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A life without TV

By Catherine Toth Fox • June 4, 2014 • Musings, The Daily Dish

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If you spent any time in my living room, you’d find it hard to believe I survived three months without cable TV.

Actually, without any TV.

I moved back in February to a place that didn’t have a cable subscription. The most I could do was connect my WiFi-enabled TV to an online streaming service like Netflix and watch old movies and TV shows.

Which I wasn’t about to do.

I was relegated to catching up with my favorite shows — yes, mostly on Bravo — on my laptop. It’s not as fun watching the reunion of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” in five-minute segments, trust me.

Back in my old apartment, I had three TVs hooked up to cable. Three. And it was just me living there. It’s not like my dogs were partial to any particular TV program.

I guess you could say I was addicted to my television. Not in a super unhealthy way. I just liked having it on, whether I was watching it or not. I took comfort in Ina Garten‘s voice, explaining to me how to cook a perfect roast, or catching up with the latest news from the crew on NBC’s “Today.” It made me feel normal.

So when I moved here without cable TV, I thought I wasn’t going to last a week.

Turns out, I actually can live with it.

I found myself cooking more, reading more, and working more. (Not that I’m happy about that last part.) I took longer walks and surfed in the early evenings — not things I did before.

If I wanted me TV fix, I snapped on the Internet and browsed YouTube or Hulu for my favorite show.

It was no surprise to me that the number of Americans who paid for TV through cable, satellite or fiber services fell by more than a quarter of a million in 2013, the first full-year decline. We’re using more online streaming services because we can, it’s free, and we’d rather pay for Internet than cable.

So even though 99 percent of U.S. homes have at least one television set, it doesn’t mean they’re all hooked up to cable services. (Just 56 percent of Americans pay for cable, actually.)

Of course, I wound up getting cable — digital, in fact. And I found myself, at least for the first week, completely engrossed in the Cooking Channel and the 2014 ASP Fiji Pro.

I still find comfort in flipping on the TV, though browsing the dizzying number of channels on digital is a bit daunting. It’s just nice to know it’s there whenever I need a distraction.

I just get way less done now.

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#NewEats: Ethiopian Restaurant in Kapahulu
#Revisited: Afternoon tea at the Moana

About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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12 Comments

  • Reply DIO June 5, 2014 at 3:03 am

    I can certainly imagine what you went through without tv, as I’ve been in some of the same situations as you. And also like you, I too found out I can live without tv. With the internet, it’s easy to head to Youtube, Hulu, or any number of tv station websites to see either clips or whole episodes of tv shows.

    At this point in life, I’d rather have a good computer with a reliable and fast internet connection, than have a tv with cable or satellite connection.

    • Reply Catherine Toth June 6, 2014 at 9:51 am

      I really don’t think I could live with the Internet, though. That’s really my addiction!

  • Reply 808 June 5, 2014 at 10:51 am

    “I just way less done now.” ??? I must be missing something.

    • Reply Catherine Toth June 6, 2014 at 9:50 am

      There’s something missing. My brain. LOL

  • Reply Annoddah Dave June 5, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    CAT: I was born before TV and still find the spoken word “pictures” and written ones as well to be more provocative. I remember being mesmerized as a college student watching the color of bubbles change on screen at an underground movie fest while listening to Ravi Shankar rifts in the background. I could have been “high” on chemicals but the whole thing was a cinematic high!

    • Reply Catherine Toth June 6, 2014 at 9:50 am

      You should you weren’t high on anything else…? LOL

  • Reply Leanne @ The Picnic Press June 5, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    I have been living in my apartment about 2 years without a TV – well, we have one, its just that the antenna doesn’t work and no one has bothered to fix it so we only get one (blurry) channel. Its surprisingly refreshing having no TV. I’m sure if it was there I’d spend most of my time mindlessly watching stuff I don’t want to watch anyway. In a world where everyone is “busy”, having no TV really opens up more time for the things you love e.g. yoga, running, cooking and actually talking with people! It’s one of the best inconveniences in hindsight!

    • Reply Catherine Toth June 6, 2014 at 9:50 am

      I agree about it being refreshing… I didn’t realize just how much TV I had been watching. And, to be honest, I didn’t miss my shows at all. Thanks for posting!

  • Reply M June 6, 2014 at 7:07 am

    Hello Cat,

    I only watch TV in the evenings for a few hours so I think I couild do without it.

    • Reply Catherine Toth June 6, 2014 at 9:49 am

      What do you watch? The news? I used to be a news junkie, but not anymore. I’m obsessed with the surf channel!

  • Reply Dennis June 9, 2014 at 5:36 am

    My brother and I would die without TV. Korean series keep us going every night! Without our Korean fix we would have to talk with each other and communicate. Not possible! ( our TV actually shut down for 4 hours last week and we just went to bed earlier cursing all the way ) Thanks Cat for giving me the bad thought of the day!!!

  • Reply WildeOscar June 11, 2014 at 6:33 pm

    My main home has no cable, just rabbit ears, and I have a second house that has no television whatsoever.

    Like me, you’ll probably find that you get more than enough television when you stay in hotels while traveling.

    Life is better without television in the same way that a glass of wine or two is nice, but life is better without alcohol also.

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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