You are so right! Also, ITV is following suit with its 'The Mint' crap. At the moment, to be honest, I'd rather have no TV

First of all, the cable companies don't have any control over the content of the programming for the stations they carry. Second of all, there are not enough viewers during the overnight hours for the stations to make money selling normal commercials within slots of other programs. So, instead, the channels sell the time in large blocks to people wanting it for infomercials. I am obviously significantly older than you are, because I can remember a time when television stations simply signed off the air late at night rather than lose money broadcasting programing for which they could not sell advertising time. (They used to begin and end their broadcast day by playing the Star Spangled Banner while showing patriotic images.) So, you can complain all that you want, but the choice late at night for most stations is between signing off or selling time for infomercials because most of these stations will not be able to make money with regular programming in those time slots.

True, we pay twice. Look for a "free to air" satelite disc. You'll only pay for the equipment (which is only fair). The commercials pay the shows. If you want quality TV, only pay for commercialfree stations, using a smartcard. If you have an extensive DVD-collection, you don't even need cable or a satelite-disc, for you can watch the daily news free over the internet.

I have tried visting the each network's website to file a complaint under customer feedback. Guess what, they don't have any. Just try visting Discovery, History, Bravo, SciFi, TLC, Family, etc. and you will find they offer no place to recieve customer feedback. If the FCC does anything, they need to quit focusing on content and start focusing on consumer ripoff. They should enact regulations that would severly limit the infommercials that pay to view (which is all the afformentioned stations are) channels are allowed to show. After 2:00 a.m. almost all of the 74 channels I get show infommercials and I am sick of it since I am generally up at that time. Does anyone know of a consumer advocacy group that is working on this issue?

Well without commercials OR infomercials there wouldn't BE cable. But you're right, I've been sick to death of cable television, I don't watch it at all.

Ok....First off to the "Glen Blaylock" and "KinKStar", you guys have cable and "free TV" mixed up. "Free TV" is the channels (usually major networks) that broadcast over the airwaves that anyone can pick-up with an antenna. Cable TV is a premium service where you pay for Networks that are not offered free. As for the argument that they can't afford to play programming during the night. It isn't true. The networks on cable/satellite have multiple streams of income, so let's look at just a few: First; Networks (such as AMC, TLC, Discovery, etc.) recieve payment from the Cable/Satellite providers for inclusion of their network. (Ever heard of the contract disputes). Second; Many Cable only Networks produce original programming which is then sold to other networks for reruns as well as income from DVD and merchandise sales. Third, there is more than enough product placement commercials to support continuous programming. Approxiamely 35% of the population in the USA work shift that allow them to view TV in the after midnight hours. The reason that cable only networks show infomercials is total greed. They can boost their revenues by huge amount by selling 30 minutes slots to people pushing products. They make more than if they show regular programming. How do I know? I have worked in the broadcast industry for over 20 years. Consumers should be mad as **ll about this and organize in protest. You are paying "lots" of money for programming and are being given nothing. So we, as consumers need to organize in protest. I don't like paying $75 per month to get only programming during the day and evening when I am at work and then have nothing to watch at night when awake. And saying consumers can set the DVR is not an excuse. I have one but usually do not have time to set it because I work in broadcasting, which is a demanding profession.