Design Your TV Networks...

[Patcat]

So, if you could design your own cable selections or Direct TV, what would you pick?

Mine would be:

CBS (because the local affiliate has the best news and David Letterman)
PBS
USA (of course)
TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES
Discovery
History Channel
National Geographic
Cartoon Classic Network

Patcat

[SarahIvy]

Hmmm, I could definitely do without most of them! I'd be tickled to just have:

AMC - for Mad Men
USA - LOCI
Comedy Central - I can't live without my Daily Show and Colbert Report!
TLC
The Food Network
PBS
NBC - 30 Rock and The Office
Maybe either MSNBC or CNN

You know, honestly, that may be it for me...most of my favorite shows are off the air or available to me on DVD, so I just don't care about the channels.

[annabelleleigh]

If the exercise here is how many channels could one do without, here's my list:

All of them except

USA
NBC (only for the mothership)
The Food Network
Comedy Central

I get my daily news primarily from NPR and The New York Times (and of course Stewart and Colbert). I get enough of the 24/7 cable news channels (and in perspective) from the bits on "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report."

Fact: Out of the 400 to 700 channels offered on a typical cable system (including PPV and premium channels), the average viewer uses about 12. Despite the proliferation of even more cable choices over the last few years, this number (12) hasn't changed.

Fact: Premium channels such as Showtime, Starz, HBO (despite its mountain of Emmy nominations) are having a hard year. Subscriptions, in general, are down about 10% nationally.

Fact: Cable MSOs (multi-system operators) have been banding together with program suppliers to make sure that only subscribers to TV cable channels can get access to the same material on the Internet. They're calling it "TV Everywhere." How's that for spin?

AL

[Techguy]

In addition to the channels Patcat already mentioned, I would also add:
NASA
The Science Channel
The Travel Channel
Smithsonian
The Food Network
Comedy Central
TVLand (for 3rd Rock From the Sun)
MSNBC
The NHL Network
The NFL network

[NikkiGreen]

Comedy Central
NBC (for the mothership, as mentioned by AL)
CMT (for my Reba love, even though I have all seasons on DVD)
History Channel
Space
Movie Central
DejaVu
The Mystery Channel
Turner Movie Classics (which we started getting a few months back)
PBS
The Multicultural Channel
CBS (for Numb3rs and NCIS)

Fact: Out of the 400 to 700 channels offered on a typical cable system (including PPV and premium channels), the average viewer uses about 12. Despite the proliferation of even more cable choices over the last few years, this number (12) hasn't changed.

It certainly is true in my case! I don't even remember some of the channels I get on my digital box. ;D

[DonnaJo]

Even though I only watch a few stations on a regular basis (USA, TBS, TNT, NBC for the mothership & Friday Night Lights, News 12 Long ISLAND) my husband & kids are sports addicts. So I must have ESPN, ESPN 2, SNY (Mets) and the Yankee channel.

I was going to cancel HBO, but now my middle son is into "Entourage."

Also MSG (Madison Square Garden has its own channel) for the Knicks & Rangers. Do you get that, Techguy? I know you love the Rangers too.

[Techguy]

Yes DJ, I get MSG as part of my sports package which includes NHL Center Ice. I included all my hockey related channels under the NHL Network umbrella. Likewise I included NFL Sunday Ticket under NFL Network.

I also should add NBC, ESPN, and Versus to my customized networks to see the nationally telvised NHL and NFL games of the week that are blacked out in the sports packages. I need all these channels for my fantasy hockey leagues and to follow the Rangers and Giants. ;D