TV Blog

Cassie Trevino

November 1, 2008 

3. Well, I wouldn't say that this was my typical routine of watching television. Normally, I really don't watch much tv, nor do I have a list of programs that I MUST watch throughout the week, so for me, my tv watching can be kind of random and my time spent on tv varies constantly. Considering that I logged this on a Saturday in the fall, which for me translates to College Football, I feel that I limited the amount of regular programs I would usually watch on a Saturday. On this Saturday, my tv viewing was more spread out throughout the day and relatively small. It could be that I was anticipating the big Texas Tech/UT game, so I kept myself busy doing other things. I did watch a few shows that I am familiar with like The Island, South of Nowhere and Degrassi, but they were all re-runs, so they didn't really grab my attention and I found myself either changing the channel, turning off the tv, or just on my laptop while sort of listening to the show. I didn't watch any new shows that I haven't seen before, nor did I have any particular show that I wanted to see, but missed out on. I have also never recorded a tv show because I don't have a DVR or Tivo.  

4. On this particular Saturday, I did not watch any tv shows online, DVD or at a different location, but I have in the past. At work, in our break room we have a television with cable that is always on and anyone can change the channel if they want to and I have also gone over to  a friend's house plenty of times to watch a big sporting event and just hang out. When the big Tech/UT game came on, I did have a few friends over at my house to watch. I have also seen tv online too. If I miss an interview that I wanted to catch on Conan O'Brien, I watch it on NBC.com, which is really convenient. 

5.  I can't say that I'm a huge fan of keeping track of what you're watching, but I would do it for a few extra dollars. I'm not normally a channel surfer and when I logged what I watched on Saturday, it was no different, so I didn't have a problem with the 15 minute increments. I don't like commercials, but I use that break time between the program to do other things real quick. Like I mentioned earlier, my viewing habits are random and it really depends on if I have down time to spare to television. I think that I watch a less amount of tv during the week and a bit more on the weekend since there is more time to spare and just relax in front of the tube. As for the Nielsen Journal being reliable, I actually think that it is kind of inaccurate due to the fact that they miss out on a whole other spectrum like the people who watch tv online, people who catch shows at another person's home, etc. Nowadays, there are other ways to watch tv and the Nielsen Journal is not capturing those viewers' habits. Also, some people may be a bit too lazy to actually write down everything they have watched, so there can be an inaccurate measure in that area. I do think that it is an interesting way to find out your own tv habits, but it may not be the most accurate because of those possible mistakes.