Getting ready to unhook from TV due to this article...anybody else similarly inspired?

[mahina]

Last edited Fri Feb 15, 2013, 07:19 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014399860

Dark money funded the wingers, as we knew, coming again from time warner, exxon, et al.

Anybody else made the jump?

I would miss the PBS news hour, Downton Abbey, John Steward, and Rachel. They are all online.

Though I don't watch them every day, I do tune in with some regularity, and like the Prairie Home Companion on Hawaii Public Radio, I do take some comfort in listening when they are broadcast. Maybe there is some vestige of the community hearth rooted in this, I don't know.

I just don't want to fund those horses' asses (Time Warner and Exxon etc) any more, at least as little as possible.

From TomCaDem's OP:
Source: ProPublica

Some of the nation’s biggest corporations donated more than a million dollars to launch a Republican nonprofit that went on to play a key role in recent political fights.

Like the nonprofit groups that poured money into last year’s elections, the decade-old State Government Leadership Foundation has been able to keep the identities of its funders secret. Until now.

A records request by ProPublica to the IRS turned up a list of the original funders of the group: Exxon, Pfizer, Time Warner, and other corporations put up at least 85 percent of the $1.3 million the foundation raised in the first year and a half of its existence, starting in 2003.

The donor list is stamped “not for public disclosure,” and was submitted to the IRS as part of the foundation’s application for recognition of tax-exempt status. If approved, such applications are public records.


Read more: http://www.propublica.org/article/big-corporations-put-up-seed-money-for-republican-nonprofit


Despite all the recent re-branding efforts of the Republican party, the fact of the matter is that it is still the same old Republican party with multinationals and billionaires pulling the strings from the shadows.
6

[marybourg]

1. I don't understand this.

You're going to stop watching public tv and listening to public radio to . . .?

[mahina]

3. We pay 145. monthly for tv and intertubes.

That's what would be going.

I would be donating to PBS and NPR in addition to current donations.

I can see how you may have misunderstood my post, thanks.

[marybourg]

5. I didn't MIS-understand. I didn't and still don't "understand".

First you cite rw donations to organizations that do not include public tv and radio, and you say you're going to disconnect from public tv and radio because of it. Now I think you saying you're going to disconnect from cable and continue to watch public tv and listen to public radio over the air and make donations. Do I have that right? So what does that have to do with rw corporate donations? Never mind, it's not important. Enjoy whatever you do.

[mahina]

6. The link may help.

Likewise!

[Livluvgrow]

2. I have an

outdoor antenna which gives me NBC, cw, Living well and three PBS stations. I live on a mountain in the middle of nowhere so most will have access to even more free over the air channels. I also have a Roku box that gives me access to more music and movies than I could possibly listen to or watch. All this for the price of an internet connection. I will never pay for tv again.

[mahina]

4. good to know!

A mountain in the middle of nowhere...sounds a little like home!

It must be lovely.

[bettyellen]

29. The "Leaf" antennae is really great too! You can usually

Get a lot more PBS stations that way. Cheap, easy.

[Mickju]

7. I have been TV free for 8 years

I dropped cable 8 years ago and finally gave my TV away. I have never regretted it. When I see TV at a friend's I am repulsed by it. You are just supporting our political enemies when you pay your cable bill.

[ThomThom]

30. I have been trying to give away a TV but no one wants it

it is not a flat screen
I gave up cable 5 years ago

[geckosfeet]

8. Similarly inspired,

about 25 years ago...

[msongs]

9. KHET does not broadcast over the airwaves so u can get it without cable? nt

[mahina]

10. I was pretty excited but nope,

unplugged the cable and there's snow from ch 3 on.

My son said the FCC stopped broadcasts over the air and made it all via cable. I'm sure there's a better way to put that.

Anyhow back to the mac!

[SharonAnn]

14. It's all digital, but still over the air.

You will need a digital converter box if you have an older TV.

If you can't get digital reception (due to distance from broadcasting towers), then you might need cable.

[Bluenorthwest]

16. You need a digital converter, which you can even make if you are that way inclined

Around here, people who do free tv only got many more choices when it went digital, including multiple channels of PBS as well as local affiliates of networks, etc. No cable involved.

[davidpdx]

11. I watch most of the programs through the internet

Of course one factor is that I'm outside the US and don't get much English programming. Our cable isn't expensive (we pay about $42 for cable/internet/internet phone) but it has gotten progressively crappy. They made Discovery Channel a premium channel which really sucked.

[Sunlei]

12. fox lies has several time slots on free tv, can't evade the propaganda arm of the republican party

I think PBS is about the best regular free news America has left. That's why republicans always attack public TV and radio.

CNN, BBC, PBS, Al Jazeera and many excellent foreign journalists, online and better than most American TV news shows.

[magical thyme]

13. I get 3 free PBS stations

up from 2 as of, I think, Jan 1. The newest one is called "Capital Connection" and broadcasts public hearings (I just got to watch the hearings on the proposed gun training in high school mandate, and felt reassured that it stands no chance of passing). Once we went digital, I stopped getting any tv during storms or on cloudy or windy days, but they must have cranked the signal recently because I got all my programs bright and clear right through the Blizzard of '13 and I no longer have to order the dogs to stay put and keep everything "just so" to keep the signal from fritzing out, lol. It's a *big* step up for me

I don't, and have never, paid for cable or satellite. I refuse to put up a rooftop antenna to get the free network teevee because I hated "reality television" from its inception. I never looked back.

I don't have high-speed internet yet. I was going to get it this year after I got a $19/month 1st year introductory rate card in the mail, but somehow I lost that card so never did sign up.

I watch Doc Martin, William and Mary, sometimes the Vicar of Digby, Downton Abbey, sometimes Nova, sometimes the travel and history programs. And now sometimes public legislative hearings and I just saw a brief interview with our newest Senator, Angus King. I'm liking this.

[Samantha]

15. Several decades ago when television was free and cable was pitched

there were three reasons given why people would want to pay for cable. (1) No repeats; (2) no commercial interruptions; and, (3) higher quality of content.

Looking at what I pay monthly for cable and seeing what it charges today for such great shows as Perry Mason, Bonanza (well practically all the good ones) and remembering how they were broadcast free for months each season just solidifies the fact that we are all being gouged. Looking at the number of channels I pay for that are paid advertisements for half an hour, knowing that the viewer is paying and the advertiser is paying as well and the cable company is laughing all the way to the bank, is depressing.

Sam

[mahina]

17. Exactly! Added to which, we we move toward retina displays at 300 dpi,

online images will be as high resolution as print media, which will increase broadband appetite more than 400%.

[Yo_Mama]

18. I did long ago

I don't think you'll miss it. NPR is on radio, and the good stuff is online. You'll have more hours in your day.

[onenote]

19. I'm still having trouble understanding this: there are no cable companies on that list

I'm guessing that you are a Time Warner Cable subscriber and because "Time Warner" is on the list you feel compelled to drop your cable service. But Time Warner Inc. and Time Warner Cable are completely separate companies. The address of the company on the list "Time Warner" is 75 Rock, which is the address of Time Warner Inc. (Time Warner Cable's address is 10 Columbus Circle).

Maybe I'm missing something, but its just not clear why you are dropping your television service.

[mahina]

21. Oceanic Time Warner is pretty much a monopoly here.

They control 94% of the cable market here.

I just learned that Hawaiian Telcom plans to roll out a competitive cable service, and I've written to inquire if they will offer it in my neighborhood.

As with our electric utility, Oceanic Time Warner had a functional monopoly. No longer, it seems, which is good news for those of us who would rather not fund the far right with a monthly check, but still want to watch the UH games.

[onenote]

24. what does that have to do with the list of names in your OP

As I noted, the company "Time Warner" listed there is Time Warner Inc - the company that owns Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Warner Bros. Studio, HBO, CNN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, New Line Cinema, Adult Swim, the CW Network and other media properties.

Your OP indicated you were dropping your cable service because it somehow tied back to companies that support RW organizations as indicated on the list linked in your OP. But your cable company is owned by Time Warner Cable, which is not on that list and has had no connection to Time Warner Inc. since 2009. However, it is a guarantee that if you sign up with the new company that is starting up a service to compete with Time Warner Cable in Hawaii you will be supporting Time Warner Inc just as much as you do now, because it is a rock solid certainty that your new cable company, like your old one, will be paying money to Time Warner Inc for the right to carry its channels.

I don't question your desire for competition in cable service and hope you get it and it gets you improved service and price. But I still don't get how politics has anything to do with your decision.

[Marrah_G]

20. I gave up cable tv last fall

I use Netflix and Hulu to watch shows, Red Box to watch more recent movies. Sometimes it means waiting a while to see something, but it's worth the savings.

Most TV's can now hook right up to your computer and you can use dvd players and gaming consoles to watch things like netflix and hulu.

[Coyotl]

25. I've spent 20 years without looking at a T-V

to avoid cultural contamination, basically. Television is a not-always-subtle propaganda and behavioral modification and control tool, and should be avoided as much as possible.

[Marrah_G]

31. I don't completely feel the same, but I respect your PoV.

I still watch shows on the internet. I like documentaries most, science, history. And I like Sci-Fi.

I don't avoid it, I just don't pay for it. I watch the shows I want to watch. Like I've worked my way through all the Star Trek series the last couple months. The only downside is that I have to wait a season to see a couple shows that I love like Downton Abbey and The Walking Dead

[brooklynite]

22. What else are you going to give up?

Are you confident that every food product you buy is from an acceptably non-conservative company? Every piece of clothing? The gas you buy for your car?

If you want to lead an ideologically pure life, more power to you, but I don't think it's actually that easy.

[mahina]

23. Classic logical fallacy, reducto ad absurdum

What we lost when we stopped teaching critical thinking, man oh man.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reductio%20ad%20absurdum

Definition of REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM

1: disproof of a proposition by showing an absurdity to which it leads when carried to its logical conclusion

2: the carrying of something to an absurd extreme
Origin of REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM

Late Latin, literally, reduction to the absurd

---
Caps are c/o Merriam Webster, not my own.

[mountain grammy]

27. Realistically it's nearly impossible to lead an ideologically pure life but, as liberals,

we do what we can. We support Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, AU, and a few other organizations that we believe are fighting for truth, justice and the American way. We do that with dollars we don't spend supporting businesses we know support RW causes. It's complicated, and we're not by any means 100%, but Chik fil A will never get a dime out of us for it's support of homophobic groups. Just sayin' know where your money's going and make a choice.

[libodem]

26. TV is still free

Over the airwaves. Get a converter box and rabbit ears like me. Even out here in Bumfuck Boise, I have 4 PBS chanels. You should have, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Faux.

[hamsterjill]

28. I unhooked two weeks ago after being a 30 year Time Warner customer.

Just got tired of their lack of customer service, and in all fairness, I simply wasn't watching enough on television to justify the expense. So far, I'm not missing it.

In time, I'm sure there will be instances where I regret my decision, but I'm planning to use the money saved to get to some financial goals faster, and I will remind myself about that when and if I miss cable.

[mahina]

33. I was hoping for your post, exactly.

Thank you!

[GreenStormCloud]

32. We unhooked January of 2008. Don't miss it.

My job went overseas and the company my wife worked for closed its doors, on the same day. We went from a nice income to unemployed overnight. We had to cut every expense we could so the TV satellite went the same day.

[Cha]

34. Good on you, mahina!

I stopped ALL corporate news in 2002 but wasn't until 2010 when I left my tv in New York and moved back to Kaua'i that I finally unhooked.

I like my shows, though, and watch them online through hulu, netflix, cbs, and pbs. I saw "red box" in your thread and will have to check out what that's all about.

[mahina]

35. Hey Cha!

Red box kind of sucks though. I've tried it a few times and find for myself anyway that I rack up the late fees.

My brother uses Green something? He says it's like Netflix 3.0 but he doesn't watch as many movies as I do. I'm kind of a nut about indie flicks.

Is it as cold and wet over there as it is here? Holy cow, we've got some ua coming down.

Take care sister, a hui you

[Cha]

36. Now I think I know what redbox is.. like those machines

in the supermarkets. I thought it was an online streamer thing. I get some great dvds at the Library sometimes and I have netflix mail order, too. I probably have enough sources.

I am very much a vid nut.

It's not that cold or wet.. intermittent rain today and I wore a long sleeve this morning but changed to shorter sleeve by 10am.

I welcome some cooler weather over here.. it was way too hot this summer/fall on Kapaa side.

You take care, too, Mahina! Aloha~