We haven't had cable for over two years now and I can see my attitudes towards things.....?

Question

changing, as well as my kids attitudes. For example, now that i am not bombarded with Miley Cyrus's face everyday on Disney and commercials I find I am much more able to tolerate her music, my 5 yr old loves her. My kids musical tastes have widened as well, everything from Miley to Green Day, She and Him, Nine Inch Nails, Mika etc.

Would any of you that have cable television ever consider giving it up as a sort of family experiment or do you "rely" on it too much, for any number of reasons.

Answer 1

I gave up cable, because it is nothing but reruns played over and over again.  Now We read, and use Netflix for "television."  We can choose which programs to watch and are not bombarded with commercials.  We can watch computer Instant play DVD from Netflix on the TV.

I don't want to sound like a commercial, but we also READ.  Many programs on the television, like the Daily Show and the Colbert report are playable from the Computer and most of the TV shows are available on Netflix.  Once again, WITHOUT commercials.

Would you pay to have someone come into your house to tell you haw bad your life is and how you need to buy a certain product to make your life better - NO.  That is what cable is - paying for commercials.  No, I don't want to pay to listen to advertisements.

Answer 2

I am not a "family," but my other half and I have chosen to not get cable for our new apartment.  We will still have a bazillion mind-numbing things to search on the Internet if we tire of talk and/or books, but I hope that we decide to never turn on the tube.  I am happy to see that you have had positive results and hope that I can grow too from this experience.

Answer 3

Go on-line

Go to the BBC

Go to Radio 4

The programs on there will be just what you like.  I recommend the News Quiz, In our Time, I'm Sorry I Haven't Got a Clue, Round Britain Quiz, any of the docu-programs or the radio drama are also good.  

The Moral Maze is fabulous as is Counterpoint the Music Quiz.

Answer 4

We can't afford cable because my wife is at home. I have not had cable in 10 years since i left my parents home.  we go to the libray and get movies for free and books for the kids and even kids movies.

Answer 5

i don't have cable, but i have the free tv, you know from the antenna, it has the basic channels that we need to watch the news, there is even a weather channel, we don't have cable or satellite because we are never home during the day, we sometimes watch tv mostly for the news and weather, but we are mostly outside doing activities with the kids (weekends).

Answer 6

Well my hubby works for the cable company so... no  :)

I don't let my kids watch a lot of TV though.  I love the On Demand feature which allows me to choose a program and play it at my convenience without commercials.  We never watch the Disney channel because I really hate the mass marketing of all the characters and character licensing.  

I like that cable can offer some other types of shows that cater towards interests such as gardening and home shows.  My girls like the home renovation and redecoration shows for some reason.

So for your question, I don't think we woudl give it up but I do not rely on it.  I like to think that I use it as a tool instead of it using us

Answer 7

While cable/satellite is nice to have, when we're looking for entertainment, I don't think that, in our family, it limits us all that much.  We still listen to the radio, play video games, just play, interact with people, read books, news & magazines, etc.  

My teen stepdaughter is a Miley fan & we do watch the show often.  But, she also likes White Stripes, Flaming Lips, Beatles, TMBG, and dozens of other bands, too.  

We've never considered giving up satellite for experimental reasons, although we have thought about doing it for financial reasons from time to time.

Answer 8

I see a difference in my children. They have cable at their dad's house, but we do not have it at home.

At home, I am able to get them to be more responsible for their own things and we are able to actually have conversations with each other. We even sit down at the table to eat together.

At their dad's I have seen them glued to the tv with their plates in front of them. They just sit there all day.