From: mxg77@po.cwru.edu   
      
   On Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 11:19:26 PM UTC-4, Keith F. Lynch wrote:   
   > > Another pointless and unnecessary delay from a game that was over   
   > > BEFORE 8:00.  The game was over at 7:56.  The episode started at   
   > > 8:04:30.   
   >    
   > Are you sure?  It looked more like 8:08 to me.  Could it be different   
   > in different (EDT time zone) cities?   
      
   It often is. I had Packers/Cowboys.   
      
   > Also, how can it be that after all these decades of football, they   
   > don't know how long games typically are, and allocate enough time   
   > for them?   
      
   Oh, they know. This "The OT" time slot that adds an extra 30 minutes to the   
   three hours that should be plenty is designed for that. They started doing   
   that several years ago. It's not always actually enough, even for regular   
   games that don't run into    
   overtime or have close scores. Why are games longer? Advertising. I assume   
   that's also the main reason a game that's over before 8 doesn't let the   
   episode start at 8. Even if game coverage is done and there's no need to toy   
   with a "Heidi incident", I    
   guess they've run long enough on continuous coverage that they haven't had   
   time to play all the commercials they need to (and/or certain commercials are   
   specifically timed to the post-game parts). And the dollar is king. After all,   
   what gets affected?    
   Local affiliates have less time for news or cut into a program they own or   
   paid programming that cost less. Human needs and basic courtesy are not part   
   of the equation.   
      
   > Or maybe they could move the entire Simpsons season forward a few   
   > months so that it doesn't overlap with football season?  So what if   
   > that means it continues way into the summer?   
      
   Many seasons (12-16 in particular) started in November for what I assume is a   
   related reason (baseball), but this seems like a hard sell.   
      
       
   > Would it help if we all got together and wrote to the network that any   
   > ad we see when The Simpsons starts late, we will boycott and write to   
   > the advertiser saying that we were doing so and why?   
      
   I doubt it. Oh well.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)