Today, Marks ONE YEAR Of Being Cable-News Free!!!

[arwalden]

Except to "peek" in during the breaking moments of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy, I have not purposely tuned to ANY cable news outlet to receive any news.

No cable-news "talk shows", no cable-news "morning fluff shows", no cable news "interview shows", no cable-news anything.

For those who think I'm generally a disagreeable person NOW... you should have seen me before when I was a cable-news junkie!! My mood and outlook on life have greatly improved now that I've eliminated this source of frustration, irritation and anxiety from my life.

I still keep up with what's going on, and I'm grateful that others are still watching (monitoring) the media whores... I just can't deal with it anymore.

Its an option I highly recommend!

-- Allen

[Minstrel Boy]

1. I've never been better informed since I stopped watching CNN.

There's no reason to watch, apart from breaking catastrophes (at least the kind that they'll report), and to get a sense of American media's "conventional wisdom." And I've seen enough of that to know where they're coming from.

The truth is out here!

[Solomon]

2. I've got a couple months in with no cable news.

Last year I had to go in for therapy to help with anger and depression mostly caused by watching those stupid shows. It all started with the 2000 selection as I couldn't believe these shows throwing bull after bull. I wound up yelling at the screen everyday.

Now my wife yells at the screen and I make her turn it off. It's all hate tv. Nothing else.

Congrats on an entire year. As one who found a life again after turning them off, I know exactly what you're talking about.

:toast:

[Nlighten1]

3. Isn't it great?

It has been two years for me and I love it.

[piece sine]

4. the ostrich sees trouble ahead

and hides its head in the sand, pretending it will just go away.

[Minstrel Boy]

6. except it's the television

that is throwing sand in your face.

[ellie]

5. Wow! Congratulations!

You haven't missed a thing, I tell you. A lot of shameless pandering, whoring, and sucking up. Every so often I go on news blackouts where I don't even check the weather. I always feel refreshed at the end.

[stlsaxman]

7. After going all my life not having cable on the principle that I refuse...

to pay for commercials (i support my PBS affiliate and had only rabbit ears hooked up
to my tube), i dicovered a coaxial cable poking up out of the floor in my new apartment-
on a whim I hook it up to my TV and bingo- I got cable! The cable company didn't shut
off the prior tenants account.

So now I'll watch for free. But, I'll say this- in just one evenings viewing I realised that
I was missing NOTHING all my life. Sure I'll unplug the shit in a couple days, but at
least I can watch c-span now.

Congrats on your first year!

[beawr]

8. Well Done

We have cable, the whole package, everything including broadband. We avoid the news channels like the plague. My wife believes that indulging in sensationalizing the news cheapens your humanity, she's right. The Cable News channels cater to the fear hungry, fascist state wanting public. Between the WP and NYT web sites, the Weather Channel, ESPN and just general web browsing, I get all the news I need.

[no_arbusto]

9. Here's an update.

Lacy Peterson is still dead, Michael Jackson is still weird, and * is still god.

[arwalden]

10. Any word on Generalissimo Francisco Franco?

[GOPisEvil]

14. Still dead.

;-)

[onecitizen]

16. hehehe............nt

nt

[Kathy in Cambridge]

11. No CNN allowed in my home either

but I'm subjected to it at the gym. I get so angry that I change cardio machines so I can focus my eyes on a vapid soap opera rather than that whore Judy Woodruff.

[Stuckinthebush]

12. You know what would help your outlook even more?

Religion.

Just open yourself up to it, buddy! There are even many great church programs on non-cable TV! Just drop all of that logic nonsense you talk about over in the Meeting Room, and free yourself from the shackles of reason!

(I couldn't resist)

;)

[arwalden]

17. SNARF! -- May God Bless And Keep You.

Ewww. (LOL)

I feel like I just ate a lemon.

-- Allen

[SpiralHawk]

13. Rats, AR - Cable is having a big special this week

Proving astrology conclusively and disproving the scientific method (apparently it doesn't employ sufficient Metaphysical techniques).

I know you will feel sad to miss out. But I will provide you with a complete report.

On a serious note, I agree with you about cable being a source of frustration and anxiety. Good riddance ! If only most Americans would take a week's vacation from it, they might gain a healthier perspective on what's going on

[arwalden]

18. That's How It Started... I Didn't Make A GRAND RESOLUTION

to give it up entirely. I just got fed up and turned it off for a day... which became a weekend... which became a week.

Then I realized that I got all the TV news I needed from network news (only slightly less whoreish) and from the Internet.

Eventually, one week became 52 weeks, and here we are.

-- Allen

[onecitizen]

15. Aaahhhh arwalden..........

you're not disagreeable and in fact, right now you're my hero! I did it for a while but in the end, I caved. And I'll agree with you that my mood was much nicer when I was away from it.:yourock:

[arwalden]

21. My Brother Watched MSNBC During My Visit To His House... I Was Amazed

to see how much MSNBC had changed from the previous year. From my point of view it was a rather DRAMATIC change.

(Kind of like seeing an adolescent relative once a year... the difference in their height is AMAZING from the viewpoint of the uncle who seldom visits. Yet, to the parents who see the child every day, the growth is not all that amazing.)

Anywhoo --- my brother was watching MSNBC and I had an opportunity to observe it as a bystander (NOT AS AN ACTIVE INTERESTED VIEWER BY CHOICE, mind you).

So, the TV is mumbling along in the background and before I actually noticed the peacock logo onscreen, I would have SWORN that he was watching FOX news. The graphics, the anchor "look" the color scheme, the story content (or lack thereof), the spin, the gloss... it was a FOX clone.

Is it just my imagination? Was the transformation too subtle for daily viewers to notice?

-- Allen

[onecitizen]

28. Yeah it was subtle..........

then whamo, there's Fox! You're right. The graphics changed, the music changed, the ANCHORS changed! And CNN is going thru the same restoration as we speak. You'd think there would be some degree of modicum involved but apparently not. I mean shouldn't someone at MSNBC or CNN say "aren't we copying this from Fox?" and "isn't that kind of sleazy and me too-ish?":shrug:

[Stephanie]

19. CNN is pure pornography

I only get it sporadically when they are trying to entice me to subscribe. It was on last night and I am appalled. Paula Zahn was creaming her jeans over the prospect that the little girls witnessed the kidnapper's suicide. I was horrified. She would not let.

[devinsgram]

20. Welcome to the club,

This is where you get the real news, now we need couple of million more. It can be done.

[frank frankly]

22. good work, i've given up tv for 8 of the last 11 years

it is a wasteland and it is brainwashing

but i love still love sports...alas

[Q]

23. Good on ya!

- It's been about the same amount of time for me...although I do take the occasional peek. I watch CSPAN early in the morning and then turn OFF the boob tube.

[cedahlia]

24. Cheers to you! And let's here it for PBS!

I turned over a new leaf for this year and changed my news watching routine when I get home for work. What a pleasant experience it has been watching the Jim Lehr Newshour instead of the obnoxious "news" programs offered up by MSNBC or CNN. The difference is amazing! The endless whoring and trashiness have been replaced by true integrity and class. It's so nice not to be subjected to ParisHiltongivesbirthtoScottPeterson'slovechildduringBritneySpears'sweddingatNeverlandRanch!!!:puke: while searching for some real, informative news!

While I must admit I still will watch the occasional Hardball or something if I know one of the candidates is going to be on; it has boosted my mental well-being significantly to eradicate that crap from my life for the most part.

[bhairava]

25. Welcome to the club!

I turned off during the junta of 2000. I would tune in occasionally for about 2 months afterward. However, watching would as my grandma says "run my pressure up." Objects hurled at the screen got bigger and I decided I wanted to keep the TV intact so I NEVER turn to the news channels anymore. I also no longer watch murder of the week Dateline type shows either. I can see now how they are al of a piece (along with network and local news) meant to scare the citizenry into place. Sadly I caught Oprah a few times and she also is part of the same problem. Yet another program designed to scare people (women especially.) Does she not realise the perils such inflammatory fear mongering visits on her own people? I know she has no children but damn. Throughout the 90's as crime rates fell across the nation you'd never know it by watching television news. Pure propaganda. Its so clear to see now. I recently changed banks when Chase branches here installed monitors at the drive-thru that blared FOX news all day!!! The teller was proud they showed un-biased news! Sorry to run on. But my days have been brighter since turning off all news TV.

[tibbiit]

26. my one year anniversary

from cable news channels comes up mid april!
I turned off during saddams statue fall... that was it for me. Im now into Surprise by Design and Christopher Lowell. I work out of my house and the cable news was on at least 12 hours per day. I turned it off and have never looked back, or been inclined to do so.
I recomend everyone turn off the cable tv:)
tib

[Lone_Wolf]

27. Congrats... the mainstream media is biased against liberals

For a research project, I wanted to test the whether there really is a liberal media. I designed a test that tracked the time these news shows spend attacking Democrats vs. attacking Republicans along with some other areas. I did this test over a period of 3 months using all the major news and cable networks (except for Fox News which is an outlier). What I found is truly astonishing. Here's how these networks spend their time:

25% of the time they attack Democrats

25% of the time is spent on commercials

21.6% of the time promoting/defending conservative issues (tax cuts etc.)

18.3% of the time is non-substantive (fluff stories, pointless banter between host and guest, etc.)

6.6 of the time attacking Republicans/Bush.

3.3% of time on substantive election issues that effect us all.

As you can see, the evidence is against the media being liberally biased.