"My holy book growing up."
When I was growing up I enjoyed the changing of the seasons, but the one season that I looked forward to the most was the new television season.
I don’t think I ever anticipated any piece of mail as much as I did the fall preview issue of TV Guide. As soon as it arrived I would read it from cover to cover and plan out my television viewing for the coming year.
Honestly, I doubt as much planning went into the first moon mission.
I remember all the articles touting the wonderful new programs. Everything seemed like a sure- fire hit. Often it would take me several weeks to realize that some of those shows were not all that good. No matter, there was always something else to watch. I don’t know if my tastes have improved or if television has declined. Years ago, there was not a single night that I didn’t find a program that I enjoyed. Now, i can barely find two nights where I enjoy my viewing options. It’s probably a combination of improving taste and lesser quality. I must confess I was once quite fond of a show called “It’s About Time”. Go ahead and google it. When you are done laughing at me, come back and finish reading this post.
Obviously there are some television programs which have reached a theatrical level of quality. Perhaps, years ago, producers had the challenge of creating programs which would appeal to the entire family, whereas many households only had one television set. It certainly brought people together. Now, with every room having a TV and the infinite number of channels available, broadcasters can target so many different niches and each family member can retire to their little corner and watch what they prefer.
I think maybe we were better off with one television per home, even if the family was all stuck watching a silly show about astronauts that travelled back to caveman days. You didn’t google “It’s About Time” did you?