Anybody else disenchanted with tv?

[beenthru6]

I was thinking the other day that I really hardly ever watch tv anymore. I can't think of one show now that Third Watch is gone that I look forward to seeing. If it weren't for HGTV and NASCAR I probably would barely turn it on. I wish we could just pay for the channels we wanted to watch. I asked our local cable company if that was ever going to be an option, and she actually said that they were looking at that as an option. Even my teenage daughter barely even gives the tv a second thought any more. I look at this as a good thing, but my husband would not give up cable. Anyone else losing interest in tv lately?

[StormChasr]

I was sorry to see JAG go. I watched that forever, and there isn't much worth watching. Desperate Housewives is funny, and I like Numbers very much.

[Brent]

I've gained more interest here recently... but my computer time eclipses it. The only shows that I actually sit down and watch are Survivor, Desperate Housewives, The Amazing Race, and The Apprentice(oh and when I first get up, the news). I watch other shows, but usually am surfing the net at the time so I just listen.

Those are also(especially Survivor and DH) the only ones that I can re-watch over and over again. I record all of the shows I watch.

[Guest]

With the Internet, I have hardly watched any television. I have watched some of my weather videos; however, that is not TV.

[Wpwxguy]

TV has gotten so repetitive. Copycat shows, repeats, and vulgarity. Of course I do like Deadwood on HBO. Anyone else like the show. But of course the profanity is through the roof. Spend most of my nights at this keyboard.

Bill

[chadtm80]

Other then Thursday Nights (must see TV) I dont watch anything

[Persepone]

I've always been pretty disenchanged with TV. My daughter never got the TV habit as a child... (rare trait, I think). Although I had no specific "rules" at that point (other than that she had so much to do she had little time to watch TV, and she had early bedtime, etc.) it was inconvenient. It lived in a closet, so you had to pull it out, plug it in, turn it on, watch the show, and put it away.

This worked like a charm because you had to really want to see something to bother. We actually lived in one house for 3 years and it did not get unpacked once.

At her house, the TV lives in a cabinet. Same drill. Her kids can watch it if they want to see a show--they take it out, plug it in watch the show, put it away... They almost never watch TV!

About the only programs we watch are on PBS. Frequently we tape them. We especially enjoyed the early morning History course from UCLA, and the recent coverage on World War II. We also tend to watch (and tape) American Experience. But, again, our TV is still pretty inconvenient to watch and we schedule watching/taping.

Cable is expensive and we watch so little TV that it is cheaper for us to rent something at Blockbuster or buy the tape and get a friend to tape it for us (perhaps 2-3 times a year!).

As for the effect on children--they were all early readers and voracious readers. They are also very active and spend a bunch of time playing outdoors, and the older ones with more organized sports. Also, they are all involved with music and spend a bunch of time practicing and just playing instruments for fun and enjoyment, etc. They have supervised access to computers as well as to TV, but they spend very little time using computers. When they do, it is to hop on, get what they want/need or do what they have to (e.g., type a letter, a report, etc.) and get off the computer. It is a tool rather than entertainment.