Why do I listen to this?

[word_geek]

laddical had a rant a while ago about a radio commercial that irritated him so much that he couldn't listen to it. At the time, I thought to myself that I barely pay attention to the news that I listen to on the radio, much less the commercials, so I didn't think one could annoy me that badly. In the last month, though, I've heard three different commercials that irk me enough to make me change the channel, all on the all-news station, which used to have higher standards for their ads.

• First, there was the mortgage guy. He tells you about how closing costs are a racket (probably true), but then he mentions "You hit a home run with your ARM, but now it's time to convert!" Well...no. Most ARMs were a scam then, and people are paying for it now, so let's not praise them for bad decisions. Of course, if they're going to go to some hole-in-the-wall mortgage lender because some guy yelled at them in a radio commercial, there's probably no hope.
  
• Then, of course, Valentine's Day rolled around, so we were treated to several different variations of "Guys, when your wife/girlfriend says she really doesn't want anything for Valentine's Day, that means you'd darned well better get her a diamond bracelet! And you're guys, which means you're stupid, so come on in and we'll show you exactly what to buy." Those drive me up a wall, mostly because I hate the "all guys are dumb" marketing tactic, but also because of the lingering fear that there actually are women who say "I don't want anything" when they mean "I'd like expensive jewelry, please," possibly because they've learned it from commercials like those. Fortunately, I'm not married to one of those women, so I don't need to worry about it. Still, irritating.
  
• This morning I heard a fantastic one. It was one of those guys who wants to sell you his book or CDs or DVDs or whatever about how to beat the stock market. I can't imagine who believes in that stuff, but the pitchman obviously knew he wasn't the only one out there, because he advised, "Don't fall for those get-rich-quick schemes! Get my proven stock system instead!" Indeed. I'll be sure to avoid those instant-money scams by...buying your instant-money scam. You've gotta love an ad that advises you not to buy the product.

Who's letting all these ads on KYW? Granted, it's the top station in this market, so the potential audience is, well, everybody, but I remember when the ads used to be for smart people...suits, museum exhibits, preschools. Did the bottom drop out of their demographic?

(Hey, don't forget to visit Opusburg! Coming soon, with your help: a paved road!)