Modern Television

[Figuremod73]

Im tired of my cable. I have at least sixty channels and it seems like there is never anything worth watching on it. If you could wipe all those channels away and just go back to the networks and television was similiar to the way it was (for mid fiftees to early eighties) would you be content with it? Quantity seems to outweight quality in this day in age.

[jimsmegos]

Up until getting the new house and the package phone/internet/ satellite deal that came with it we primarily just watched DVD's and a couple over the air stations for the previous three years. Nowadays we pretty much only watch Nick Jr for Kaitlynn and now the wife is on a Friends kick... if not for the fact that the package deal is cheaper than the ala carte service that I use ( internet ) I wouldn't bat an eye at cutting off the satellite. For me there's much more on than I have time to come close to watching.

[Figuremod73]

my theory is that they pull you in with new channels and within a few years they switch it out for subpar show and then create a new channel. a good example of this is cartoon network. they stopped showing the good hanna-barbara cartoons and then created another channel. now even that channel is starting to get invaded by lower quality toons. so i guess its time to create yet another channel. lol

i like it better when there was just good toons on four to five weekday afternoons, all morning saturdays, and some on sundays.

[Hector]

Sorry...I can't agree with you for the most part.

First of all...I despise Network programming...lol.

Yes...I have fond memories as a kid with limited channels and no remote control...but that's pure nostalgia.

I watch some of the old shows of yesteryear (some were great too though)...and many that I remember as really good...I can barely watch them now...so many were just downright awful. That's why I'd rather remember them fondly...then actually watch them again.

I absolutely love the choices now...so many specialty shows that were never seen before...I can watch big budget shows like Boardwalk Empire. bloody shows like Dexter and True Blood...awesome zombie shows like The Walking Dead...bike building in American Choppers...tons of cooking shows, DIY shows...nature shows round the clock...sports shows on HD...hundreds of unedited movies...and on, and on, and on.

Sorry, I love cable (except for the price)...I have all the premium channels...and OnDemand...I love it...and I don't watch any of the big Networks at all (except for sporting events)...no ABC, CBS, NBC, or Fox for me...I can't stand any of their programming.

[mego73]

Im tired of my cable. I have at least sixty channels and it seems like there is never anything worth watching on it. If you could wipe all those channels away and just go back to the networks and television was similiar to the way it was (for mid fiftees to early eighties) would you be content with it? Quantity seems to outweight quality in this day in age.

We just remember the stuff we love from those off the air channel days. We have to dig a little further to remember the boring and uninteresting stuff that made up more than half of what was on TV.

A lot of cable is crap but there is Turner Classic Movies, Metv (I know that's not really a cable channel), Boomerang (not always something good on there but it has it's moments). The DVR helps in sifting the cream from the crap. Then, there is the streaming, DVD and blu ray which you would have to give up as well.

The technology exists to take most of what you want from the 50's-80's instead of being at the whim of a station manager and what they choose to show.

[boynightwing]

Teletoon Retro. It's awesome. I get most my old cartoons in one place. Superfriends, 60's Superman, 60's Batman (Adam West live action), Transformers, GIJOE, He-Man, Ghostbusters, etc.

[HardyGirl]

There are some things I like watching, but I also YouTube and video it for the most part lately. RTV is a bust now that they lost their Universal shows, I'm still waiting for Me-TV to come back , I watch a lot of GMC, I watch Harry's Law, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Lifetime movies, and whatever classic movies are on, and some On Demand stuff. I much prefer Retro shows to today's television.

[kennermike]

Havent had cable since 1999 so that tells you how I feel about cable and modern tv the last 12 years .when everyone converted to Digital Boxes 2 or 3 years ago free over the air I got mine from the Govt for $20 bucks I get about 30 channels but I only watch THISTV ,RTV AND ANTENNATV retro channels for free works for me

[thunderbolt]

Yeah, with THis, Antenna, and MeTV, I don't need cable and Netflix streaming is only 7.99 a month so I barely even watch broadcast tv. I've been pay tv free since Hurricane Charley in 2004 and don't miss it one little bit.

[BlackKnight]

Since Sept ..., I've only really watched Survivor, Family Guy, American Dad and The NFL on TV ..., Before Football season, I can't think of anything ... But I also work like real F'ed up Hours.

[DocDrako]

We lost our cable in September. We've been living on Netflix ever since. I miss a few shows, and have alot to make up later, but I've learned to live without cable. I'd love to have it back, but right now that's not happening.

[MIB41]

Cable television has never been what it was cracked up to be. If you look at most movie channels, they play films that are in the discount bin at your local Walmart for $5.00. The most vintage of shows are not available to watch and those that do get played are cycled endlessly until their unwatchable. I have well over 100 channels and spend most of my time on ESPN watching Mike & Mike in the morning and from there it's which network is playing the game I most want to watch on Sundays. Network television series are boring to me because the relationships are personal soap boxes where everyone dumps on a social topic while strangers listen intently to what they have to say. Then they go off have marathon sex, joke about it, and cycle back through again. Completely unimaginative and lacking in any charm that could remotely be deemed enduring. And with the endless stream of programming you can either record your shows or simply watch them again on another channel or go online.

I come from an era where you had to be in front of the television to watch whatever you wanted to watch or you were out of luck. And it didn't matter what it was, whether it be a new episode of your favorite TV show or a holiday special. If you missed it, you were SOL for that season. That's why the Christmas shows, Wizard of Oz, and similar specials were so big back in the 60's and 70's. They typically played once a year, so they were events that you had to plan around. Today, you just pull them out of your DVD collection or watch them 20 times as they rotate from channel to channel after Thanksgiving. Suffice to say I get most of my viewing from dvd's and blu-rays. Old television rules in my household, but it's never the same thing twice. I have tons of old shows in box sets, so I rotate everything to keep it fresh, like the old days.

[ctc]

>would you be content with it?

No. Most stuff is really bad and blah; it's maximalized for the largest pool of viewers, which means it's wrung out and sanitized to blandness. TV especially has always been bad. At least with a zillion channels there's aneed to produce more stuff than when there was 5.... increasing the chances of something worthwhile happening.

Don C.

[Brown Bear]

I have over 70 stations and I agree that there doesn't seem to be anything worth watching. Not many current shows interest me at all. Too much smut, trashy content and no class. I'd rather watch reruns of the classics.

[Mikey]

Modern television is kinda boring