Which one of these do you remember?

[RC Storick]

When I grew up we had 4 TV stations and the commercials were every 15 min with 4 30 spots and it was FREE TV
Then came cable No commercials because you were paying for it. 19.95 a month
After a bit they started sneaking in some but it was worth it.
Move ahead to today Dish, Direct and cable you pay anywhere from 50 to 100 a month for 250 channels of commercials infomercials .
The next time you are watching TV take out a stop watch and time the commercials and programming. You will be shocked to see what you are paying for. Enough is enough its time for everyone to drop pay TV and get them back on tract. Use the internet service to your advantage with Google play and Roku. Watch what you want when you want it commercial free (for now)

[john e. holliday]

Only reason for cable for me is I can record and fast forward thru commercials.   Nothing like watching a 4 hour race in less than 3 hours.

[RC Storick]

My last call to direct TV.my bill went from 62 to 107 with less channels. I asked how much to cancel? They asked why and I explained the situation. They said my promo package ran out. I said cancel. They said a new promo package was 57 for the remaining 6 moths of my contract. I said OK. I had also told them to take away the 50+ Infomercial channels and their response was the FCC requires them to have them. I guess they think they are talking to a dummy. When this runs out I am done.

My upstairs TV runs a high def antenna (10 local channels) ,Google play (over 200 channels) and Roku (as many movies as you want)off the internet and I get more TV with No commercials for free. Anything I want to watch ANYTHING!

Roku 3 I can also watch Youtube on my TV (10000 hours of windy videos) Thanks Paul

I am urging everyone to drop pay TV its a rip off and people are taking it. If everyone were to drop it and tell them why, they would go back and be happy with subscriptions. Its like the phone company. They take your money and never upgrade the equipment. You are stuck with bad service farmed out to India

WAKE UP AMERICA!

I urge everyone to copy this thread and email it to everyone on the list telling them in turn to pass it on!

[Randy Ryan]

Well, I guess I've lost the connection between the title and the subject matter but I remember to one for the 50's. Its still inspiring and gives me the chills. The F-104 was the fastest most effective interceptor of the time and our pilots were the best trained. Amazing how far we've declined, now, in the Air Force Academy, cadets have been forbidden from displaying s evidence of their Christian faith . Then, it was clear that the nation by a large majority believed and more importantly UNDERSTOOD where our national power came from.

OK, Off my soapbox

[RC Storick]

The connection is More for less.

[Shawn Lenci]

Robert...I dropped my Direct TV last summer and have not looked back.  They will tell you, "it's only $80 a month."  Well $80 a month is $960 a year to watch what seems like 30 minutes of commercials for every hour of programming.  I had enough.  We recently purchased an antenna for local channels as most of the shows I like are on the major networks.  I am getting tired of automobile and drug commericals again.  Might have to shut it off completely.

Shawn

[john e. holliday]

Robert, how much is your internet costing you?   

[Randy Cuberly]

As a kid in Kansas City, when we got our first TV in about 1947 (I think), we had only 1 channel and it didn't broadcast until 5:00 PM and signed off at 10:00 PM.

I've just about given up on TV now.  Nothing but commercials, commercials, commercials!

I buy and trade videos around with friends and and when my current contract with Direct TV runs out it's done!  Too expensive just to watch commercials, and political arguments that get nowhere!

Besides, I need to build more airplanes...time is running out for all of us!

Randy Cuberly

[KenP51]

We dropped ours end of January. Kept jacking the cost. We only watched a few of the channels. Have to bye a package just for one or two channels you really want.

We also opted for a slower internet connection.

Put up an amplified rabbit ears. (Apartment)

Down the road we will get a better antenna. but between the rabbit ears and over the internet we get what we want. 3/4s of the stuff on cable we will not allow to be in our house. Filth

Ken

[FLOYD CARTER]

I tried a Yagi antenna here, with poor results due to nearby mountains and hills.  Direct TV couldn't find their own  satellite signal from my rooftop due to same.  Having some success with Dish TV because their satellite is either further north or higher up.

Still, only watching 2 or 3 channels just to keep current with news.

Floyd, somewhere in the boonies west of Eugene, OR

[John Sunderland]

When I grew up we had 4 TV stations and the commercials were every 15 min with 4 30 spots and it was FREE TV
Then came cable No commercials because you were paying for it. 19.95 a month
After a bit they started sneaking in some but it was worth it.
Move ahead to today Dish, Direct and cable you pay anywhere from 50 to 100 a month for 250 channels of commercials infomercials .
The next time you are watching TV take out a stop watch and time the commercials and programming. You will be shocked to see what you are paying for. Enough is enough its time for everyone to drop pay TV and get them back on tract. Use the internet service to your advantage with Google play and Roku. Watch what you want when you want it commercial free (for now)

I couldn't agree more!

[EddyR]

I had the RCA small dish {Direct} since it first came out. I got rid of it four years ago and do Off The Air {OTA}. No DVR so I use a DVD recorder for later watching. They do make  OTA DVR's with HD tuners for about $200 but I have not needed it yet.
 I missed Direct for a few months but now I could care less. I watch some online movies and cast it to the main TV
Ed

[Bob Reeves]

We bought this property 11 years ago, when we moved we were undecided as to go with cable or satellite so I just stuck up an outdoor antenna. Was paying Cox cable around $60.00 a month and discovered the locals was all we really needed, after 11 years I figure we have saved at least $8,000.00 and haven't missed anything.

[john e. holliday]

I just think about all the money I saved not traveling all over the country following my favorite shows of racing(would call it sport, but some argue it is not a sport).  I can also watch my fake wrestling shows and all the reruns of shows I didn't get to see because of work.  This while I am building too many planes or working on them getting ready to fly.  Hopefully I will be out flying more this year and can what the recordings when it is too dark or windy to fly. The wife, daughter and grandkids also have their shows they watch.  Nothing like my TV in the shop,  one in bedroom and the main one in the living room.  All for one price.  I too remember like Randy C. when WDAF Channel 4 was the only TV station in  KC.  My grandparents and uncle were the only ones with a TV at that time.  Remember sitting waiting for the thing to warm up before seeing the picture.

[RC Storick]

I guess this thing that bothers me most is less for more. I'll explain. If you have internet via DSL and are having problems they say we will put you on a new pair but the new pair is still a 100 years old. My water bill in STL 4 years ago was 30 every 3 months and free trash pick up 2 times a week (taxes). Now is over 100 (trash included) only 1 time a week. Cable TV was enticing because of no commercials because you were paying for it. Now its 50 % commercials. Even youtube has jumped on the band wagon and has commercials. They want you to look up your own phone numbers and they say its free to look them up on the internet with the white pages but its not.

Here we have a few ads as a service to the members and to help pay for hosting but I am not getting rich doing it. Wouldn't TV be great if the only ads you got were stuff you can use. If I were like the rest of the public media I could add baldness cures Viagra ads and all sorts of BS you would have to weigh through just to see a few pages of stunt stuff.
Aggravating to say the least. Harbor freight is as far away from direct hobby stuff I will go and they don't pay for the ad. Its there because sometimes they have stuff we can use. Because anyone selling anything can advertise here anytime I have had to refund for some adds that don't get approved. Another expense. But its to keep thing focused on CL flying to advertising.

The USA has become a bunch of salesmen trying to sell each other the cheapest CRAP made in China.

[Joe Just]

Hey, there's always Joe's solution.  8 years ago we canceled our cable service, signed up with Netflix and have enjoyed over 2000 movies of OUR CHOICE.  As a retired news person I get my news from 2 different radio stations and no longer have to pay for MTV that is making zombies out of our minority groups.  No TV talking heads, no slanted news (?) reports, no stupid ads.  The only thing I have missed is watching the NFL, but when I go to my daughter's home to watch the playoff each year I find the coverage of the game to be stilted and no longer about football.  Yea, I am a curmudgeon, just look up that word in Webster's and you will find my picture under the listed word.
Joe

[Les McDonald]

I do basically the same as Joe Just. Netflix DVD by mail cost me $8.55 a month so we get to see about 5 or 6 movies each month. Since we live in a large viewing "market" I receive about 20 channels with an OTA antenna which costs zero. I tolerate the commercials simply because I am paying nothing and PBS probably has the best programs anywhere.
 My computer connection is DSL. It certainly isn't fast but it's good enough.
My one big concession is motorcycle racing. The online subscription is expensive but I could handle that, however it runs like crap with DSL so I just check the results online, read the magazines and at the end of the year I purchase "the year in review DVD" that I watch about 10 times. Cable and satellite are fine for some people but the value just isn't there for me.
When anyone questions why I do it this way I simply tell them that I don't want to go to work anymore.