Ronnie Dobbs

I was wondering about this because I really only use the info button on my remote to find out about shows and upcoming shows. I wonder how TV guide will survive in the future.

DeanoBKN

Some people (like my mother) can barely turn on the tv without help. Teaching her to use the on screen guide will be like teaching someone brain surgery. I think the printed guide will be fine for this type of crowd for years to come.

chrisih8u

I like TV Guide. Its the only magazine that deals with just tv. I dont care about the listings, I just like the news, interviews, and show highlights. Good to read on the shitter.

Mr.Briggs

I've got a couple of years until my subscription runs out & then I'll not renew it. I've hated it since they went large format, discontinued local listings & prety much everything except prime time. I can (& do) read my EW for better articles and info on tv & all other things entertainment. I get better info from the tvguide channel or my Sunday newspaper's tv magazine.

Ginwen

I like having paper tv listings, but the tv guide doesn't cut it since they changed to the large format, so I let my subscription run out and just use the one from the paper.

Jadzia

I only read it for the articles.

Rockmjd23

TV guide still exists?

mnementh

If you absolutely have to have the listings on paper, why not just print out a customized tv listing?

aynrandgirl

My TiVo's guide works a lot better so I haven't read TV Guide in years (except for the Fall Preview issue).

mnementh

I only get it for the occasional CD-ROM. Otherwise, I stick to TitanTV and Zap2It.

Ginwen

To tell the truth, I haven't looked at the paper one for months, and I don't look at it online either. The few things I watch I know when they're on (and I usually find out when the premieres are on DVD Talk).

I like having a paper one around on the off chance I feel like looking through it, since for me the online versions (and the one on my tv too) suck for browsing, although they are fine for looking for specific things

mnementh

I see listings for 300+ channels in a 6 hr grid. A paper version doesn't let me click on an individual program to see all of its future airings. Or click on it to have my computer record it.

movieking

I used to listen to the TV Guide Podcast all the time as well, but after Dan Manu left, it turned to crap. It might be better again, but it was a huge mess. The magazine itself had undergone redesigns to try to stay relevant, so it'll probably survive, especially with people like Frank Constanza around.

Chew

I think the podcast has settled down again now that Matt is moderating. It's still not as good as when they had Dan, but it's not "crap" like those first few weeks after he left.

As to the mag: I haven't looked at the listings in years, but I still read it for the articles.

AGuyNamedMike

I left TV Guide behind in 1987 when I moved overseas. When I returned in the mid 90s I found that cable TV provided a very handy guide channel, which has evolved into the interactive system we have today.

"Print is dead." - Egon Spengler

nateman

Most of the stories in TV Guide can be found on the internet & I can either check my listings on the digital cable, TV listings grid or look at my local papers TV plus which has all the listings for the whole week which comes with the paper (Winnipeg Free Press) every Saturday.

I’ve never hated TV Guide (like some people); they used to be interesting before the internet. They do own tvshowsondvd.com, so they have that going for them currently.

Ayre

I used the listings (pre-tivo) and enjoyed Cheers & Jeers, but now its worthless to all but a technophobic niche.

TVGuide.com is coming on strong. I remember when the site barely hung by a thread, now it is emerging as an entertainment powerhouse.

Fanboy

I have been looking for the print TV Guide for the fall preview, as I haven't seen a good one online, but have not seen one anywhere. Have they've given up on a Canadian version?

adamblast

You could tell they were signing their own death warrant when they abandoned the small-magazine format and detailed program listings.

Can't say I'll miss them. It was a good & important magazine once--about 20 years ago. Superfluous now, so no wonder their business tanked.

Anyway, this year's Fall Preview Issue is their final regular print issue. Buhbye. (And good luck as an online and onair only service. Except they suck at that, too...)

Jadzia

Huh? Did I miss an announcement about this?

adamblast

I know I read this announcement--but can't remember on what blog under what circumstances, and it was several weeks back. So my apologies if it's BS; I just assumed it to be true after reading it in passing...

Edit: Turns out to be a rumor that rose and fell in the publishing blogshere about a week ago...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/...uide_66223.asp

bluetoast

Yeah, once they moved to the magazine format instead of the digest, it went to crap, although it still had slowly been changing since the mid 90s. It was a good magazine for a time, but useless now. And so is the channel.

Shannon Nutt

It's an okay magazine, but it seems to be run by 20-somethings now who know nothing about TV history and are pretty lax on their research (I see a typo/incorrect information about an actor or movie in about 1 out of every 4 issues, believe it or not).

It's still a good way of finding out what's coming up in prime time if you don't use the Net or your own cable station's channel guide (which I've always found time consuming to browse through).

They still have good interviews, an occassional scoop, and an easy-as-pie crossword which makes me feel smarter than I am.

Still, I don't see how they survive with this format for more than a few years without another major overhaul...perhaps just nix the listings altogether and amp up the articles.

MrE

TMI ... I canceled my FREE subscription.

JuryDuty

Same here. Once I got TiVo, TV Guide or my newspaper's TV listings became useless.

Personally, I rarely am even aware of what networks I watch anymore. I just watch what I have TiVo record.