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Yeah, we've talked about Sinclair before.

Mainly I stopped watching television when they took away my ability to watch television without paying some company for the privilege.

--Patrick

AFAIK they haven't done anything like that again, at least not down to using the exact same script.

I had to stop when Li'l Z asked me what "blackface" was, a la the Megan Kelly bullshit a few years back. Between that and all the Trump garbage every night, I would have to keep getting up and changing the channel. That, and anytime I go back to check, there's usually something graphically horrific being broadcast I don't think he's ready to see yet.

It's funny, because I remember growing up with the local news always droning in the background growing up, especially during dinner, but I usually tuned it out, or if I did pay attention I'd internalize it.

Well, I stopped even earlier, but it was because of all the commercials

(Commercial) And up next, it'll be the weather, right after this! (Commercial) And here's the weather, brought to you by OmniMegaGlobalCorp - Working every day to make your tomorrow better. IT'S GON RAIN. This weather brought to you by OmniMegaGlobalCorp. (Commercial) That was the weather, looks lovely! Up next, we'll be looking at a loca-(COMMERCIAL)

Ah, the good ol' days.

--Patrick

I don't watch any news on TV. I occasionally catch PBS news. The internet makes them obsolete. I do listen to NPR on my commute.

PatrThom said:

Mainly I stopped watching television when they took away my ability to watch television without paying some company for the privilege.

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No DTV over-the-air reception in your area?

Denbrought said:

No DTV over-the-air reception in your area?

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Sure there is, but that would still have required the purchase of a newer TV or an add-on decoder box, hence paying some company for the privilege.
For a while I just used analog cable instead, but then they took that away in 2013 or so, too.

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

Sure there is, but that would still have required the purchase of a newer TV or an add-on decoder box, hence paying some company for the privilege.
For a while I just used analog cable instead, but then they took that away in 2013 or so, too.

--Patrick

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I had to watch TV on an itty bitty screen that weighed 200 lbs, and that's the way it was and WE LIKED IT!

PatrThom said:

Sure there is, but that would still have required the purchase of a newer TV or an add-on decoder box, hence paying some company for the privilege.
For a while I just used analog cable instead, but then they took that away in 2013 or so, too.

--Patrick

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You gotta own a tv and pay for electricity too! It's a scam all around.

DarkAudit said:

I had to watch TV on an itty bitty screen that weighed 200 lbs, and that's the way it was and WE LIKED IT!

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It was a 13in color CRT television, and it was one of the ones that just had something like a dozen push buttons on the front, and you had to manually tune in each individual station using a teeeeny-tiny little dial and needle until you finally got it right, then you had the little plastic insert to put in to show which channel you'd just discovered.

The only TVs that _I_ have ever actually owned in my life are the B&W sets I pulled out of the garbage as a kid. EVERY other television set I've ever used belonged to a roommate, a relative, an ex, etc. Even now, we have 3 televisions. One (27in CRT) is my wife's, one (32in LCD) was given to us by the wife's great aunt when she sold her house and moved, and the third one (13in CRT/VCP combo) is one that work just let me take home one day because nobody else wanted it.

...in other words, I have never once paid for a television in my entire life.

Ravenpoe said:

You gotta own a tv and pay for electricity too! It's a scam all around.

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You forget that at the time when this was going on, once you took out for all the bills and food & stuff, I was only taking home something like $75/month. A new TV or even an HD receiver was just out of the question.

--Patrick

Those converter boxes were federally subsidized though, you just needed to apply for a coupon.

Oh yeah, I remember the waiting lists.
I remember it all being a big headache, and since I was transitioning to getting most of my entertainment from online sources by then anyway, it wasn't a big loss.

--Patrick

I got one of those digital antennas to get the local channels since I no longer have cable and couldn't get them through the wall since 2013, but it feels like every year more and more channels disappear from it. The only ones I get anymore are PBS, Laff, Grit, and some Spanish channels. I can't get CBS or any of those ones anymore.

ScytheRexx said:

I can't get CBS or any of those ones anymore.

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Well, you can, BUT you first have to prove you pay for a cable subscription before they'll let you have it.

--Patrick

ScytheRexx said:

I got one of those digital antennas to get the local channels since I no longer have cable and couldn't get them through the wall since 2013, but it feels like every year more and more channels disappear from it. The only ones I get anymore are PBS, Laff, Grit, and some Spanish channels. I can't get CBS or any of those ones anymore.

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Have you tried rescanning for channels? Couple years back broadcasters started changing broadcast frequencies.

drifter said:

Have you tried rescanning for channels? Couple years back broadcasters started changing broadcast frequencies.

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Yup. Even purchased one with a supposed signal booster. Gave me back one channel.