> The funny thing is that I no longer channel surf
The cynical side of my brain feels that this is exactly what TV stations and show producers wanted. If it's fast and easy to spin the dial and maybe stop on a competitor (and more importantly, watch their ads instead of yours) then you have to put our quality product and not annoy the customer with as many loud and irritating ads, which means that you don't make as much money from the content that bookends your ads.
The cynical side of my brain feels that this is exactly what TV stations and show producers wanted. If it's fast and easy to spin the dial and maybe stop on a competitor (and more importantly, watch their ads instead of yours) then you have to put our quality product and not annoy the customer with as many loud and irritating ads, which means that you don't make as much money from the content that bookends your ads.