TV Vues...uh...I Mean...THE Vues...whew!!
In my area of Brooklyn, there are many free "rags"/magazines stacked up in stores for people to take home. When I was younger, there were only a few. Now there are so many I can barely keep track. And there are always some coming and going.One that we always picked up was called the TV Vues. Which is basically TV listings among local (Jewish) advertisements. Like what's on sale in the supermarket, clothing stores, etc. That thing was about 100 pages every week. At one point, in the late 1990s, I was in the pizza shop and picked one up. "The Vues" it was called. I knew exactly what had happened. People got so hung up on the word TV being an expletive, the publishers were afraid that circulation would eventually stop. Although it still had the TV listings, they hoped their new name would save the day for them.
Recently, while cleaning for Pesach, I came across a beginning issue of The Vues competitor, which was around the year 2000 (guesstimate). They called themselves, "Torah Times." It boasted 30 pages. It had some Divrei Torah and a list of local shiurim.
Fast forward 5 years. "The Vues" struggles along with about 30 pages each week , and "Torah Times" busts at its seams with 250. Two practically identical publications. Same advertisers, same target market. Different name. Different implication. Different IMAGE. So TV Vues has been beaten to a pulp by the people who hate the word TV.
posted by Michelle @ 6:12 PM
10 Comments:
sad that just because the magazine has the word TV in is it has to be shunned. i never understood that mentality.
Yeah, that's what I didn't get. They aren't the same magazine if one has TV listings and one has Shiurim listings...very different.
Okay, you have a point. But I think it's rude for advertisers to pull their ads from it.
At one point, I believe in 2000, there was a magazine called Modern...I think it circulated more in Monsey and whatever. There was one issue. Not that there wasn't demand, but I think the Rabbis said not to advertise and blah blah. Come on. What is with these people and being afraid of "Modern."
I understand ppl don't want the TV listings, I guess. But it still bothers me.
I don't even think it's about the TV listings per se. I don't know about most people, but when I read the Torah Times, there are so many ads in there that I forget that they put times for shiurim in there! And I'm sure 95% of the people who read it do so for the ads, and not the shiur listings.
Perhaps because The Vues is so skinny, the TV listings are so conspicuous, they stick out. And in the age of cable, I just click the "guide" button on my remote to find out what's on. OR look at that day's News or Post. But here too, I don't think anyone gets The Vues for the listings either.
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And Michelle, I can't blame the advertisers on this one. They can't afford to put ads in rags that are worthless. Should they lose money just to show solidarity with TV fans?
It comes down to the masses, many of whom are just ignorant, don't think, and associate yiddishkeit with buzzwords. For many people, "Torah"-"good" and "TV"-evil. And instead of thinking about the concepts at all, the "buzzwords" just kick in when making even a silly decision like getting a rag. "TV listings? Evil, I'll stay away." "Torah! That's life."
Oddly enough, though, both rags feature a dvar torah in each issue.
Yeah, I find that funny too that both have a dvar Torah.
I'm not really sure what to think about the TV Vues having a dvar torah.
Although I lead a "combination" lifestyle, of watching TV, and attending Seminary etc., I am sure to keep my Us Weekly far from my siddurim. Just out of kavod for my siddurim.
Now I know-- all you smart alecks are gonna say, "well, if you have that much kavod for your siddur, why don't you have that much kavod for yourself?" Right?
First off, I think you mean "bursting at the seams."
Second, I agree with Irving that a so-called Orthodox publication should not list TV shows. It just doesn't mix. That doesn't mean that they're telling you not to watch TV. Do whatever you want in the privacy of your home, but don't make it easier for people to sin. Kudos to the advertisers who pulled their ads.
Your argument doesn't make so much sense, at least, not to me. According to my understanding, you're saying that when The Vues was still the TV Vues it was big, and now that it's the Vues it's smaller, but the reason people don't like it is because of the word "tv?" Also, stores have a right to put ads in whichever papers they think will bring the most customers. They don't pay good money for ads just to provide us with entertainment. Also, I don't think the "Modern" magazine didn't go over because of its title. I read that 1st issue & I was very disturbed at some of the things written in it. It was just too close to mocking people & things that I respect & consider holy. And even when they weren't mocking all things holy, there was a lot of mockery that I felt verged too much on lashon hara. I think that aspect of it was why rabbanim didn't like it.
I used to work at Torah Times. Trust me, the owner a shmuck named Ostreicher (who is also a rebbi at Chaim Berlin), was one of the lowest people I've ever met. In fact, every morning, I'd get to see the porn he or his wife were viewing the night before by looking at the internal logs on the office Mac.
I used to work at The Vues. The owner is a righteous man, and a staunch unwavering supporter of israel and jewish causes.
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