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Some Fredericksburg-area residents have decided to pull the plug on TV Date published: 7/25/2008
By KIM BAER About 35 years ago, Ed Sharp's TV broke down. He took the 15-inch black and white set to the repair shop, then forgot to pick it up. A couple of months later, Sharp's nephew was going off to college and mentioned that he didn't have a TV. "I have one that's in the shop," Sharp told his nephew. "I'll give it to you." He picked up the TV, paid the $30 bill and gave it to him. The Stafford County resident hasn't had a TV since. He's so busy canoeing, biking, running and reading that he doesn't miss it. "When I was growing up, we didn't have a TV at home," said Sharp, 68. "So I never really got into TV." Going against the grain Sharp and others like him are part of a small group. Only about 1 percent of people nationwide don't own a TV, according to Nielsen Media Research. Most Americans have at least two TVs, Nielsen has found. The television is typically on for more than eight hours a day, according to Nielsen, with most people watching for more than four hours a day. Too much TV has been linked to many of society's troubles, such as rising obesity rates and increases in attention deficit disorder. Because of these potential negative effects, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting TV to one to two hours a day for children. To be sure, watching TV has benefits, says Elayne Rapping, a professor at the University of Buffalo who studies television and pop culture. Since the end of World War II, she said, TV has been the main source for "educating and socializing new generations." Those who don't watch are "out of the loop." "In a country that's increasingly fragmented," she said, "television is really our common ground." OUT OF THE TV LOOP Those who don't watch admit to sometimes feeling disconnected. Every once in awhile, Jonathan Sjordal or his wife will hear about an upcoming documentary or election event and wish they had cable service. Sharp notices the difference when doing crossword puzzles. He has trouble finding ones that don't ask questions about sports figures or TV shows.
Date published: 7/25/2008
I've got a nice HD LCD set. Pretty much all I do with it is play PS3 and watch Blu-Ray movies. I can't stand sitting on a couch and vegging out. I watch less than 1 hour of TV a month, and that is mostly the Sirius channels for music. I think I'd rather have my $50+ a month to spend elsewhere, especially now that you can 'rent/buy' movies on the PS3 store.
/shameless ps3 plugs.
But it seems to spend more time just sitting there collecting dust. Yeah, I also have hi-def satellite service with a DVR as well, which is nice. Allows me to just record and save what I want to watch and then watch it at my convenience as well get to skip the commercials. However, I just find myself not watching much TV and prefer to be outside doing stuff or what have yea. As for news and weather, well that is what the internet is for these days. Much prefer to get that there instead of the TV.
Come on no TV, but you have the internet???? We have five TVs but my kids are healthy and fit. We do watch TV but we go to the gym too. Kids are not fat from watching TV or playing video games. They get fat because the parents let them sit there and do nothing.
I got rid of my television set years ago. However, the Internet has taken the role. You can get everything you want (news) from the Internet. The only things I miss are live sports.
I don’t think I ever really paid attention to it when I did. In the years since it’s been gone I haven’t missed it at all. We do watch DVD’s occasionally, and see TV when we go away, and stay in hotels, but TV is horrible these days. Nothing but commercials, I think there are more advertisements than there is actual program. Not to mention that TV is a big contributor to childhood obesity. Kids use to play outside all day, now many are couch potatoes before they reach 10 years old.
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