Too many television stations and too little space in The Bee

Once upon a time, back when I joined The Bee, you could count all the TV channels on your 10 fingers and maybe a toe or two.

Between the daily paper and a handy weekly guide, we gave our readers details on virtually every program on every channel.

That didn't necessarily mean you could watch them, though. That depended on where you lived, whether you had a rooftop antenna or "rabbit ears," whether the stations were VHF or UHF, and what was going on with the weather. If you happened to live near a ham radio operator, as I did for a while, you never knew what you were going to hear or see in the middle of your favorite program.

Then, along came cable. And later, satellite TV. What was a handful of channels became dozens, then a hundred, and now, well, depending on what service you have, you can receive 100, 250, 300 or more than 450 channels. (At my house, for example, we get 250 channels, and, still, some evenings, there isn't much worth watching. But that's a topic for another time.)

M ost people today, including me, use their on-screen programming guide to check what's on all those channels, to see whether a program is new or a rerun, to search for a favorite movie or show, or to record a program.

Others go online, including to modbee.com, during the day for an up-to-the-minute look at what's on when that evening or in the days to come.

Some still use printed listings, like those that appear in The Bee. It's something they're used to, it's something they like, and it's something they don't want us to change. They were upset with us when we folded our old stand-alone TV Week guide into the Scene section, and they've been upset with us as we've begun to cut back on the listings in that Friday section.

I've heard from a number of them, including a gentleman who told me the TV listings were the only reason he took the paper and suggested that I cut "less important things" from the paper.

The problem is, it's impossible for us, or any newspaper, for that matter, to keep up with the constantly changing television landscape. Between the sheer number of stations, the different time feeds and the last-minute program changes that go on in the competitive TV environment, it's a losing battle -- and not just for newspapers. Even TV Guide, the king of program guides, that created the need to put side pockets on recliner chairs -- has systematically reduced its listings.

And that's what we're doing at The Bee. In the paper each day, you'll continue to find a grid that gives evening program information for 80-plus channels. But starting this week, we'll be limiting the listings in our Friday Scene section to that evening's programming.

We know that will upset some of the readers who for so long have looked to The Bee for all their television information. We're sorry to disappoint them, because they are loyal, valued readers. But we're making this change in response to changing reader and viewer habits, as well as our need in these difficult economic times to make the most efficient, effective and economical use of our resources, including the space in the daily paper.

Thank you for reading The Bee and modbee.com -- and for understanding our need to continue to change to meet the challenges of the times.

Vasché, The Bee's editor and senior vice president, can be reached at mvasche@modbee.com.