Superbowl advertising for the first time in 12 years. 

General Motors said NO too and of course the reason is obvious.

NBC said NO to an ad agency when it wanted to pool eight advertisers to jointly buy at least one :30 spot during the Superbowl.  The cost of a half minute spot this year is 3 million dollars.  Three Million Dollars!!!

The Superbowl is traditionally the time when fans will spend the extra hundred dollars or two or three to buy a big screen TV.  With the uncertainty over the economy, jobs and regular and probably smaller paychecks, most will say NO to that this year.

Oh and did I mention gas prices are going up? 

That was the last straw.  When I heard that, I knew I would practice the art of saying NO to all the stuff I said yes to in 2008. 

I’ll say NO to using the gas in my car to look for a job because I’ll be at home applying online and working the phones. 

I’ll say no to the iPhone I was going to get.  My 20^th century communications device still works. 

No to the sales of overpriced dresses, pants, tops and shoes that I don’t really need since I’m mostly unemployed. 

No to going out to eat.  I’m not a great cook but eating at home is cheaper than those luscious edibles at Applebee’s and other eateries I could afford last year.

Studies have shown that when the economy is bad, people will cut back on most spending except for entertainment.  Movies and TV will remain popular distractions and web video that’s either free or low cost will not suffer as much as big ticket items such as cars, homes and the previously mentioned big screen TV.  Even the government’s DTV converter coupon program is out of money.  This is bad.  Bad. 

Find me in front of my old TV enjoying my favorite shows, or on my computer watching You Tube, HULU or any new web series or webisodes.  I’ll be ignoring the commercials for all the items I want to buy but can’t/won’t and waiting, not too patiently,  for this economic armageddon to be over.  

And if you think you see a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s probably the train coming at you.

TXDCTX