No I’m not endorsing the 2008 Torrent SUV (or whatever that car is), I’m demonstrating our crystal clear TV reception…with $17 rabbit ears from Radio Shack.
I often rant about our cable company Time-Warner and how much I despise it. Buck feels the same way. We have the package that combines TV, telephone, and Internet service. If you’re familiar with these packages you know that they find out which channel you really want, in our case that would be the Speed Channel (which for us is job-related). We had to have HBO if we wanted the Speed Channel, so that’s what we got despite the fact we rarely watch HBO, if at all.
In late July we received a letter informing all Time-Warner subscribers that its rates will be increasing in a few weeks. This would put our monthly bill at about $200, almost half of it going towards cable TV.
We were so disgusted with this new circumstance — because we can think of about a dozen things we’d rather do with a hundred bucks than spend it on TV — we called Time-Warner and canceled it.
Yes we canceled TV.
And then we went to Radio Shack and bought an old-fashioned antenna for $17. But we quickly learned that old-fashioned antennas aren’t so old-fashioned anymore. We plugged it into the television (it comes with a 6′ easy-to-use cable that simply plugs in to the TV) and watched as our TV came on with a crystal clear picture.
Well.
We were stunned into silence, staring at this reception that was as good as what we’d been paying all that money for every month for the past I-don’t-know-how-many-years. And because we can read each others minds, we said in unison, “Fuck you, Time-Warner.”
Granted, we don’t get all the specialty channels that come with cable TV, but we still get PBS and Fox, as well as NBC, CBS, ABC, and about a dozen channels out of Mexico.
The weird thing is that while we live and die by TV, when we don’t have it we don’t care. We just don’t care. And we’d rather watch the shows we love like Sunny In Philadelphia and Flight of the Concords we’d rather watch on DVD anyway, because we have addictive personalities and want to watch them in marathon sessions.
And there are tons of shows you can watch online. You’ll find a partial list of them here.
We’ll have to buy the converter box by January, but it’s a one time purchase and you can get a coupon for that here.
I’m blogging about this because I want people to know you don’t have to be a slave to the cable TV and Dish companies. If you’re interested but nervous about making the break, go buy an antenna and try it before you cancel your cable or dish. You can always return the antenna if you don’t like it.
But I’ve gotta tell you, there’s an incredible sense of freedom that comes with eliminating the cable TV bill from your monthly budget.
P.S. – If you’re interested in the same antenna we bought, click on the photo and it will take you to Radio Shack.
I may seriously consider that. I’m hooked on HGTV shows, however. They make for great non-thinking, non-drama viewing. I was telling my kids yesterday how I haven’t watched the news in weeks because it’s too depressing. Murder here, child or elder or pet abuse there, and on and on… it sickens me and is negative energy I don’t want to absorb. So I watch happy, silly shows about someone buying their first house, funny decorating show competitions, and other harmless shows. I swear, I think HGTV is about my only channel…. until CSI comes back on this fall, but then, that’s on a major network, so I could do that.
Also, my daughter doesn’t have a cable jack in her room. I might suggest to her getting one of those for her TV. Good idea!
I’m the same way about watching the news, I just can’t stand it anymore. It’s too depressing. So when we broke it down to what we actually watch it just wasn’t worth $90. Your daughter should try the antenna. We chose that one over others because it 5 1/2 stars from 42 reviewers, people liked it best, even more so than the more expensive antennas with all these “boosters” etc.
I gave up the TV quite some time ago and now watch everything I need to through the internet. Easy and free! Congrats and a big FU to Time Warner from me.
Hi Beth! When we began researching this we discovered there are tons of people out there who are sick of huge cable bills and have eliminated the problem by switching to an antenna or are watching their TV shows online like you do. On YouTube I saw lots of videos by people who won’t even buy an antenna, they make their own and show you how! But that’s a little more scientific than I wanted to be, so we bought one. During the day I’ll pull up a show on my desktop computer — like Lost or something I don’t normally watch, and I love the convenience of having only one or two brief commercials.
Wow – this is awesome. I love that you are sticking it to the cable company. I so want to do this! I hate relying on companies and their freaking packages and leasing/contract terms. Remember how we used to get these things broadcast for free? And then remember how cable was supposed to show movies without commercial interruption? Like you, I would rather watch DVDs of my favorite shows. I don’t like being a slave to the television and barely turn it on during the day while TGH is at work. So many other things to do. So much more life to live. 🙂 I’m proud to know you!
You go, Wendy!
Well thank you Teeni! 🙂 I do remember when we got these shows for free, which is why it’s been such an outrage having to pay for seeing NBC or ABC and the other “regular” channels. I wish I’d thought of the antenna before. Woulda coulda shoulda.
And DVDs really are the way to go with your favorites. If it’s a show I love and know I’ll watch again and again I buy the whole season, it’s a no-brainer for me with shows like It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. I’m like, is it worth $20? Hell yes. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve watched it, or how many times my kids have watched it. And it’s commercial free!
Well… this is just fantastic!
I too, am an addictive personality and need to watch shows in their entirety while having the option of skipping intros and previews. DVD’s for me please!
I’ve found that while I LOVE watching certain shows, my shows are all on the basic cable channels. So what am I paying for the cable for? All I really want is the internet…. CANCEL THE CABLE!!
Oh this is exciting, I need to convince Tristan now.
FUCK YOU WAVE BROADBAND AND YOUR SHITTY PRICES!
muhahahah
Revolution Wendy – they should make a barbie out of you….
It’s funny that you used the word “exciting” because that’s exactly how we describe it. It’s exciting not to give Time-Warner $90 a month and it’s exciting to have all this time we’re not wasting watching shows we don’t even care about. 🙂
Did I email you the Cape Cod Barbies photos? I got it from Joan originally. Did I send it to you?
I’m so sick of giving my money to cable companies I could puke, and I do watch too many stupid shows. Now I really understand those bumper stickers that said “Kill Your Television” or whatever they said. And now that our girl Denise Richards is being cancelled, what’s the point of having television? If she returned for a second season I would just rented or bought it on DVD. It’s so much better that way, isn’t it? No commercials, no waiting a week to see what happens. I love having the option of special features like interviews and jumping over the credits, etc.
I hope you give it a try and you like it. We chose the antenna we did because it got great reviews, better than more expensive ones with special “boosters.” In an apartment you might need to have your antenna near a window, but I don’t really know.
I, too, hate Time-Warner. Mostly because they keep insisting on putting Keanu Reeves in their movies.
Are you trying to enrage me? 👿 I LOVE Keanu…who doesn’t like Keanu? 🙂 Now Time-Warner, well that’s a whole other story…
Don’t even get me started on Time Warner!
LOL
I too use the internet to watch TV now.
It’s FREE! And I get to see programs from all over the world I would have never seen normally.
Mainly BBC shows.
Time-Warner…UGH! I hate them and I’m furious we’ve given them so much money over time.
I like BBC shows too, and watching them on the Internet is so convenient. I usually have something on in the background while I’m working, anything from 30 Rock to House, although last week I watched Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which was fascinating. And fun.
ohhhh, so THIS is where aimee got the idea to shut off the cable…
Well, I’ve got to say, I wholeheartedly agree. Back on cape all we had was basic cable (all the channels you have plus tbs and lifetime=why bother)
Now that we have fancy cable (not fancy fancy, but fancy enough) we hardly spend time together. I mean we spend time in the same room, but TV is addictive. I noticed the other day that whenever i went to go check it out for a second “just to see whats on then i’ll turn it off” i wind up sitting on my ass for atleast 3 hours, usually more.
Anyway, we’re shutting the cable off, and life should resume shortly after…
We did the same thing, we’d go in to turn off the TV and end up watching Flava of Love or something equally stupid.
We had the TV turned off before we bought the antenna because we were hell-bent on eliminating that bill no matter what, even if it meant no TV at all. If you’re on the fence about it you might want to buy the antenna first and try it out. In your apartment your TV may need to be near a window? I don’t really know. Try it. You can always get your $18 back if you don’t like it. 🙂
STAND UP AND BE COUNTED! Good for you. This was a feel-good post. You’ve done your good deed for the week. maybe longer?
I’m a little nervous about standing up to be counted. I do not want jury duty, ever! 🙂
Cape Cod Barbies? No you didn’t send me those… I have seen the pic you have on your myspace with the Barbie smoking a cigarette (it cracks me up every time I see it)
Wait, what did you say about Denise being canceled? This is horse shit!? Is this because of her freakout in the season finale because ya know… she’s had a hard year… she hasn’t proved to the world that she doesn’t suck yet!!! NOOOOOO! Such sadness. 😦
Maybe I don’t understand how this works but… I can’t just plug the tv cable into the wall and get the basic channels? I need an antennae now? Since when!? I used to have an “A/B” switch and I had to flip the switch in order to get disney… I don’t know why that was but it’s funny to think about now.
I’m totally canceling the cable once I get home from Vegas… as long as they’ll let me keep my internet. 😉 I cannot live without that!
That’s the word on the street about our beloved Denise. If you Google “Denise Richards canceled” you’ll see lots of speculation up and down the interwebs.
The antenna just plugs into the TV simple and easy. What I was talking about was the possibility of interference if your apartment is in the center of your building or whatever. I just don’t know enough about science…Damn you every science teacher I ever had! But I’m pretty sure that could be remedied by putting the antenna near a window. The main thing you want to do is keep it away from other electrical wires, like the stereophonic HiFi record player or whatever you kids are listening to these days.
Do try it out before you cancel your cable. 🙂
So I have a question: Where do you all rent your DVDs from? Netflix? Somewhere else? Where you get your whole season on DVD shows? I seriously want to know because I could save some BIG BUCKs from the Comcastic folks, you know….
Well, if it’s a show that I love and will watch again and again (we eat dinner on the couch every night and watch Family Guy) I’ll buy the boxed set new or used. Some stores sell both nowadays. The key is to get something you know you’ll watch repeatedly, otherwise you’re not saving any money. I did Netflix for awhile and they’re good for the simple fact you don’t have late fees and can keep the movies as long as you like. But if you rent whole seasons of a TV show with Netflix they may not all arrive at the same time.
Good going! All cable companies are the same. Comcast’s latest scam to get you to upgrade is to move channels from the basic to the digital tier so, if you want something like TruTV (which is life blood to my girlfriend) you have to upgrade.
Time-Warner did that same thing here, the moved a bunch of basic channels to the upgrade. I hate all the cable companies.
I did it! In Utah, our cable provider is Comcast (or more lovingly known as “ComCrap). But I just canceled my service with those thieves a couple days ago.
Dish Network guy is coming in to set us up with like twice the HD channels for half the price. Woohoo!
As for Keanu Reeves… well, I guess I can give him another chance, but only because I love The Day the Earth Stood Still so much. If the remake turns out to be crappy, well, I won’t have much choice but to make Keanu the scapegoat 🙂
Good for you, Stu! And I’m in awe of anyone with HD.
Thanks for giving me the heads up on fabulous film star Keanu’s new work of art (which I’m sure it will be!). 🙂
Flight of the Conchords and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia!??!?!?
OH goody, I love you ten times more now!!! (didn’t know that was possible…)
PS: the crush that I have on Bret is out of control.. 😉
Oh my god, Romi, you and Bret would make such an adorable couple! If only we could figure out a way for the two of you to meet. But we can’t screw it up and have you end up with Charlie by accident. As cute and funny as Charlie is, he does have a few issues and is a self-admitted “abortion survivor.”
I heard that writing for FotC is going well and they’ll begin production very soon.
Excellent! The good thing about HBO — no, the great thing about HBO is they don’t hesitate to put their shows on DVD. There’s no waiting with an HBO show, and sometimes they’re on the shelves at the same time they’re on TV, like with that Thomas Jefferson mini-series (which was like watching paint dry, by the way). I don’t think the FotC season finale was over for two weeks before the boxed set was on the shelves. That’s the only good thing I can say about HBO, their series and documentaries (Ganja Queen was excellent), and their rush to get the DVDs into stores. But they’re really lacking in the movie department.
I’ve liked their documentary series this summer. I’m looking forward to the one on Helen Thomas. I liked The Recruiter (especially the section where, shortly after a couple of locals came back in bags, his calls weren’t being returned) and Heidi Fleiss looked like someone losing their mind.
You’re so right about the dearth of good movies but, is it HBO’s fault or the movie industry? I don’t know if the other movie networks are that much better but if they are HBO better get off their ass and start picking up some good movies.
I’ve been watching Generation Kill then having weekly discussions with a friend who got back from there last month. He says it’s pretty close. I wouldn’t mind the shitty movies if they continued to put on great series. I like the idea of having a series that only last six or eight episodes. Get in, get out, leave a good looking series.
I don’t know if it’s HBO’s fault about the movies but it sure seems like they play old stuff for way too long. The summer documentaries have been great, and when they stick with a series it’s great…unlike the way they totally screweup up John From Cincinnati and pulled the plug withou tying up any loose ends. I was so pissed off about that I nearly canceled it then.
Generation Kill looks fascinating. When it comes out on DVD I’m going to sit and watch the entire show in one long marathon.
I did it. Then they demanded an answer as to why I would be so foolish to cancel my cable programming. I replied with the one thing they couldn’t argue with:
“I don’t have a TV”
Well that settles that! I kept my internet though… can’t live without that!
🙂
Well good for you! I could never get rid of the Internet either, but the loss of cable TV is something we’re having no problem with. It’s kind of strange at first, but since we bought the antenna I’ve found myself watching movies (Legally Blond) and shows (Flashpoint on CBS) that I actually like but never would have watched if we still had cable. And I love not giving all that money to the cable company!
Well, I’m glad you’re happy with your new reception, but you’ve also answered a long standing question in my mind. Every time I watched those commercials advertising that digital TV is coming in 2009 and that sets not using cable won’t work, I kept asking myself, “Who still uses rabbit ears??!”
Now I know. It’s you, Wendy.
Of course, I’d envisioned a black and white family (a “grayscale” family, not a mixed racial family) huddled around a huge wooden box filled with vacuum tubes and a giant six-inch screen. Now that vision has been replaced by you and Buck and I’ll think of you every time I see that commercial.
Have you thought about Dish? I love my dish… Or you could go back to listening to the radio full time. Or the Victrola. =P
Actually, I might have some of Edison’s wax cylinders in my attic.
I’m kidding, obviously, because I hate paying for what I can easily steal – er, pirate – no, that’s not right either… liberate. That’s it. I hate paying for what I can easily liberate from the Internet anyhow.
Torrents ahoy!
I think the cost of Cable TV is a little ridiculous. But so is everything today. Do you think satellite TV is a better value?
I also have Roadrunner in my area and laughed at it, I have only had cable when I live with a 5 roommates is college or when it was part of the rent. The packages deals alway sound good til the intro rate is over then it sucks.
Thanks for this good post. I really love this tv show. Can’t wait for the another episode ! Keep up the awesome work with this 🙂