Goodbye cable.
From an antenna to an Apple.. a walk down Memory Lane
Until a couple of months ago, I had cable TV. I realize that I was one of the last holdouts from the “old school,” and I held on as long as I could, but like the retirement cliche, “it was time.”
I recently heard that this antiquated form of viewing is called “appointment TV,” an accurate description. For instance, I had an appointment each weekday night to watch “Jeopardy,” or the news or whatever show was on that night, whether it was a network or cable show. Lately it was more and more PBS because other networks seemed so limited and depressing. Cable gave more options, but really just more of the same. The main thing is that the news cycle has gotten so negative and overwhelming, it was impossible to tune out, no matter what I watched.
But let me tell you this was no easy decision for me, someone who grew up when TV was still young and exciting, with plenty to look forward to each day. It’s been a journey, like everything else these days.
Before cable, we had only network TV. In those days, you paid for the TV box and electricity, and then just turned on the TV via a dial on the actual appliance. You actually had to get up and walk to the TV to change stations or adjust volume. There was no such thing as a “remote.” TV otherwise was a free service, paid for by commercials to sell you stuff. If it broke, you called a TV repairman, who would come visit and change whatever “tube” was broken. These have evidently become collectible (who would think?).... here’s a photo from eBay as an example of what they looked like:
See that link on eBay.
During the school year in NYC, there was good reception and lots of channels to watch. Most houses had an indoor antenna connected to the TV so you could get a better picture, with images that were clear. You often had to get up and adjust the antenna, though. Watching TV was usually an evening thing; in the morning, I remember the household listening to the radio for morning news and weather report.
During the summer in Catskill, it was a different story. Those waves travelling through the air were pretty weak by the time they reached the family house in R.D. (rural district) 2. As I’ve recounted before, I loved my summers up there. There was a dairy farm near the end of the road, and a freshwater spring that came down from a mountain, with water so clean and cold that we would drink from it. It then flowed under the road to the cows. Watercress grew wild here, and my grandmother would often ask us to get some for dinner. The mail box was not too far from the spring and picking up the mail was a daily trek, each way about a mile.
Getting back to TV, in Catskill we needed an antenna not only on the TV, but also on the roof. We were lucky to get three stations. The screen was rarely clear, and we referred to this as “snowy.” Television was mainly a nighttime thing because during the day, we were almost always outside. Reception on rainy days was even worse, so whether rain or shine, I did a lot of reading during my summers. (I think Ray Bradbury was my favorite… hard to believe he wrote “The Illustrated Man” in 1951!)
When my mother retired up here in the ‘90s, the reception had improved, and she bought a gadget to adjust the outdoor antenna to catch an even better signal, and it definitely helped. Cable was not available up there back then. Not sure it is even now.
That was my experience with TV since I was kid, when we tuned in to shows like “Star Trek,” a favorite of mine (though I wouldn’t call myself a Trekkie), and “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” The TV also offered movies that already had been screened in the theater. I remember watching old movies like the “The Thin Man” and glamorous musicals with my mom.
When cable TV came along in the ‘70s, we had more viewing choices. But we had to pay for it. I recall better reception, more TV channels and, and at that time, fewer commercials than the networks had. In those days, I recall watching a lot of MTV, which I loved; music videos were relatively new.
To see what was on the TV each day, there was a “TV Guide,” an actual publication that still exists today. The daily newspapers, which we bought every day, also carried TV listings, and that’s what my family used.
When I worked at the Daily News, I learned that putting this daily listing together for the upcoming week was someone’s job; it was tedious and required a lot of attention to detail because readers would call in and complain if a show was listed incorrectly. It was like an appointment calendar, and readers relied on it.
In the ‘80s, videocassette recorders became popular and, and if you couldn’t be home to keep that appointment with your favorite show, you could record it. I never recorded shows, so if I missed one, I had to wait for reruns, read the newspaper accounts, talk to friends or just forget about it.
Daytime soaps were never a thing for me because I was usually working, but I remember my grandmother liked these. On a day off, I would catch some morning news like the “Today” show, maybe “The View.”
Whether it was network TV or cable shows, this was my TV experience. It was a part of daily life.
Then came the apps, which supplemented both network and cable. This is where the TV generation gap began I think. Millennials don’t like appointment TV; they like streaming services so that they have complete control over the TV, watching whatever they want whenever they want to.
So that’s a not-so-brief history of my TV life.
In April, I decided to give up. Cable was getting more expensive (close to $200 a month) while offering less. News shows would trigger my anxiety. Even during low-stress shows, some commercials could keep me from sleeping well.
This feeling had been coming on for a few years, but the current political situation put me over the edge. Don’t get me wrong: I want to stay informed, but not overwhelmed. To be honest, you can get great journalism that provides real news and good information right here on Substack, and read it at your convenience.
So it was goodbye cable, hello Apple TV. The new Apple streaming box turned my dumb TV smart, so now I can buy apps and see shows that are included in the Apple package. No more appointment TV.
It’s an adjustment. Learning how to use the controls on the Apple remote was challenge No. 1. Just not intuitive for me, but I’m getting there.
And I am beginning to understand what’s behind binge-watching; having a whole season of shows at your fingertips is not only tempting; it’s addictive! But so far, I’ve been appreciating one show at a time. I watch less TV and read more books, and, yes, I am a bit calmer.
I haven’t bought any apps, so in the end, it’s basically PBS, the same network, but no longer “by appointment.” Instead, I’m using Passport (a PBS member benefit) to stream PBS shows, and I also watch whatever Apple has to offer. So far, it’s basically “Friends and Neighbors,” with Jon Hamm. I was a big fan of “Mad Men,” and, as my friend Paul LaRosa states in his review, he will always be Don Draper. He is older, but just as brilliant as he was in “Mad Men,” and the show has an amusing story line and savvy teases that keep you guessing.
Head over to his Substack to get his opinion on the new show.
Do I miss cable? I do miss “Jeopardy,” yes, but otherwise not much. Documentaries, the news channels, even the Weather Channel seemed disaster-inclined. The global and domestic issues around us are real and can’t be ignored, but watching them over and over on TV is pointless and even harmful.
Let me know what you think.