I enjoy a certain amount of routine as much as I enjoy variety.

Part of our daily routine is watching the tube while we eat and Saturday nite there are a couple of favorites.

The first at 7:00pm on NBC or ABC is "Thats Life" It takes place in NY, queens or the bronx. The central character is a late-twenties something italian american girl, Lydia DeLuco, who's been late in finding her bliss and has become a college student still looking for it. The stories center around her experience as a working, living-on-her-own student. Supporting characters are her family(mother, father (toll taker for the highway dept.), and brother who's a street cop) and a couple girlfriends, one who owns a beauty salon and another who spends alot of time there. Working class folks.

The stories are pretty down to earth, very little violence or sex and usually have a moral message of some kind. Excellent program! Two thumbs way up.

Then on Wisc. Public TV at 8:00pm is Noahs Ark. Its about a vet in rural England? He's an older gent, wise and kind to people and a softy for abandoned animals, with a recently diagnosed case of late onset diabetes. Supporting characters are his wife(bookeeper), his son)a vet too) who's deciding if he's gonna stay on with pop as part of the rural practice and a woman vet, employed by the world wildlife trust to care for wildlife. A nice, low key, family program with gentle humor and devoid of hype. Two more thumbs up.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), February 03, 2001

Answers

John, I don't watch much TV, but I really like "That's Life". It's a great show. The characters are very likeable and down to earth. Missed it last night, forgot to turn the tube on, I was rereading an old copy of Countryside.

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), February 04, 2001.

"That's Life" is a favorite of mine too. Of course it could be in part that the lead character is single and I am too. lol.

I was absolutely thrilled yesterday to discover that a new broadcast television station had gone on the air, and is giving me high quality, crisp, clear images. It has daily programming of such favorites as Andy Griffith, Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, and Cheers. Of course it has it's share of garbage that I wouldn't watch if that's all that was on. This new station now gives me a total of six broadcast channels to choose from.

I can't quite understand what the networks are doing. They cut the length of the shows to accomodate more commercials, and now I see that one show will be going to a 40 minute version. Will that ever screw up the schedule. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather see new shows each week with little known actors, rather than known actors in reruns just five weeks into the new season.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), February 04, 2001.

We are watching "Rooster Cogburn" right now. We have Dish Network, and we are not allowed to get ABC, CBS, or NBC. (dumb rule) But we don't miss the networks really. One of our favorites is "CHRISTY". Boy is it good. It's so neat to see how all the people in mountains built and used everything. We watch Christy everyday, and Avonlea, and Snowy River. Odessey Channel has some great shows.

And another favorite is "Planets Funniest Animals", and "Funny Home Videos", even the reruns are funny! Love to laugh.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), February 04, 2001.

Not for print: I like the idea of unknown actors in leading roles for new programs. Just because they're unknown doesn't mean they don't have talent and can't act. I really enjoy serialized BBC productions, like Ballykissangel, and All Creatures Great and Small and have noticed they're very sparing on special effects etc. and are devoid of all the hype, big deal sets and gross exageration that we see on american TV.

Cathy: We've got an "old timey" big dish. I think its C-band. We went that route because there's no monthly bill to pay. We don't do the premium channels and we pretty much leave the dish pointed at the Oddesy channel satelite. We too enjoy Avonlea, Christy when we have time and the Hallmark movies they show. The Biodramas are good too.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), February 04, 2001.

Cindy in KY, What do you mean you aren't allowed to get the regular channel?We have dish network and have the basic package but we also get the regulars-ABC,NBC,etc.It has nothing to do with Dish Network whether you get them or not,it's how you have the satellite hooked up to your t.v.Our satellite is programmed for channel 3 on our tv just like our vcr,so if we want the satellite channels that's where we go otherwise we just watch regular tv on the other channels like we normally would.

-- nobrabbit (conlane@prodigy.net), February 05, 2001.

Nobrabbit,

I don't have an antenna on the roof, and Dish Network won't let us subscribe to the Networks. I must put an antenna up there and prove I can't pull them in from Louisville. They must come out and see the quality of the picture, and if it's too snowy or whatever, then I must get disclaimers from all 3 Networks. It's like 3.00 a month for the Networks thru Dish Network.

It's the Local Networks fault, they want us to watch the local commercials, and not the west feed or east feed. I have surround sound in my living room, so why would I want to PULL the local networks in on an antenna instead of high quality satalitte? They don't get it, and never will. I can watch the local news on my little RV TV.

Some bill in Congress is supposed to outlaw this rule. Funny, all the folks who had the Networks before the rule can keep them, but new customers can't have them. I got this satallite 4 years ago, and it had just been passed.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), February 06, 2001.

Cindy - I have the same problem. I believe that the problem is that the local affiliates kick and scream that their contracts are being infringed, and rightfully so, I suppose. They have a hard time making the money in little affiliates from advertising, and if people all get dishes that supply feed, they lose out and perish. I don't like it much either, I think it stinks when our affiliates are over 90 miles away and reception is the pits. However, I DID see something (somewhere...) about a new antenna that fits right ON your dish for picking up affiliates. Does it work? I don't know. It may be hooey, like those ads for the little box that would turn your whole house's electrical wiring into a giant antenna. I'd sure like to know if anyone else has experience with this, altho far as I know, it's pretty new.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), February 06, 2001.

Cindy in KY

You must be way out in the country!We're 15 miles from anywhere and 30 miles from Lexington but all we use is a rabbit-ear antenna that actually sits on top of our dish network box and we still pull in our local and Lexington channels.I guess I misunderstood you.I thought you meant that you couldn't get the locals (legally) without going through Dish Network.I think I understand now that you can't get the locals whether you have dish network or not.

-- nobrabbit (conlane@prodigy.net), February 07, 2001.