Should I get rid of my TV?

[Audio Al]

You could set-up your own channel: PISHANTO TV

Marco.

It cant be worse than most of the crap on TV now

We have Bargain Hunt

Boot Sale Challenge

So could be a demand for " Boot Sale Pishanto TV "

[AlanS]

Keep it and get some self control. Nobody makes you watch.

[Marco]

So could be a demand for " Boot Sale Pishanto TV "

I'm liking it! Would you wear that funny wee hat of yours on air?

Marco.

[Audio Al]

I'm liking it! Would you wear that funny wee hat of yours on air?

Marco.

Most Defiantly Sir

[Marco]

Quality! Do you think you can manage to say this in a posh 'BBC accent' (wearing your wee hat, with a cheeky grin):

"Good evening, daftees and daftee-esses and welcome to Pishanto TV. I am your host for this evening's rampant nonsense."



Marco.

[walpurgis]

You could set-up your own channel: PISHANTO TV

Marco.

Seems to me that's largely what we're stuck with already!

[Tim]

Well this has been very useful, so thanks guys. Its been really interesting discussing it with a few of my friends too, you would think I was contemplating cutting off an arm, by some of the reactions I have had - strange influence TV has on some people, which has strengthened my resolve to get shot of it - still not finally decided yet and my licence is up for renewal in 2 months time

[Macca]

I like to watch a bit of telly late on when it isn't neighbourly to have the music blasting out (hate headphones) - I've got the full package, that's a couple of hundred channels which I've distilled down to about eighty that might have something worth watching on, so I just cycle through until something takes my fancy. Modern shows are generally not up to much but I like the old stuff from the Seventies and there is plenty of that across multiple channels. Anything with adverts I hit record then come back to it 20 minutes later and start watching it - that way you have enough time built up to fast forward through all the commercial breaks. I've done without in the past - at college I went 2 years without watching any telly or reading a newspaper - I didn't find out about the Berlin Wall coming down until 2 months after it happened. Never missed the TV, forgot all about it in fact. When I left college and started work I got a corking brand new 28 inch Hitachi and was instantly mesmerised again

[Tim]

Anything with adverts I hit record then come back to it 20 minutes later and start watching it . .

I do that too Martin, although I rarely watch anything 'live' now apart from F1 or Rugby, its always been recorded previously. When I lived in the Caribbean my dish got taken out by a lightning strike and it was over 6 months before the landlord replaced it, as he had to import a new one from the US - I missed it at first to be honest, but after a few months I didn't and I was a little annoyed when he fixed it - I'm one of those people that if its there I use it, but if its not I don't miss it. Music is what floats my boat and I'm not big on music DVD's, it has to be the real thing for me.

I get all my news from my tablet PC app or Radio4 now and that's all you really need, the rest is just filler IMO. I can't even watch F1 now with that gargoyle Suzi Perry and Rugby I prefer to watch at my mates, or down the pub with a beer and some atmosphere

[The Grand Wazoo]

I got used to life without a TV when I was abroad as a kid. Back in the UK after I left home I only ever had a black & white portable right up until so recently you wouldn't believe! We got a colour set in about 1999 - still a tiny portable though! That's how important TV is to me.

A photo of our living room circa 1993/4 reveals the order of priorities:



We have a bigger set now but I could happily do without.
Radio is my preferred source of news. I was thinking about the nature of many TV programmes the other day and it occurred to me that there are actually very few programmes that even need pictures - think about it next time you're watching. OK, sport and nature content are both transformed by pictures, but most other stuff works fine if you do away with the images.