Written by: Tom Rieland
Date: March 14, 2013
Recent Ad in Columbus Dispatch offering “Free TV.” No need for hyperbole, it’s as simple as buying an antenna. Photo: WOSU
A recent paid ad in the Columbus Dispatch made me laugh out loud. The full page ad blares a headline “Public gets Free TV with no monthly bills” as if this was a revolutionary new concept.
WOSU TV PBS has been serving Columbus for free for 56 years. All the commercial TV channels in the community are also “free.” All you need is an antenna and of course that is ultimately what they are trying to sell.
My wife and I are new empty nesters and decided to cut our cable completely, along with our dedicated phone line. We get all the major networks and our beloved WOSU TV through a powered antenna for “free.”
A friend pointed out that many younger folks may not know that TV signals are flying through the air in every community and all they need is an antenna to pick it up. Of course, if that is the ads target audience, the placement in a print newspaper misses the mark. I just hope some older readers don’t get caught up in the “call before midnight tonight” rhetoric of this ad.Â
Want free TV? Go out to Radio Shack or Best Buy to buy an antenna and don’t pay more than $50 whatever you do. Then, tune in to WOSU TV for free and enjoy!