CNN.com - The Marquee

I am not watching. I am actually doing other things more creative that parking it on the couch.

I a 25 -year-old female graduate student. At the end of winter, I became overwhealmed with the constant visual and aural onslot of the television. Everything is overstimulating and lacking intelligent substance, so I've simply stopped watching. Instead, I've turned to the New York Times' Bestseller list, and find I'm much happier, and peaceful.

We still have a few appointment shows: Heroes, Lost, Idol, The Office, 30 Rock. We will usually just sit down and watch these, ads and all. This is for no other reason than that we're tired from work and just want to veg. More and more, though, we will have something else better to do - online gaming - and we will catch our shows on the Web. We've been thinking lately about getting rid of cable all together and just paying one bill for Internet service. Internet and TV are becoming so redundant anyway - why pay twice for the same thing?

I am watching much less television simply because most of it is just not worth watching. Even the news is infortainment at best, designed simply to grab eyeballs rather than to report news. I read much more and just don't spend as much time in front of the black box. I don't miss it at all.

I've switched to FOX NEWS for honest and balanced reporting and unbiased commentary.

I watch Law and Order, even the re-runs. I don't have much time, it's a great show and it's always on.

I don't watch TV news at all anymore, as I no longer believe it (that unfortunately includes CNN). I get news from what's left of the NY Times and the web.

No time for TV generally! Life in the New Millenium...

Gee, you put on shows like "Nanny 911", "Trading Spouses", "Thank God You're Here", "The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman", "The Apprentice LA", etc and then wonder why viewership is down? Could it be because the shows suck?
Or maybe its the commericals every 7 minutes...

TV viewing has always been a last choice for me. This year I have enjoyed Raines, but resorted to the online episodes when they switched to Friday nights. I had family activites or event tickets on every Friday night it was broadcast. Online viewing has probably not been considered in the ratings. Thanks for the opportunity to comment!

Lost, The Office, American Idol, The Amazing Race, House..

I watch it on Tivo AFTER they air (skip those commercials!)

Some shows, like Thank God You're Here, are NOT worth watching with the commercials on! (really good content is only about 10 minutes worth!)

Nothing on worth watching. Tired of reruns, medical shows, reality shows. Only thing worth watching is Survivor, CSI's, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. The rest is just trash.

During the day my TV is tuned to Fox News. In the evening we watch the CSIs (Miami, etc.) and Law and Orders. We also like Shark and American Idol. We watched Americas Got Talent last summer and may do so again this summer.

We TiVo what we don't get to watch when it is broadcast and watch it later or when everyone interested can be there.

My family DVRs almost everything. We rarely watch a show when it airs, and some shows sit in our DVR for weeks with several episodes building up before we ever get around to a "mini-marathon". I prefer to watch tv when I'm bored, not on the networks' schedules.

TV executives need to find ways to do more product placements in shows due to DVR's. I watch more TV programs than I did in the past in a shorter amount of time due to skipping %100 of the commercials. When watching an hour drama, I record it and tune in roughly 15-20 minutes in to the show to "catch-up" to live TV. This saves time and annoying advertisements.

There is a perfectly good reason that people are not watching TV like they used to in the past... They have had to take on either a second job or work more overtime just to pay their mortgages (due to home loan scams), choose between food or prescription medication, or just keep their automobiles filled with gas. When you have the economy changing as quickly as it has in the past several years under Republican rule--who cares what is on TV. We are all more worried about gas prices, keeping a roof over our heads, prescription costs, food prices, and how will we survive when we get old.

I rarely watch shows when they are run "live" on TV anymore. I, like many people, have DVR and record most of the shows and watch them later, sometimes days later. One of the major reasons is that I can skip commercials and enjoy the show when I can fit it into my schedule.

I can enjoy a show like Lost at 7pm the next day with no commercials in about 45 minutes. Count me in.

We don't watch television in our home at all. We haven't for the last 10 years. I don't think we're missing a thing. There are so many other wonderful things to do besides watching television!

Unfortunately, there's really nothing entertaining on TV anymore. It's loaded with reality TV shows and other nonsense. When I flip through 150 channels and find nothing interesting it almost to the point where I'm considering canceling my cable service altogether.

The television is dying. Why would I let someone tell me what to watch, when to watch it, and also bother me with countless commercials, when I can download pretty much anything I want from the net, for free, and watch it when I want…..without the intrusion of ads. There doesn’t seem to be any comparison for me. And while I realize that commercial pay for programs, well, we’ll figure that all out when the time comes…

The TV is not on in my house and for the most part hasn't been for almost three years. Music is always on and occasionally a DVD to watch a good movie. Life is busy. There are far more important things to do than watch the dribbling of entertainment and mindless shows. There are plenty of fun/entertaining activities in the real world. We run, we hike, we canoe, we read, we talk, we cook, we travel. We are current on local and world events by reading daily newspapers, the WSJ, and staying informed via the Internet. We don't miss TV one bit in our home. It was like getting rid of a BAD habit and has been truly revitalizing. I wish more families would break the nasty habit.

The amount of commercial time is ANNOYING....Most of the commercials appear to be written by the village idiots. I just tape whatever I want to watch and then God bless the FF button and the MUTE button.

When they turned off the remote networks (east coast feeds) from my satellite dish, I stopped watching the CBS,NBC,ABC FOX channels. The local channels are horrible. The announcements are hokey and the newscasters are gawky. So I wait for reruns on anything but local channels. With the remotes (east coast feed) I was able to watch the networks earlier, and get some decent ads and announcements. I could get good newscasts. Now I watch reruns. I do make An American Idol once a week however.

I find that I go to the network web sites and watch the episodes at my convenience. There is usually just one commercial whereas
on TV they show so many commer-cials during one break that I forget what the first one was.I can also pause and go back at my
convenience. I would definitely watch more if more shows were accessible in this way.

I think viewers not sticking around after a shark jump isn't a problem so much as networks not giving new shows any chance whatsoever. Smith got cancelled after 3 episodes, Black Donnellys got cancelled after 6, and many others I never got a chance to check out had similar fates. The networks are suffering from worse ADD than the public is, and it leads a large segment of the public to not give any new shows a chance now because they'll get cancelled anyway. If networks at least gave shows a full season you'd see more viewer retention and some of those new shows would actually find an audience.

The fcc should fine the net works for sex an cursing on tv.Then put on 26 weeks of a show each year.When the writers can not think of a storey,they put in sex an profanity.

My family and I don't watch most TV. Why? Networks create new shows and remove shows. Over and over trying to find the magic numbers. I'm tired of getting hooked and getting dumped! I made the mistake of watching "Men in Trees" and look what happened. I'm tired of it. We watch LOST and NCIS, when we are ready to watch. I DVR those 2 shows. You have to LOVE not being chained to a time or day that the BIG GUYS choose.

My time is limited in watching shows, so when I do finally sit down to watch them, I don't want a rerun stuck in a week between two new episodes. I gave up on Grey's Anatomy because they put reruns in the middle of the season. I DVR Brothers and Sisters for the late time it is on and the middle reruns. I won't watch American Idol anymore because the talented ones get voted off due to what I believe the inability to get through on phone lines. I also can't stand the way they drag out the show. So I am very selective now.

I have been waiting for a forum to voice my opinion. I am ready to turn off the tv and just rent a year at a time of shows I like when they come out on dvd. Why????

1. Shows that are good have long, long breaks in the season now. It ruins the momentum entirely and I feel as though I am being bilked for profits.

2. Shows just aren't as good. I love Grey's Anatomy, but last week they hyped a two hour mega show. I was eager, and then it was a lousy (and I do mean lousy)show to hype a new spin off. Very little was Grey's, and the spin off (which could have been good) was totally juvenile and insulting. I am not interested in it, and again feel ripped off for profits.

3. People like to sink into an easy chair at the end of the day to watch a show they enjoy on a predictable schedule.....a moment of escape..........a moment of relaxation. TV executives are hardly providing that anymore, and there are simply better things to do with one's time to achieve escape and relaxation. TV is doing a job on itself by underestimating its viewership. We are not all 20 and stupid.........not that the two are synonymous! But the shows mostly are that, and they even now have found a way to ruin the good ones.

My Wife and I are to the point where we only turn on the TV for sports, news, and King of Queens. (need some balance). Reality TV has turned us off. The question should not be 'Where have all the viewers gone', but 'Where have all the good shows gone?'

There aren't many shows that I'm extremely excited to watch. I watch Grey's Anatomy, but it's not a big deal if I miss it. I know I can just catch it online. I also love Law & Order: SVU, but it's ALWAYS on so I know I'm bound to catch it.

Honestly, there really isn't anything on TV that I feel is a "YOU CANNOT MISS THIS!" event.

You mean other than the fact 90% of commercial TV is idiotic attempts to save money by showing vapid "celebrities" going through carefully controlled "reality" instead of paying actors, writers and technical artists to put together slightly better serials with forulaic plotlines and dialog all in an effort to fool people into staying around long enough to watch the commercials?

My remote has a Favorites button. Stored there are PBS, History Channel, Science Channel, various Discovery channels, HBO and Comedy Central.

I watch South Park once in a while because that crudely drawn, low brow comedy is more entertaining and does a better job exploring important issues of the day than any else on commercial television. The one major exception being the Simpsons. It says a lot when two cartoons are so clearly above anything else ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox can come up with.

I hope a TV executive or two reads this, but they probably will not. What does network TV offer these days? Reality shows, game shows, violent shows? No wonder people are abandoning networks in droves. There is very little creativity on the networks. As soon as one show or genre gets a little bit of attention, they just copy it or spin off as many clones as they can. And the number of commercials is ridiculous! I know they pay the bills this way, but I hate having the same product pimped to me over and over every commercial break. Annoying! The only good ones anymore are PBS, Discovery and the like.

There are only 5 shows that are regularly watched at my house, and they're all time-shifted. We watch The Sopranos On-Demand and we DVR Lost, 30 Rock, The Daily Show, and Colbert.

The rest of the time, it's Science, Home Improvement, Cooking, Old Movies and BBC America. TV is becomming too Balkanized for the Networks to even hope of maintaining much of a grip on the audience.

The last network primetime sitcom I watched was Sienfeld. Now Because of the numerous "Reality Shows" and the "Stupid Subject Matter" of many of the sitcoms, I only watch educational cable programs such as Disovery and History Channel and other cable channels, but no longer Network channels such as ABC,CBS,NBC or FOX.

Our family lives & breathes TiVO. We record multiple shows and watch them when convenient - usually on weekend mornings or rainy Sunday afternoons. Sometimes we save whole series to watch in the summer (i.e. Discovery Channel's "Planet Earth" series.) There are very few shows we actually watch live anymore - among them, "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" for fear a friend or co-worker will spoil the ending for us. Otherwise, it's all TiVO - ER, Gray's Anatomy, My Name is Earl, The Office, 24, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Lost, Dirty Jobs...

For several years now, I've only watched television when I'm on the road. I'm constantly haveing to tell the people trying to sell me a satalite or DVR system that "I don't watch television." Often servral times, because they don't believe me. I guess that's the Indian stereotype of Americans. They must think we're all couch potatoes.

Until such a time that primetime network programming returns to family oriented or appropriate productions, our family will boycott primetime television all together. Each year the programming becomes more extreme and outrageous. It is irresponsibility at it's worst.

I am not watching the BIG 3 because I find myself on Discovery, etc. I dislike most of todays 'REALITY' and fake game shows like 'IDOL, Dancing with the stars' etc.

I'm a working mom, there's no time to watch TV until 10 pm or later and after the news there's nothing on. How about rethinking 10-midnight as prime time II in spring and summer? I do Netflix instead of cable, c'mon and court me broadcast TV!

I agree with your colleague who prefers to watch "24" in one marathon session...a week is too long to wait! When I do that...I completely lose the trend of what's going on...and you know that 24 changes dramatically from time to time.
I don't like watching TV...after work I like running or going for a long walk with friends. There is plenty to do in Chicago and TV is nothing more than a waste of time. I do enjoy a good movie from time to time and I praise Blockbuster for the Total Access because I always have a movie at home rather than some show that I only get to see once a week.
It is very good that Americans are getting out and aren't sitting at home watching TV! I praise the news that 2.5 mil people aren't watching as much junk!!

Julie
Chicago, IL

DVR changed my life, now I can watch on my schedule. But I'm still watching, so don't cancel Law and Order!

Gee, maybe because there's nothing on but CRAP TV. Between these horrible 'reality shows' and just bad TV shows in general.
Why Bother?
Question? Do we need a 2 HOUR show for the next Hooters Cover Girl? Or the next P.C.D.? Between this and the shows that are geared towards idiots I see no point in TV anymore. They were correct in saying "DESTROY YOUR TV!"

24 fantatic until this season. The sceaming Palmers sister character was the start of a lot of bad ideas. Also like many, Tivo is our friend now. Sorry networks, Im not really interested in endless Dodge Ram commercials. If you want me to watch your ads make them interesting or funny. What are we watching? Galactic, Sopranos, 24 (still yeah) Lost and Simpsons. All Tivo'd. Poor networks are going to have to do something with the billions to find a new approach. boo hoo.

I try to keep my TV away in the cabinet as much as possible. I got tired of it being the center of attention, it is mindless. If open and on, its PBS, an athletic event, or the news. Half of the channels I get aren't even in English, but that because of my location. Most of my news and entertainment comes from the Internet. The computer has replaced the TV in my living room as the main source of entertainment as it is truely a multi-media machine: music, news, movies, and a lot of TV programming availabe online. I dont pay for cable because of things like CNN.com, thank you!

For me the biggest problem is the CRAP that networks are giving us to watch. If they really want us to watch, maybe they should give us some quality programming that is not stupid phony "reality" junk they call entertainment.

There are so few shows that are actually worth watching now. The office/UK and USA is very funny, but for the most part. TV today is terrible. Reality shows are getting old. All time classic. The Bachelor who was an Italian Prince who couldn't speak Italian and lived in New Jersey, Holy Cow! Thats the best they have to offer. Follow the Brits, they have good TV!

hello - tv is horrible, that is why people arn't watching. We don't want to watch people sitting around on a sofa discussing their problems (reality). We usually watch golf, or the food channel, because all the shows on local channels are so bad. We need more quality viewing, like variety shows, situation comedies, like "friends" not "ER", we like romantic comedies, not violence.

As a 48 year old woman, I find very little content on television that interests me at all. Now I am using my iPOD and am downloading podcasts like 'Manic Mommies' and that is the only way advertisers are reaching me. I would think advertisers would be interested in reaching me, I have more money than the 20-something set TV is geared for now. Now I can wear my iPOD while I clean house, run on the treadmill or drive carpool. TV just lost me when the whole reality thing started. No intellectual stimulation AT ALL.

I'm watching, but with streaming and information from websites, it's not as critical to catch the show on the tube.

Sadly, there is too much crap (and I use that term lightly) on TV. All too often the commercials are more entertaining than the shows themselves. Cable/satellite is not much better.

Banal banter, cop/lawyer shows, infomercials and fake reality just aren't appealing...

I have watched no television for the past ten years . I got so tired of profanity, promiscious activity, and homosexuality. Every show had to push the envelope a little further and I just decided that I no longer had
to watch. Needless to say this had nothing to do with daylight savings time coming three weeks earlier this year. That's just a cop-out for the networks who refuse to address the actual reason for the loss of viewers.

tv has become boring. We just put the tv in the basement and don't even bother with it - except for occasionally watching the weather forecast.

Instead, we buy old tv shows on DVD - the really great shows - and watch them.

I watch Amazing Race (now over), How I Met Your Mother (live), Veronica Mars (DVR), Lost (DVR), Survivor (Live/DVR), Ugly Betty (taped), and Big Spender (DVR).

That's about 6 hours a week (now 5), mostly DVR watching because I'm in bed by 9:15 pm. (Lost wants to know how they lost the live audience? I don't stay up until 10 pm, and there's isn't a chance in heck of my staying up until 11 pm.)

I love the automatic commercial skip feature of the DVR.

Mostly, I am chasing a toddler, cooking dinner, walking outdoors, watering my tomato plants & reading a book if I get a chance.

There's just not much worth watching. Too many reality shows and a lot of silliness. The two shows I really looked forward to--"Cold Case" and "Bones"--have become elusive. "Cold Case" was moved to 9:00 Sunday, after that stupid "Amazing Race," so I lost interest. "Bones" keeps getting preempted for "American Idol," which I wouldn't watch if it was the only thing on t.v. We find ourselves watching reruns of the CSIs.

My children have a lot of activities going on now - start of summer sports, end of school. The one show I must see is My Name Is Earl. Lately, I've had to catch it on nbc.com because we have been so busy with these other activities. But I do NOT miss it!

I only watch House, American Idol, and Two and a Half Men. I am tired of all the drama - get enough of that in real life. I would really like to see some intelligent comedies - until that time, I have other ways to waste my time.

I am not watching 'reality' shows, poker, or CNN Headline news. There is too much talk and not enought news on 'Headline' news.
I am watching the NHL playoffs.
Most cable channels are the same.
There is poker and home makeover shows on seemingly all channels. Is this what HD TV was invented for?
I cherish Seinfeld and Dick Van Dyke reruns. The networks won't give shows like that anymore. They give us 'Survivor' clones. No wonder no one is watching.

Bring back variety! What happened to sci fi shows? Westerns? How about samurai and kung fu drama? Historical costumers? When was the last time you saw a comedy/variety entertainment show in prime time? Why would I want to watch the same copycat comedy/crime drama/reality show ad infinitum?

The TV isn't on that much these days. None of the series have captured our interest; they seem to be remakes of so many old ideas (but with better cinematography). Honestly, the History Channel, the Travel Channel and Food Network have become more interesting (information we can use). Most entertainment comes from DVDs.

News usually comes via the internet where we can get it faster and with more detail. The BBC seems to do a better job than any of the domestic services in providing broad global coverage and depth. For local news, we go to the websites of local newspapers.

A lot of this has to do with the availability of our free time. There's so little of it these days (or at least that's our perception), so why waste it sitting in front of a box; especially one that dictates what you get to see and when?

We don't have a DVR but we might get one sometime in the future. Even then, we'd probably not use it that much.

When the TV is on, it's usually for a live broadcast.

I for one along with many others are tired of all the violence and sex on TV. If people realized how many of us dont want our families watching that stuff and having it affect them and their ways of thinking, I am sure you would come up with more family oriented programs. All my friends rent of buy decent movies to watch or just dont turn on the tv anymore. Just look at what is happening on campus or the kids killing kids and you dont have to go far to figure out where they got the ideas for what is happening out there. We need some drastic changes in programing.

I am watching TV but I find that there isn't a lot of quality shows on. I like Grey's Anatomy, CSI's all of them Law and Order all of them, Criminal Mind, Cold Case, and basketball (Pistons) Football (Lions) and Tennis (only when Venus and Serena play). I love Shark, October Road, House and absolutely love The Closer. Those shows are well written and it shows in the way these shows have not only stayed around, but kept my interest. One thing that I hated though was how ABC moved Grey's Anatomy from Sunday's to Thursdays. I hate the amount of reality shows on. I live in reality, I want to be entertained when I watch tv. The quality of the reality shows are bad also. There are some good ones like Dancing with the Stars, and Extreme Home makeover. But survivor, and Fear Factor, I hate and will not watch no matter what.
I am disappointed that the quality of the writing in TV has declined so badly. I see a glimpse of hope in the shows that I watch though.

I totally agree. With DVR it's nice to time shift the show by 15 minutes and still finish the show ontime and skip all the commercials. I realize that those commercials pay for the show I'm watching, so it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next few years when less people are watching the shows in realtime. More crap-tastic reality shows?

The networks' use of the extended hiatus destroys the season for most people when they get into a routine to watch a favorite episode. After waiting six long weeks for a new "The New Adventures of Old Christine", the finale aired last night. Not very satisfying and it really gives a great show an uphill battle for viewers.

I DVR most of my viewing: Sopranos, The Office, Entourage, Christine, Brothers & Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Amazing Race, My Name is Earl. All fabulous shows that are well-written and entertaining. However, if the networks keep changing the schedule and showing reruns for several weeks in a row during a season, I will stop watching out of frustration.

I watch only cable movies and or series that do not have any commercials. Commercials do not make me want to buy things. They are an annoyance and I usually get up and leave or change to a different station.

Also, I am an avid sports fan. I watch football, hockey and baseball and know most of the players and these are sports that entertain me all year long. The major drawback are the commercials so sometimes I miss some of the game while I am channel flipping during the commercials.

More people have thing's like tivo and DVR's so they just record it and watch it later!...

The only live TV I watch is Heroes. I catch Ugly Betty on ABCs website or download it. I catch L&O reruns when I am up late with nothing better to do and I check out my favorite shows that are no longer on the air on DVD.

I just don't have time or energy to schedule my life around TV. Most of the shows that are on right now aren't worth the effort anyway.

I watch so many shows including Lost, Desperate Housewives Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, Brothers & Sisters, Six Degrees (not sure if it's still on, it seems to be cancelled every other day) and many more. I started watching even more once I got hooked on the streaming sites from the Networks. ABC is still the best for me somehow (maybe because they have some of the best shows, or it's easier to watch from). Some advertisements are really great and interactive (please, please add interactive elements if you can. If I already have to wait, give me something to do). Sometimes I do switch screens but since commercials are only 15-30 seconds it usually doesn't pay (plus I have my earphones on so I get the message anyways).

I watch shows whenever I have time (usually too late at night). I sometimes do other stuff while watching. I love it because Weekends and late nights are usually the times I can get to watch stuff and now I don't depend on ANY schedule but my own.

Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Health, History Channel, and PBS. These are the only channels with anything worth watching. If there were cable packages featuring only these channels for a reasonable price, I'd be all for it. Until that day, I'm TV-free. But explain to me why I have to pay for cable (or satellite) TV and still sit through so many loud, obnoxious commercials. TV in general is just a big rip-off.

ABC, NBC and CBS have nothing to offer. TV shows have gotten terrible. Their all Cops chasing the bad guys or shows making the police / military / government look bad. Enough with the reality shows. Can they get any dumber? The cable channels aren't much better. About the only thing were watching is Discovery, Travel, and the History.

Ah, the commercials. When they take up nearly as much screen time as the actual show, I turn it off. It is an assault and not only does it not entice me to buy the product, rather I make a mental note to never buy it. I will watch the Turner Network commercial free movies.

We don't watch much TV at all. I watch PBS on Saturday mornings if I'm in my sewing room. Sometimes an evening program if we are interested and not doing something else. We'd rather read. Remember books? Conversations? 99% of TV programs are shlock meant to fill time between being harangued to buy more stuff!!

I watch a few select shows on network TV, but mostly watch cable channels. The serial shows I like on network programming get chopped up by long breaks, which is frustrating, and there are no end to the stupid reality shows and aggravating commercials! I don't know who's picking what to air, but it's definitely not working for me! The networks better wake up - cable TV outran them a long time ago!

For the most part American TV stinks. You are bombarded with noisy adverts and boring shows. When we watch it's PBS.

I am a 26-year-old career woman. I watch Lost and Heroes--unless I'm busy, or away, or I forget--so I get them on iTunes, or the network website, or I just read the Television Without Pity recap. There's no reason to mold my life around a TV schedule. I'm busy living, thanks.

When a major television event occurs--Jon Stewart on Crossfire, Don Imus's indiscretion--I know I can find it on YouTube.

As for quality, in the past month I've rented the DVDs of two short-lived series: Freaks & Geeks and Firefly. Knowing that these two shows were canceled while so much drivel survived makes me despair.

If I were an advertiser, I would be more concerned with the number of people watching shows recorded on DVRs. If these people are like my family, we watch almost all our TV from DVR recordings and when we watch them, we always fast forward through the commercials.

Most of the material presented on the networks is written by morons for morons. There are good programs on the science channel, discovery, DIY, etc. If I take time to watch TV I will go to one of these sources. I used to watch CNN Headline news but they have replaced it with opinion shows so it also fell off the list.

We use to watch a lot of network TV, mostly specials and movies, but the number of commercials got so ridiculous that we started renting movies. We now have DVR and we just record what we want to watch and then watch it later and skip the commercials.

I've stopped watching all but shows on the National Geographic or Discovery channels because it seems as if now more than ever the rest of T.V. is, well, nothing but mindless cr**.

We have not had a TV in our household for three years. We get our news from the Internet and occasional newspaper or weekly news magazine. If we want to watch a DVD of a film, we have a computer monitor hooked up to our DVD player and that works just fine.

If I were going to watch a television show, I would watch it on the network's website - but that rarely happens because there's very little that interests me.

When I travel, I will turn on the TV in my hotel room, seeing it as a "treat" to watch it since we don't have one at home. But after surfing through the channels a couple of times, I quickly am reminded of why we don't have one - and turn it off. Other than to check the weather or news, there is nothing to watch.

I agree with another comment posted here: television is dying. Much in our media culture that does not serve the common good of humanity is losing its footing, so to speak, right now - and while that may be difficult to experience, I think it's a good thing.

My wife and I we agree that the reality shows have made TV viewing a little boring. Who really needs to know what a batchelor is going to do next? Another factor is by the time they show a full commercial break we have left the room or are asleep.

We gave up watching because of the way the networks have been jerking us around this year. New times for shows we faithfully watched, mid season starts for well established and watched shows and too many re-runs.I won't even mention the (Hold your nose here) reality shows which clutter the airwaves.

I got tired of tuning in to watch 1 or 2 new shows then back to reruns. Also a new show that may be good, but you only get 6 episodes then it's gone for 6 months. I hate reality shows and I won't watch a show that takes 4-5 hours a week. I read, exercise and when I want to watch TV; BBC America, Discovery, science, news & health and other cable channels are more interesting. Murder She Wrote reruns are better.

The only channel worth watching is Independent Film Channel because you can watch a whole movie with no commercial interruptions or cuts. Besides hollywood movies have become so predictable and we are sick of happy endings - make us think! As far as reality tv, there is nothing real about it and its 15 minutes were up 3 years ago. I'm very happy to read people are turning off their TV's and reading a book, gardening, enjoying their families and their lifes! Great!

As far as I can tell, my friends, family and I are watching just as much TV as ever. Only, maybe not as much of the new stuff like 'New Adventures with Old Christine' or 'The Bachelor'. We're still in to reality shows and the crime dramas, and watching a lot more on cable and OnDemand. I like shows like 'Little People Big World' on TLC or 'Planet Earth'.

Don't watch TV its a waste of your time!!!

I think America is finally realizing there is more to do than watch TV for 8 hours a day, which is typical in households. There is so much more to do outside. It is more entertaining than any show on the tube. You just need to break the cycle of watching and you will be pleased with what you find out about yourself.

I forgot to put my city and state so have put it here, so I hope you will still post the comment I just sent. Thank you.

It is a scheduling thing. I watch the CBS shows and NBC shows when I can, streaming from the net. Commitments and work do not allow me to park myself in front of the TV for 3 hours of primetime 3 or 4 nights per week. Also I am able to watch two shows that are on at the same time later at my leisure. I do not mind the commercials from the net broadcasts as I normally use the products advertised. I do not own a DVR but if I did I would use it to the max. Also streaming allows me to catch up and keep interested in shows that I might not normally get to watch. I have never been a Survivor fan but this season I have watched them all on the net. Jericho is another marginal show that I thought was dumb until I watched the entire season (so far) on the net. Raines is one of the best written shows on TV, at this time, with a poor broadcast night. Heroes is a serial that you can not miss the previous week or you miss the plot line, it is easier to catch up with it on the net. Streaming TV over the web will become the norm for most viewers rather than the exception.

"We let them get out of the habit of watching television a little bit, and it's going to take some time to get these people back in front of their television sets," said David Poltrack, chief researcher for CBS (owned by CBS Corp.).

Excuse me? LET them? This is the very attitude that has sent me scurrying from the couch to find more productive things to do during prime time.

I hate having my intelligence insulted by the commercials that are currently aired. Take this pill and with the nod of your head, the beautiful woman will fall into your arms. Buy this truck and... TV is the nothing but the cheese in the consumer mouse trap, and frankly, the cheese is not that good.

Our viewing habits are 70% "On Demand" thru our Comcast cable company. No
commercials with SOME "On Demand"
series like Jericho, Public
Television and AMC movies.

For TV series, we only watch two,,
24..and Law and Order .. There
is not much else on unless you like
being bombarded by all the reality shows,,,which are boring and offer
too many commercials..

We also spend our time online
or outside, enjoying our yard NOT
transfixed in front of the Tv unless one of us is ill.

Networks need to put on something
worth watching and trim down the
commercials, maybe then we will
tune in to more than 2 shows..

For a number of reasons, I have utterly drifted away from TV. Kids is one. Internet is another. Commute time and the like is eating away at free time for anything.

Haven't had cable in years, don't watch network. My oldest (just turned four) watches DVDs from time to time, but his patience for even that is limited if we're doing something else in the house.

Don't miss it at all.

I don't even know why I bother paying for cable anymore. Everything nowadays is trash. Just what is the point of reality TV anymore than the excuse to show how much innuendo, pointless, scripted drama and cuss words these shows can get away with before getting a red flag from the FCC? Even the commercials aren't making any sense!

As an art major, I used to be an avid Cartoon Network watcher. Unfortunately, even the cartoons are going down the toilet (Adult Swim, CN's late night programming spot, did a great job acknowledging that). The channels that I wish I could have (Discovery, The Travel Channel, National Geographic, etc.) I'd have to pay extra for, which I find ludicrous.

So really. If you can't find a show that can leave you on the edge of your seat without making you say to yourself, "So how many IQ points did I lose that time?" then what is the point of watching TV anymore?

I get all my news on the internet (cnn, google News, EPSN), and dont waste my time sitting through standard new faire. As for TV shows: Who has time to watch shows that are all clones of one another (the new thing is "reality shows")? Come on guys, once you've seen one, you have seen them all; dont waste my time.

On the other hand, if I want to catch one of the "in shows", I can buy them on-line and download to my iPod, which is a real time saver.

I'm 25 years old and the quality on TV is terrible now. When I was younger there was Full House, Growing Pains, Friends, and countless other shows I loved. Currently, I watch 24, Lost, The Unit, and few other shows. Most of my other shows got canned by FOX. I also have a DVR and I just finished spending a rainy Saturday afternoon watching 8 eposidoes of Lost. In addition, with all the Sports on TV, Video Games, and the countless rounds of Golf and other activities I enjoy, I just record a show and watch it when I have 22 mins or 47 mins.

No cable, no satellite dish, no TV! It's wonderful! We can hear the birds singing outdoors! We can listen to great music! We can even surf the internet! :) Not to mention read books!

Try it -- you might like it.

We stopped watching TV network news a long time ago; CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox etc news is just a hyped up Hollywook flavored info-stream. Big flashy sets and lots of makeup do not serve our information and news needs.

In my home, we watch Law and Order. We watch Nascar's Nextel Cup racing, and watch The Weather Channel when expecting severe weather. There are simply too many commercials and too many other things to do. We read, garden, birdwatch, walk, play with the pets, and try to avoid the TV most days. Reality shows are really stupid. Movies we do on the dvd player. There is too much vulgar, sexually explicit, rudely behaving folks on the TV. Give me some intelectually stimulating television, such as the discovery channel shows, and I will watch. Family entertainment is just not the TV any more. At least Nascar has no bad language, expects sportsmanlike behavior, shows patriotism and even prays before a race. Pretty sad when watching traffic go round in circles is more decent than prime time broadcast tv.

I watch 24, Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, Entourage and Desperate Housewives, all online. That way I can work the shows around my schedule.

I prefer reading to television, and between working full time and medical school, I have little time for either these days. When I do watch, it's often something on one of the educational channels, such as Discovery, History, or TLC. I particularly enjoy the Discovery Health Channel, when it's not reruns. I do enjoy watching "Numbers" on Fridays and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on Sundays, though.

I watch 24, prison break, greys anatomy, house, falcon beach, and lost. If it wasn't for having the dvr recorder i wouldn't watch near that much t.v. It also helps that some of the networks offer viewing it on the internet which is great cause when my recorder goofs up cause of weather or the show switches time slots without my knowledge i can still catch it. But none the less as summer gets closer my t.v. watching will decline, somewhat cause im busier in the summer and also because there aren't as many good shows on in the summer like the ones im watching now.

I actually love television..it is an escape for me..however, it seems most things on TV anymore insult our intelligence..I am a big fan of the Law & Order series (even in reruns) and things like 20/20 and Dateline..but the bottom line is there are more commercials every year and in order to avoid them you have to be watching two things at once so you can jump back and forth during commercials and it gets old.

It's called record and speed through commercials which seem to be every 6 minutes these days. I am really tired of all the CSI, criminal intent and shows like this. They have drove them into the twilight zone. Lost, Jerico, Heroes, House, Idol all are great shows but recording allows me a chance to watch at my liesure and loose the commercials.

We haven't had TV in 12 years. We have never seen American Idol, Survivor, Lost, etc...TV is simply not worth watching anymore. On graduation day each of our kids has said, no TV was the best thing we did for the family. When we need news, we can go on the internet and chose our news media not be force fed.

Personally, I just can't stand the advertising anymore. Most shows have so much of it and very little content. I often go away during an ad and don't come back. Bored to death with this junk.

I have not watched a show on local TV in years. The last show I used to watch was Cheers before Shelly Long left and even that was starting to get dumb. I stopped watching when all those ridiculous reality shows starting coming out. I am probably the only person who has never seen an episode of Survivor, Lost, Dancing with the Stars, or American Idol. I just don't find that crap entertaining. Give me an episode of anything on the History Channel any day. And I just can't get through an episode of any of those shows with that foolish laughing machine. It's the same recycled humor for the past 50 years that's just not funny anymore, except to the machines.

For me, it's very simple. I can't afford the 60 bucks a month to subscribe to cable just to get local channels.

BBC America, PBS, Discovery and History are about the only channels I watch on the TV. Sports and the news networks are something I let play in the background occasionally. Rare network shows I stream, mostly because the networks are too stupid to realize what a decent show is! Kidnapped on NBC was great. After it was cancelled early on it became available only at the website - and was obviously rushed to finish the story in one season.

I don't watch anything live. I have a DVR and record the show to watch when it is right for me. I have also become very picky on the shows I do watch. There are shows leaving this year and I don't plan on adding to them when the new season starts.

The networks need to find other ways to get $$$. Because the way we watch TV has changed and is going to keep changing.