Why do the pro's do that on TV

I just checked out the link in Scott Berger's signature. Nice visual comparison there.

Out of all those shots, the non-diffused bounced flash looks the most pleasing to me.

scottbergerphoto wrote in post #2477314
If you notice, most of the time when it is used outdoors and straight on, it is being used at a very short distance. The flash has a minimum distance it can work at and not overexpose even with ETTL. When you put on the omnibounce and use it straight on, you are getting the ability to work closer without blowing out the subject.

Good point!! And I believe on the most part this is the biggest reason why they use Stofen.

An Omni-bounce costs $15. Not much. Buy one and try it. If you like it, good. If you don't, your not out much money and it still works pretty good indoors. Don't let someone else decide what YOU like.