what are your thoughts and feelings on this...



LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Movie theater owners faced with falling attendance are considering asking federal authorities for permission to jam cell phone reception in an attempt to stop annoying conversations during films, the head of the industry's trade group said on Tuesday.

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Industry leaders at the ShoWest conference for theater owners want to find ways to win back crowds.

"I don't know what's going on with consumers that they have to talk on phones in the middle of theaters," John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners, told the ShoWest conference in Las Vegas.

Theaters are trying a number of ways to silence cell phones, from sweeps by ushers to funny fake movie trailers urging viewers to shut off phones.

Fithian said owners were considering other steps if that does not work.

"We will actually petition the Federal Communications (Commission) to remove the block" on jamming cell phones, he said.

That may be difficult, since federal law and FCC rules prohibit the use of cell phone jammers.

The industry is broadly trying to increase interest in the movies.

Motion Picture Association of America Chief Executive Dan Glickman told ShoWest that the industry is researching why and when people go to the movies and might consider an advertising campaign to encourage people to go out to the movies, just as the milk industry has succeeded with its Got Milk? campaign.

We can only hope. I hate cell phones in general bcuz they have made being rude perfectly acceptable in our society, but I understand that there's a select few that actually need 2 b reached in the event of an emergency. Since theatre patrons clearly cannot b trusted 2 use their own judgement, I would LOVE it if theatres started jamming cell's in auditoriums.

I understand their point, but I don't like this at all.

My wife is a psychotherapist, for example. She deals with clients contending with everything from unpredictable suicidal ideations to abusive domestic situations. She is effectively on-call 24 hour a day -- as a matter of life and death sometimes.

She NEEDS to be accessible. And she's responsible enough to turn her phone to vibrate when she's in environments like a theater.

yay!

i think if you're so in-demand that you need to keep your cell phone on during a movie or a play, THEN DON'T GO TO MOVIES OR PLAYS. rent DVDs. get a subscription to netflix. we all have to make sacrifices in life, so just because you're incredibly important and many people need you, it doesn't mean everyone else has to suffer when they're trying to have a good time.

michael had it right when he said JAM ON!

Anx said:

thought he was talking about toast and strawberry preserves?

Anx said:

That is so not fair.

Why not just ask violators to leave without a refund?

Lammastide said:

please. have you ever noticed how attentive movie theater employees are? (hint: not very.)

why can't audience members just step into the lobby at a certain point so they can check their cell phone messages? why do your cell phone needs have to be my problem?

Lammastide said:

I get that, but I think we've been a bit to trained to become 24 hour accessible. 10 years ago, these types of jobs were still being done and people weren't able to be reached any time, any place.

Partially for the professional's self-care and partially for promotion of client independence there should be a back-up plan for a client to be able to meet their needs in a crisis if your wife (just for example) is unavailable.

endorphin74 said:

there should be 24 hour switchboards available to clients in need of around the clock care, so that if your wife can't help them at any given moment, there's SOMEBODY available until your wife is notified. your wife should be able to have two hours here and there to get away from her job. that's why people go to movies and plays and concerts. to get away from the stresses of life and work.

Anx said:

I agree with you guys, and there are alternatives if, for some chance, they can't reach her. But geez, we're talking about mental health issues. You're telling me seeing Jason Voorhees nail Kelly Rowland to a tree is more important than some guy thinking Napoleon is haunting him or some gal not wanting to kill herself? You guys are SERIOUS about film!!

But I understand your points. I don't like noise in theaters either. My wife, at least, keeps the phone on vibrate and does step out into the lobby if she has to take a call.

I say ENFORCE the rules, and make ushers do their jobs.
[Edited 3/16/06 9:04am]

Lammastide said:

I totally hear you. And, I doubt this would ever come to pass. But for years, theaters have "tried" to address this with no success. So, I wouldn't be opposed to cell phone jamming.

And, weirdly, in some ways I do think that any movie is as important as someone who is suicidal. In an abstract way, though. In that if your wife (again, for example) is not allowed regular "escapes" from her obligations she is MUCH more likely to burn-out doing her work. If her chosen "escape" is a scholcka movie like you mentioned, then she deserves that 95 minutes of pure escape, without worry that at any moment she could be 'called to duty.'


disclaimer: this is also my SOCIAL WORK perspective shining through. I help clients help themselves. If a client is soooo dependent on ME as a worker that they can't survive 2 hours in a crisis without me than I really have NOT done my job right. AND, if I ever thought I was THAT important to a client's well being, I would clearly be enmeshed in a way that was not appropriate. And, lastly, if I had knowledge of a situation when my assistance was needed, I would not choose to go to a movie until that was addressed.

endorphin74 said:

A smart way of looking at it, I guess.
[Edited 3/16/06 9:12am]

I hate going to movie theaters any more unless it's an off time when noone is there. We tried to watch H20 when it came out in the theaters, they had to stop the movie like 4 times, and turn the lights on to escort people out of the theater. It's ridiculous, you try to get into a movie and keep getting interupted and can't enjoy it. When I went to see Scream 2, kids were bringing those laser pointers to the theater and shooting them at the screen the whole time. It even happened when I went to see Brokeback (thankfully it was the second time, not the first), but these women behind me kept talking during the whole movie commenting on everything. I had to turn around and give them a "I didnt come here to listen to you" glare.

I don't see why they would need permission to jam phones. Just make it a policy and state it clearly on the wall. People made it through life, and movies, without phone calls before cell phones were around, they can do it now too.

i'm not very comfortable in theater environements. i either go to non-crowded matinees or just rent the movie later

Lammastide said:

i'm serious enough about film to know that if i may have other obligations, i shouldn't pay for a ticket and risk missing the film or ruining it for everyone else. and i've also been to enough movies to know that ushers aren't paid enough to really care what goes on in the audience unless you complain to them, and even then, they ignore your complaints half the time.

if you fully expect to have clients calling you in the middle of a movie, why go to a movie? i mean, really? honestly? is jason voorhees tying kelly rowlands to a tree so important that you can't wait to watch it on DVD where you can pause it when the phone rings? it's cheaper than a movie ticket anyway!

Anx said:

Well, that's just it. If it were an occurrence that happened ALL the time... and vibration modes weren't available... and there weren't lobbies to exit into, I'd be with you completely here. But the calls come in unexpectedly. There ARE silent options. And the theaters can be exited.

Like you, I just don't like the notion of having to punish responsible people because there are a few idiots out there.

Lammastide said: I just don't like the notion of having to punish responsible people because there are a few idiots out there.


i agree... but there are far more then just a few... seems to be the majority really ( in my experience )



oops edit
[Edited 3/16/06 9:55am]

Mach said:

You guys must go to some hardcore theaters, then. When/where I go, there are usually one or two bozos, but not everyone. If that were the case, I definitely would stay home.

Lammastide said:

i have to admit, as responsible as i like to think i am with my cell phone, there are times when i forget to put it on vibrate. if i walked into a theater just assuming my cell would be jammed, i wouldn't mind. if i were really bothered about who may be trying to call, i'd step into the lobby for a minute and check my messages. maybe it's time for a return to movie intermissions?

Anx said:

that would certainly help with my spastic bladder

I certainly understand the reasoning behind this, but you can't do that. It will never pass.

endorphin74 said:

Mine too. And I kinda like the idea on nostalgiac grounds... The "intermission" in 2001: A Space Odyssey is pretty quirky and fun.

But theater owners would sooner die. Intermissions would lengthen showing times and decrease the number of screenings.
[Edited 3/16/06 10:15am]

Lammastide said:

The theater in Tower City gets pretty rowdy on weekends in the evenings. I've even had problems at Cedar Lee with inconsiderate people throughout the movie (even though overall I love that place - any theater that sells wine and beer and toasted almonds is alright in my book )

i think with some theatres, you just get what you pay for and you expect the worst and hope to have a good time. if i'm gonna see X3, i'm gonna expect a lot of pandemoneum and screaming brats. if i'm gonna see 'parrots of telegraph hill', i'd expect people to behave like grown ups. it's a tough call, i guess. if i were king of the world, i'd just say bring on the jam.

It's soooo rude! The theater here asks before the movie starts that all phones be turned off.




A side note- at my cousin's funeral a month ago 5 cell phones rang. I can see one ringing but after that first one everyone should have checked and made sure their ringers were off.

Tom said:

Yeah, that joint is great, isn't it?

Thinking about this a bit, I have to concede I'm not staunchly against it on grounds that being accessible is a life or death issue. I suppose when we fly, for example, my wife is inaccessible... and no one has died. And I rather hate cell phones, personally.

It's just that it bothers me to throw away a certain privilege because some folk don't know how to behave. I've never been asked to be quiet in a theater, and somewhere people need to be made to take personal responsibility instead of everyone else curbing their prerogatives. ( ...I sound like a Republican.)
[Edited 3/16/06 11:22am]

CynthiasSocks said:

damn thats beyond rude

Anx said:

There's a theater in Waterfront in Pittsburgh, that has "deluxe" seating which is a nice way to deal with or avoid the noisy people. It costs a little more (I think like $14 or something like that) but it's sooo worth it. You sit in an upper balcony, with it's own set of speakers very close to you, so it drowns out the people below. The seats are like couches, they recline, plenty of leg room, and little tables beside your seat to put drinks and popcorn. The usher even comes around to see if everything is alright. And there's a fully stocked bar upstairs to hang out at before the show and get cocktails.

Lammastide said: