''A strange garble is spreading across TV listings, thanks to a simple problem: too many channels, too little newsprint,'' says the Wall Street Journal (subscription model may interfere with viewing). ''While the number of TV networks has zoomed past 300 in the past decade, most newspapers still have room to list only about 65 channels:''
The compression extends to representing story lines:
A description in a recent New York Times grid described an episode of Boston Public, a weekly drama set in a public school, this way: "Older man." The Philadelphia Inquirer described an episode of The X-Files, the science-fiction detective series, as: "small town's crime." A description of an episode of The Simpsons was "scam duo." Another Simpsons episode was "raise." An episode of That 70's Show was simply "party." For Just Shoot Me, the hit NBC comedy: "upset."
