How many cable channels have you seen screw things up by adding frequent screenings of movies, usually chopped-up, overplayed movies, at that? Yes, it's usually the beginning of the end for a decent channel when it resorts to films to fill out its schedule. In recent years, we saw this happen to VH-1, Vh-1 Classic, TV Land....hey, you know what? All these are part of the same corporate family, so no surprise here.
I'm not what you'd call a regular viewer of Gospel Music Channel; heck, I'm not even what you'd call an ever-watcher. But its location in my FIOS lineup means I often stumble upon its listings while checking out another channel. So I recently noticed that now GMC is showing, yes, MOVIES.
I don't think I need to belabor the obvious by stating this simple equation, but state it I shall:
MORE MOVIES=LESS GOSPEL MUSIC
Pretty simple, eh? There's no doubt that this channel is heading down the path of no return. It would be one thing is the movies featured gospel music, or even gospel-related themes.
A biblical film every now and then seems appropriate as a break from gospel music. But what are the religious themes in "My Giant" or "The Next Karate Kid?"
(Seriously, I'll entertain legitimate answers on this because I've never seen either of those movies.)
Amazingly, GMC is not and never has been part of the Viacom/CBS Networks family, but it seems to have taken some lessons from the master.
Perhaps I'm overreacting. Perhaps the goal for GMC is simply to provide a dash of variety to its schedule with family-friendly films. But we've seen all too often what happens when a cable channel betrays its purpose by adding crappy movies, or movies, period. Soon the obnoxious reality shows follow, commercials are added, and what brought viewers to the channel in the first place disappears.
Maybe you don't watch GMC and think, "Hey, this doesn't affect me." Oh, but just wait until it happens to a channel that YOU watch.
Well, actually, it likely already has.
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