With the abundance of advertisements on our cable channels, it has become a big test of patience for the viewers as to how long can they wait for the resumption of actual program. The monopoly of a particular cable operator in the city has led to free abuse as it has placed permanent blimps and running strips of local advertisements on all Indian channels which is a great distraction to the eye. This nasty trend is a follow up of the leading newspapers current policy of virtually giving away more than half, sometimes two-thirds, of their first page to advertisement of all sorts. The important news of the main page, thus, have to be spread in the inside pages to make way for advertisements. One wonders how the manufactures have built up so much financial capacity to advertise so heavily in this recession. They have probably done so by increasing the margins on their products sufficiently by enhancing the prices for their customers. About time some kind of a code of ethics is applied to the media in the interest of the helpless viewers and readers to save them from this onslaught of advertising gusher in the media. Who shall come to our rescue-SAEED AKHTAR, Lahore, via email, July 23.