The King of All Media on TiVo

Today's New York Times magazine has a brief interview with FCC Chair Michael Powell. The topic of TiVo comes up early and often.

You mentioned TiVo. How has TiVo changed your life since you got it?

I think there's something going on in the world that's very profound. We're moving to a world of incredible intimacy in mass media. I'm my own programmer, not NBC. I've got a system looking all around the 300 channels I have. And picking out the stuff I like, putting them together and letting me decide whether ''24'' is on at 9 o'clock or 9:45.

Powell mentions the dark secret that having a TiVo means he watches more (and better) TV, which is something I hear from just about everyone that owns one.

Comments

[regan]

I don't think more is necessarily bad if it's things you want to watch. The times when TV seems to have a negative impact on the things i get done is when i sit there and just flip through channels for hours trying to find something. Tivo gives TV watching purpose, because with Tivo, you don't waste all that time searching.

[Matt Haughey]

Right, but the assumption from many people I talk is that they will watch less TV if they get a TiVo. I guess since trying to watch TV without a TiVo feels like hours of wasted time interspersed with a half hour here and there of something useful, they assume they'll only watch the very best stuff they currently do.

I have to tell people that it usually isn't the case, because you'll find more stuff, but it's not really a negative impact since you'll be getting enjoyment out of it.

[Todd Lokken]

I'm still trying to figure out why everyone wants to say that watching tv is bad. Todd Lokken.