I cut the cord in Jan 2009 when broadcast channels went from analog to digital. I was fed up with throwing my money away on junk when I was only watching a handful of channels at stick-up prices and thought "what a sap!" I mainly watch PBS channels nowadays--most everything else is pure junk including broadcast news on CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX, which not only doesn't include what's truly going on this country, but also doesn't include what's going on in the world. If I miss a program on TV that I want to see I just wait for the rerun a few days later on PBS or a few months later on a broadcast channel, I don't waste time trying to find it on the Internet, life is too short. As for the article that led to this poll, I think it was better in the 1950s and early 1960s when TV channels only operated from about sunrise to 10PM to 1AM depending on whether it was a weekday or the weekend. We probably wouldn't have the sleep-deprived society (among other things) we have today since "technology" has turned many people into 24-hour zombies.
David - 12 years ago
I cut the cord a while ago. My cable bill went from around $160 to just $39 (for internet only). Now I get everything over the air plus streaming. I couldn't live without a DVR, though, so I got a tivo refurbished with a pretty decent deal for service. That costs me about $11 per month. Still an incredible savings, and the tivo box has the advantage of having Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon video rentals all built in so I don't have to switch inputs to use them. It's easy for my family that way.
At least 15 years ago I realized that I wasn't watching much TV and what I was watching was mostly PBS. I discovered that KCET (once, but not now affiliated with PBS) had a translator 35 miles away, so I put up a outside antenna and for years I watched PBS over the air. Now, with the Internet, the nearly dozen stations I can get off the air and so many of my favorite programs available in DVD boxed sets, there is absolutely no reason for me to even consider going back to cable TV even if it was as little as $10/month. Of course, there are no young people living in this house to demand cable.
When I consider that TV addicts pay $400 to $1,000 or more a year, but that my antenna system cost me $60 up front (plus a little maintenance now and again), after 15 years I think I'm ahead of the game -- like, I could almost buy a little car with what I've saved over the years. I sincerely wish I could still receive PBS over the air, but it looks like KCET can't and won't pay what PBS demands. Even so, I'm very happy with what I have and very pleased that I'm not throwing my money at those greedy cable TV people.
I cut the cord in Jan 2009 when broadcast channels went from analog to digital. I was fed up with throwing my money away on junk when I was only watching a handful of channels at stick-up prices and thought "what a sap!" I mainly watch PBS channels nowadays--most everything else is pure junk including broadcast news on CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX, which not only doesn't include what's truly going on this country, but also doesn't include what's going on in the world. If I miss a program on TV that I want to see I just wait for the rerun a few days later on PBS or a few months later on a broadcast channel, I don't waste time trying to find it on the Internet, life is too short. As for the article that led to this poll, I think it was better in the 1950s and early 1960s when TV channels only operated from about sunrise to 10PM to 1AM depending on whether it was a weekday or the weekend. We probably wouldn't have the sleep-deprived society (among other things) we have today since "technology" has turned many people into 24-hour zombies.
I cut the cord a while ago. My cable bill went from around $160 to just $39 (for internet only). Now I get everything over the air plus streaming. I couldn't live without a DVR, though, so I got a tivo refurbished with a pretty decent deal for service. That costs me about $11 per month. Still an incredible savings, and the tivo box has the advantage of having Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon video rentals all built in so I don't have to switch inputs to use them. It's easy for my family that way.
At least 15 years ago I realized that I wasn't watching much TV and what I was watching was mostly PBS. I discovered that KCET (once, but not now affiliated with PBS) had a translator 35 miles away, so I put up a outside antenna and for years I watched PBS over the air. Now, with the Internet, the nearly dozen stations I can get off the air and so many of my favorite programs available in DVD boxed sets, there is absolutely no reason for me to even consider going back to cable TV even if it was as little as $10/month. Of course, there are no young people living in this house to demand cable.
When I consider that TV addicts pay $400 to $1,000 or more a year, but that my antenna system cost me $60 up front (plus a little maintenance now and again), after 15 years I think I'm ahead of the game -- like, I could almost buy a little car with what I've saved over the years. I sincerely wish I could still receive PBS over the air, but it looks like KCET can't and won't pay what PBS demands. Even so, I'm very happy with what I have and very pleased that I'm not throwing my money at those greedy cable TV people.