Saying Goodbye Is Always Hard

Dear TV Squad:

I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it: it's over between us. We've grown apart, and I have to move on, for my own sake.

I remember when we first met, and I was immediately smitten. Almost overnight, you became my favorite site for TV news, show recaps, and thoughtful critical pieces. I dreamed of a long, happy future with us together.

Then, four or five months ago, everything changed. You started hanging around with your "business partner" AOL TV. You said it was a "merger," but it was clear that AOL TV was taking over your life, and it changed you. Within a month or so, you were filled with celebrity gossip and video clips from the previous night's talk shows--the stuff that used to be tucked away over on AOL TV, where I didn't have to see it. The features I had enjoyed so much were still there on your site, but it got harder and harder to find them amongst the other dreck.

And then, as if that wasn't bad enough, you started getting sloppy. I found mistakes in your articles. First it was just here and there, but then I started seeing more and more of them. What happened to your dignity, your self-respect? If you want to be taken seriously as a source for TV information and criticism, you have to follow the same journalistic standards as newspapers and magazines regarding grammar, spelling, punctuation, and proper usage. But I guess that AOL TV junk had gotten into your bloodstream and poisoned your ability to write properly.

I wanted to help you, but I'm only one person and there are limits to what I can do. I posted comments, hoping it might shake you up and get you back on the right track, but it didn't do any good. I heard you were bringing in Maureen Ryan as a contributor, and I know she's one of the most respected TV journalists in the country, but it's too late--I just can't let myself be involved anymore. I've removed the link to you from my blog, to show that I'm serious about this, and I'm deleting you from my bookmarks too. I hope you can understand why I have to do this.

I admit, it's going to be difficult to replace you. But there are others out there who are capable of expressing themselves in a healthy, mature, adult way, and that's where I need to focus my energy and attention. Part of me will always care about you, and who knows--maybe some day you'll find your way back to the way things used to be. But I know how these things go, and I can't wait around, hoping against hope, for something that may never happen.

Goodbye, TV Squad. I'll miss you--not as you are now, but as you used to be.