NationStates Jolt Archive

I've seen this idea bandied about on other forums and am still of two minds about it, but hell, it's early in the morning and I've got nothing better to do than make threads (I could go back to bed, I suppose but...).

So if you have cable, and you have, say, 80 channels, there's probably a good 30 or so of them that you don't even bother stopping on as you surf through the day. I don't have cable, but when I did, they included stuff like Lifetime, CNBC, anything that claimed to be a music channel, anything that claimed to be a family channel, and anything that claimed to be there to save your soul. I was, however, a C-SPAN geek.

So if you ran a cable company, what channels would you get rid of and why? Which channels would definitely be on your "keep" list?

I'd axe all the English-speaking ones.

So if you ran a cable company, what channels would you get rid of and why? Which channels would definitely be on your "keep" list?
I'd keep the profitable ones.

I love the idea of selecting my channels instead of having them selected. I wouldn't have the Disney Channel/Family Channel/CMT etc.

I would have the Spanish channels, not because they don't have value, but because I don't speak Spanish and if it was only for me. Though I really should learn Spanish. I live in California...Learning a piddling of French just doesn't cut it.

What I would have doesn't really paint that great a picture of me, but ah well.
Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, TV Land, Speed, IFC, Sundance, G4, whatever the name of that techtv channel I had in the Bay Area that ran reruns of Thunderbirds..., Food Network because I gotz to have Iron Chef, some of the fodder channels because everyonce in a while something comes on them I want to see, History Channel, Discovery, TLC, C-SPAN is actually kinda cool because it's just naked government. It's good to tune in and actually see something batshit just happen. The news channels are amusing to have just to watch the dog and pony show.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, or is on my favorites memory buttons...

The ones that emulate terrible terrestrial daytime TV, eg UKTV Bright Ideas. And MTV cos there's rarely any bloody music on it these days, and when there is, it tends to be woeful.

I'd keep things most of the documentary and news channels.

I'd keep the profitable ones.
Yeah, I can see that logic, but that would mean killing off the C-SPAN channels, which I think offer a valuable public service, as do the PBS stations. I mean, Trinity Broadcasting is really profitable, but do the folks on that station really offer a greater public benefit than being able to watch Congress?

Yeah, I can see that logic, but that would mean killing off the C-SPAN channels, which I think offer a valuable public service, as do the PBS stations. I mean, Trinity Broadcasting is really profitable, but do the folks on that station really offer a greater public benefit than being able to watch Congress?
I was going to write a little more, but I was in a terse mood at the time. Profitable means anything that's going to leave me with more subscribers. CSPAN is probably has a high benefit-to-cost ratio, meaning it doesn't cost much for the number of subscribers that desire it. Carrying Trinity will bring in the dollars, at least here in the South. Shopping channels probably pay me to be broadcast, so they're staying. I'll bet my lineup would look a lot like Bellsouth or Comcast does right now.

I was going to write a little more, but I was in a terse mood at the time. Profitable means anything that's going to leave me with more subscribers. CSPAN is probably has a high benefit-to-cost ratio, meaning it doesn't cost much for the number of subscribers that desire it. Carrying Trinity will bring in the dollars, at least here in the South. Shopping channels probably pay me to be broadcast, so they're staying. I'll bet my lineup would look a lot like Bellsouth or Comcast does right now.
Yeah, you're probably right. Of course, I'm not bothered by any of it, as I've opted out of the system entirely--no cable, no satellite, no antenna. My tv is essentially a monitor for my Playstation 2 and my dvd player these days.

Yeah, you're probably right. Of course, I'm not bothered by any of it, as I've opted out of the system entirely--no cable, no satellite, no antenna. My tv is essentially a monitor for my Playstation 2 and my dvd player these days.
For me that'd be like disconnecting my feeding tube...
(btw I'm up this late/early this time because of the midnight showing of King Kong...which was totally worth it...)

ever seen the movie UHF with weird al yankovic?
something like that :)


i'd start up my own new channel with wall-to-wall family guy, futurama, spaced, star trek, scrapheap challenge, sliders, anime, and all manner of other geek shows...
and i'd axe all the "lifestyle" nonsense channels

and put a few more documentary channels in

i'd start up my own new channel with wall-to-wall family guy, futurama, spaced, star trek, scrapheap challenge, sliders, anime, and all manner of other geek shows...
and i'd axe all the "lifestyle" nonsense channels

and put a few more documentary channels inApart from the anime bit, I would happily pay to watch your cable service...Chuck in Black Books, Blackadder and the like and we have a deal :p

Apart from the anime bit, I would happily pay to watch your cable service...Chuck in Black Books, Blackadder and the like and we have a deal :p
:eek: how could i forget!? and red dwarf too! hell yeah :)

Yeah, you're probably right. Of course, I'm not bothered by any of it, as I've opted out of the system entirely--no cable, no satellite, no antenna. My tv is essentially a monitor for my Playstation 2 and my dvd player these days.
Netflix has a distribution center in Duluth, GA. Not quite down the road, but only a three day turn for movies. We have cable because the kids will watch it when they come home, but that's about it. If I watch more than the local/national news, I feel like I'm just being lazy. On the other hand, if I watch a good movie, I consider it well worth my time.

Netflix has a distribution center in Duluth, GA. Not quite down the road, but only a three day turn for movies. We have cable because the kids will watch it when they come home, but that's about it. If I watch more than the local/national news, I feel like I'm just being lazy. On the other hand, if I watch a good movie, I consider it well worth my time.
I'm a Netflix freak, and I get my news, as well as most everything else, from the internet. I thrive on the written word, so the more time I spend reading instead of watching, the happier I am.