It's the Content, Stupid.

Norman Lear (writer/creator of most of the prime time situation comedies of the seventies and eighties, like All in the Family, Maude, Golden Girls among MANY) said something interesting on Morning Joe this morning.

When asked what he watches on TV these days he mentioned the shows South Park and Curb Your Enthusiasm, to which Joe Scarboro noted "those aren't network shows".

"I don't know. I don't have time to watch TV. My Tivo goes out and finds the content." (not an exact quote, but close enough).

I imagine that the network brand managers at NBC, ABC and CBS are now on suicide watch.

And it got me thinking. I know the names of the three major networks (four if you include FOX) and have watched them for years, but for the life of me I could not describe their "brand".

To add to the woes of the network brand managers, in my house the networks are known as channels 4, 5, 6 and 12.

Yet in some sort of attempt to "network brand" each show, they superimpose that translucent logo in the lower right hand corner of the screen. In an age of 200 channels, DVRs and Tivo, what exactly is this supposed to accomplish?

Are there really people out there who channel surf, looking for the CBS "eye" or the NBC "peacock"?

I don't think so.

And add to the mix, all the specialty channels for DIY shows, Outdoor, Explorer, Discovery, National Geographic, Sports, Business, Shopping, News and the traditional broadcast network brands mean even less.

Sorry folks. Take the network logo off my screen and focus on improving the content and I'll watch. For me, it doesn't work the other way around.