"Come on back, it's going to be a really big shew" 

(Commercial break.............) 

1964: (Tweener to mom): "Please, mom, let me stay up until the next commercial, the Beatles are next you know..." 

(Uninformed Mom): "I don't care if it's Elvis himself; you have school tomorrow...well, OK, if you brush your teeth and get ready for bed during this commercial, I'll think about it..."

Through the years, cheers, jeers: From "The Ed Sullivan Show" (formerly known as "The Toast of the Town" but renamed for its host, who came into prominence, for simply introducing acts without becoming one himself, whose phraseology and occasional mispronunciations became a focus of many toasts and roasts) forward...to the recent Olympic coverage, we have all become accustomed to tricks of the trade which first gain our attention, and then keep us coming back for more. If you're a "Boomer"  you, along with at least some of your family members on Sunday nights at 8 PM, gathered in anticipation of "A really big shew" which was hinted at the previous week in the waning moments, in order to guarantee another strong rating, which it enjoyed for many years. This, in combination with a "a really big debate" between younger teens and their parents as to how long they would be allowed to stay up, in order to see the "really big act", such as to be introduced to as......(hang on here...): "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Beatles!" on 2/9/64, The Beatles first live TV performance in the U.S. of A....which was preceded, if one were able to rewind the DVR (which we, of course, lacked, didn't even imagine yet) by a 'catch' phrase, one that caught our attention, became the talk of the town until the following Sunday, "...if anyone has a ticket for The Beatles on our show next week, could I please borrow it?" Subtle, classy, tricky! Tricks of the trade, brought to us by smooth talkers, which many times distracted us from thinking about the science behind such gimmicks, lines, innuendos, a science which has many practitioners throughout the years, which we have largely embraced (cheers!) while at other times fell victim to (jeers!). Very scientific, very predictable, usually subtle (not so much anymore), remaining highly effective. I'm about to lay bare the keys to such magic, the magicians secret. But first, a moment or two, a word from my sponsor(s)....................................................

Titillate, stay up late: Whether you fell victim to the early days of "The Tonight Show" which aired live and you suffered from the early version of what's come to be called by the iPhone/Facebook Gen as "FOMO", or you are sleep deprived, show up late for work due to "I binged Netflix" ("Netflix Addiction" will undoubtedly find itself into our psychological diagnostic nomenclature), all of which were already patterns in place well before the pandemic, you are one of a gazillion of passive participants in the subsection of psychology known as "Operant Conditioning", wherein the schedule of reinforcements, rewards tend to keep us going, sustain us, sustain our attention...our viewing. Starts with something to gain our attention (News networks all now feature something like "BREAKING NEWS!", which frequently turns out not to be but still caught our eye/ear) and eventually finish what what used to be termed a 'cliffhanger', and sometimes now includes a 'trailer' of the next show, to prompt, tease, tempt us (writers, publishers do this was well, by frequently including a paragraph or two of the "Upcoming..."). It's what used to keep us talking within and between families about the "Next Great Shew" and reflected more contemporarily "Caution, spoiler alert", given the accumulation of technologies which allowed the more clever techies among us, "The Spoilers!" to fast forward, to gain an advantage on the rest of us who have been waiting patiently, and even over the producers and, of course, the sponsors, who with great vigilance watch the rest of us watch, via ratings.................................................................

Streaming, Screaming, Titration Station: From "The Toast of the Town" forward, in addition to the science which gains and then sustains our attention, the struggle between the forces that act on, propel us, in the vast venues now available, and those between the forces (i.e, "US" versus "THEM") have also essentially remained consistent over time, and will likely characterize the 'cat and mouse', 'predator and prey' of the future in the context of what, when, and HOW MUCH we view, no matter the format. That is, the relationship (if you can call it that) between US, the viewers, consumers, purchasers of the products the "Sponsors" bring us (the commercials of which many of us try to actively avoid except during the Super Bowl, while the .....try to slip them into just under our radar on social media...sometimes referred to as....'subliminal messages'...and the sponsors themselves...VERY psychological, both inter- and intra- personal -- that is, between us as well as within ourselves. While the formats and gadgets have evolved to the current streaming process, where you can watch anything, anytime, anywhere, the evolution will certainly continue, and we will be faced with, flooded by, choices galore -- initially, the first time we watched shows for FREE, we experienced "GLEE" (perhaps you binged this series), but now, as the ever discriminating consumers (we strive to be at least), feeling so clever, getting around those annoying commercials and greedy cable companies, turns out we ourselves are being watched and followed by our viewing behavior and in the end 'conditioned' in more subtle ways...cookies, etc. and, in the end, we end up "Coming back for..." more. Almost makes you want to "SCREAM" (you've seen this series how many times?!) 

Leave them wanting more: Advice from experts, secrets of the trade, which once again comes down to some basic psychological principles, principles which I will explain in full at another time, so................

2021: (Mom to teen): "I'm going to bed; please turn out the lights..." 

(Teen): "No problem, just one more season to watch..." 

Come on back................please.