Discuss "Rose Parade at risk"

i have not been to the parade since the late 50's. Like many I have put up with ABC, CBS, NBC then came HGTV in HD widescreen and it was great then last year it was so much self promoting and yacking that I moved to the travel channel and that was great...but I have DirecTV and they do not have the travel channel in HD so had to watch it in SD and will do it again if HGTV is as bad as it was last year. I love the over the top big corporation floats and the kids in the big bands and if its four hours long I'll watch it for four hours.

Wally @ 2:06 PM PST, Dec 31, 2008

We spend thousand of dollars to send our children from Hawaii to participate in the Rose Bowl Parade. They are members of the All State Hawaii Marching Band. We the Hawaiian public are glue to our TVs not to only see our children but to see the whole event. We need to to something to satisfy the entire population who goes to the event paying g reat prices or spending the whole night reserving seats to watch the event. Aloha

RosaMaria Beharano @ 11:50 AM PST, Dec 31, 2008

As a kid, we went to the parade every year. It was GREAT! While I still have friends and family members devoted every year to building floats, I can no longer attend, and TV coverage has gotten worse each year. The Macy's "parade" has become static and boring. A real tragedy if the Tournament destroys the Pasadena festivities for the same dumb reasons. The Rose Parade needs to remain a participant's event, which includes those along the route.

dtroutma @ 10:09 AM PST, Dec 31, 2008

The Rose Parade has become a New Year's Day staple and tradition for many people. Stations should broadcast the entire parade without question and without so much advertising. Everything is becoming so commercial and just an excuse for advertising. The parade should be the one thing that should be true to itself.

Dinah @ 9:07 AM PST, Dec 31, 2008

Instead of the Parade organizers kow towing to the suits at NBC who are trying to turn this unique event into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade # 2, maybe they should find the stomach to just say no! If the organizers are really in dire financial straights, they should sell naming rights to the highest bidder.

Albert G Cooper @ 7:43 AM PST, Dec 31, 2008

I agree that TV screws up most everything eventually. That said, having been in both the first and second groups at the parade, it was too long, especially on a hot day, even in the leafy seats. As for network TV, who cares, the only telecast worth watching is Channel 5, as always. Now that I live in S. America, we can't see it at all.

Alan @ 5:08 AM PST, Dec 31, 2008

Part 2: Unfortunately, I now live in Jacksonville, Florida where the only coverage I get is network plus HGTV. I miss the local coverage. When I moved here, I missed Hal Fishman. I miss being able to hear the Credibility Gap (Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and David L. Lander) give live commentary on my towns Woodsy The Owl float. Maybe shutting down the parade for a couple of years to regroup might be good, if it would mean slimming down the visual corpulence. But, in the meantime, would someone mind having an original Tommy's burger... from the original Rampart stand... for me?

Phil @ 4:55 AM PST, Dec 31, 2008

Guess it all comes down to the Benjamin's, huh? Personally, I wouldn't mind the loss of network coverage if it met going back to a simpler time and floats were cars or carriages with flowers draped over them. THEN the world would see the Pasadena of old, the California of yesteryear (minus the smell of orange groves) and remember it's about people and not corporations.

Phil @ 4:54 AM PST, Dec 31, 2008