Thinking about throwing out my TV

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http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117923385?categoryid=1236&cs=1&s=h&p=0

I'm amazed at the amount of cr@p on TV. Outside of a few sports and newscasts, and the 1980's music channels there's NOTHING to watch on TV.

As sung to "Can't Touch this" by MC Hammer:
(thanks to Weird Al)
HBO & Playboy
Showtime & MTV
I might like them more after my lobotomy
Now why would I ever pay for this junk?
Hooked up 80 channels and each one stunk...
 
i 100% agree w/ you

i have 800 channels and only watch the history channel, the occasional western,and maybe one or two others. i watch more tv when i'm at work than at home, but my wife wanted direct-tv so we got it.

i'm only 24 but i remember back in the old-en days when mtv played music.
i'm sick of this crap too
 
When I got married my wife didn't want a TV, so I haven't watched TV since 1989. We do have an old set for a few family holiday videos we watch with the kids, but other than that, we never run it. Really don't miss it.
 
Tivo is a godsend. It will surf thru the crap so that all you are left with are your favorite shows, ready to be watched at your convenience.
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I like a litte TV now and again. some sports, some news, simpsons, king of the hill, family guy.

When I go on travel, I watch discovery, history channel, etc., etc. Though my apartment home gives "free cable" I dont typically watch it. I try to have better things to do.

All I know is that when I move from my apartment, I will not be buying cable. for me its the fact that I refuse to pay money to watch commercials. I can sift trough the junk and know how to press the power button. But if I want to watch something, Im stuck watching commercials on a channel that Im paying for.

JMH
 
Over 2 years ago, I decided the big old console TV we had was not worth the space it was taking up and hauled it off to the thrift store. We haven't had a TV since. My son in law gave me a TV tuner for the computer about a month ago, which was the original plan. It works, but I need to pick up a monitor extension cable to use it.

Our TV viewing took a nose dive over 15 years ago when our kids ware at home and had homework. The commercials took a turn for the obnoxious. The programs took a big turn towards trash. The last program I really enjoyed was Remington Steel. I lost interest in it in later years when the only mystery was what was going to come up at the last minute to keep him out of bed with Laura.
 
I watch Mythbusters, and the cooking show on Wednesday night.

I have the news on while I surf the net.

I don't have much use for T.V., except for maybe watching a DVD a week, and playing console games.
 
PBS has some good offerings that people dont really see. I watch American Experience and Coloniel House which are good shows.
 
We literally don't watch much "live" TV anymore, most of what we watch was recorded on the DVR (Tivo-like).

More and more often, we have the digital music channel playing thru the stereo for hours on end. No commercials, no chitchat, just wall to wall music. I like the classical, wife likes the oldies. Have it piped thru the house.
 
If the cable and/or satellite guys ever go to an A la Carte pricing system for buying channels, I could get by with two or three channels and cut my bill to about $5 a month. Which is why it won't be happening any time soon.
 
TV is loaded with crap, no doubt about that. I'm amazed at the filth people find entertaining. (How many trailer-trash troglodites, that sleep with their sister, can one find that interesting?) True statement someone made about MTV. I remember when all they did was play the latest videos instead of pushing the agenda of the times. I lost my stomach for that station years ago when they started featuring homosexual teenagers in a "Real World" type show.
But, on the plus side, if one looks hard enough TV has some pretty good shows available. I like NCIS, Everybody Loves Raymond (over now), CSI, Law and Order, History Channel (some, not the revisionist stuff), Discovery, Made in America (funny and interesting), LOST (very good), The Travel Channel, and the list goes on.
 
The wife and I enjoy watching TV, but we also have other things we like to do. Only Tuesday nights are "Must See TV" for us with NCIS and House. Although, after last night's NCIS, I'm pretty ticked off at the show.
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Like most people, I wish I could order my channels a la carte. I'd ditch the ***** channels first, then the spanish speaking networks, then MTV (VH1 is nice for the "I love the 80's series) and some of the hokey ones like Game Show Network. I have several channels I do watch though.

Food Network - Alton Brown, Emeril, Rachael Ray, Ming Tsai (when he was on), Jamie Oliver (where is he now?)

Sci-Fi - Andromeda, Stargate (even turned my wife into a minor Sci-Fi junkie)

ESPN/Fox Sports - I watch baseball, football, the sport once known as hockey and college hoops, so these channels stay

History Channel - Good to watch and learn. History is written by the winners. I've ben a history buff for a while. It annoys the wife though.
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Network TV - NCIS, CSI when I catch it, House, The Simpsons (one of the greatest shows ever, period)

CNBC - It's also good to have some financial knowledge. A lot of it is over the head stuff, but still quite interesting.

TLC/HGTV/DIY - They all offer interesting shows to show folks that working in/on the house isn't hard at all. Rides, In a Fix, This Old House/New Yankee Workshop are some of my favorites.

Comedy Central – Chapelle Show is great. John Stewart and the Daily Show is great too.

A few years ago, my TV went out and it was down for repairs for a few months (under warranty and I wasn’t buying a new one). I found myself enjoying the quiet tie or switching to the radio or computer. Now, I’m just more selective in what I really want to watch and what else I could be doing.

Moderation is the key folks. TV isn’t an all or nothing thing I my book.
 
Scot P,
Didn't like the NCIS ending? What, a beautiful, likable, female cast member is shot in the forehead? What's not to like? Lol. Seriously, I heard that she wanted off the show because of the hectic schedule. It's a dramatic way to get rid of a character, but it sure wakes you up. It was just getting interesting how her and the other guy were just getting closer. Oh well, next season we'll see who shows up as a new looker.
 
I'm down to the History Channel, A&E, Discovery, hmmm...one show on the Sci-fi channel ..and the rest is sitting on the board ..otherwise ..I'm bored with screen oriented entertainment. I'll grab a mixed bag of news/commentary in my scanning (O'Reilly and such). I do settle for Law & Order reruns ..even for the 2nd or 3rd showing if I don't have something else to do (options are limited at those hours). I don't even get the thrill out of sports I used to. I have no desire to get a bigger/better model. Maybe when I actually get to explore my DVD collection the way I did my CD collection when I went through a major growth phase in that distraction.

Oh ..and one television has a "stand by" mode of being glued to the Weather Channel ..which has a "local" continuous feed.
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You guys watch a LOT of TV IMHO - but I'll bet you are WELL below the average USA person in hours viewed per week!

I'm not saying that people who don't watch TV are BETTER than those who do watch - BUT IMHO - TV is really, really bad for your brain, especially young brains.
 
I'm not so worried about my brain...damage is already done! But my stepson is a concern. All the immoral refuse on TV makes it tough to monitor him. He is closely watched but without removing the TV from the home, I'm afraid that he still gets his daily dose of brain poison. No cable in his room though and he can only watch the cable TV downstairs when he's closely watched. But if TV is bad for young brains, and I agree that some of it is, why is the internet excluded from this discussion? The web has TONS more damaging garbage that pollute young minds than the television could even begin to do. Even adults have had many issues of addiction with the web.
Just my honest and RIGHT opinion.
 
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