摘要 |
A commercial message timer (110,112,114) stores data indicative of a first tuned station in response to a channel change command and begins repeatedly timing a predetermined time period. Upon each expiration of the time period, the user is reminded that the commercial message on the first tuned station may be over. In this way a user can avoid a commercial message on a first channel by setting the timer and scanning through other channels, and yet be reminded to return (e.g. by use of a PC (previous-channel) key (208)) to the first channel at the end of a time period substantially equal to that of a typical commercial message. In another embodiment employing a videocassette recorder (VCR) the commercial timer is activated upon pressing the PAUSE key (207) of the VCR so that the user may avoid recording the commercial message on videotape. |