Monday, February 18, 2019

No TV for a week!

But it’s not a punishment. And in truth, it’s only cable news, not TV. It’s been no CNN or MSNBC for a week, and I feel fine.

I’ve tried it before: from November 8 to December 13, I watched no television news, save for an episode of the PBS NewsHour dedicated to Gwen Ifill. At some point the news went back on. I confess: I was a backslider, reading with CNN on in the background, watching The 11th Hour (at 10 Central) and feeling dread. And then I decided (again) — enough.

My eyes and ears are open and my head is nowhere near the sand: I am keeping up with the news by reading The New York Times and The Washington Post and listening to NPR. I’ve made the mistake of tuning in to cable news just twice, hitting 1-3-5 or 1-3-8 on the remote out of habit. Once I got someone saying “But it will never pass in the Senate.” And once I got a commercial. I don’t think I’ve missed much.

[I had already pretty much given up on the PBS NewsHour: it makes everything feel too normal.]

comments: 4

zzi said...

Bad 2 weeks for Democrats.

Michael Leddy said...

Good grief, zzi, this post is about cable news and how the Surgeon General has determined that it’s hazardous to my health. It’s not about the fortunes of any political party.

zzi said...

You're preaching to the choir. I turned in my cable box the Feb. of the Kerry election. We didn't cut cords back then. I was still using flat antenna wire. Thanks to digital TV, I enjoy the sub channels shows. You can use your tablet or phone to get CNN audio and there always the fair minded NPR. Now go the full monty and "cut that cord."

Michael Leddy said...

Can I use “good grief” again? I was writing about cable news, not cable TV. Cable-Internet-landline are a good deal in these parts. I have no intention of giving up my channels.