Feature Article October 9, 2002
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Freedom 260 Despite the dire warnings of addiction, being couch potatoes, etc., my Significant Helpmate and I decided to buy a satellite dish on the day the rotary antenna stuck half way between the Kingston and Ottawa positions. After the newness wore off we settled down to experience what has turned out to be closer to 'Freedom 160', the net number of different programs we access.
The reality is that only about half of the 260 channels promised by the salesperson are available when one subtracts the repeats, sports and French channels that unfortunately I can't understand (if only I had had the wisdom of age when I was in school and dismissed that subject so readily).The couch potatoes have not evolved; just the opposite: we are experiencing a freedom from the 'boob tube' that we never had before. At first I couldn't understand it - images from around the world are available at the touch of a remote; I should have gained a dozen pounds since it was installed. The fascination of satellite surfing soon wore thin when we discovered that indeed the quantity and quality of broadcasting was vastly improved, but the quality of programming hadn't changed. The old shows we heartily laughed at years ago have lost their punch in today's world. Life seems to be more threatening now and the escapades of the dead and long-gone comedians are irrelevant; the novelty of TV watching for the sake of watching a new and mysterious medium is over. In our former days of three-station reception, supper was planned around an hour and a half of various newscasts, but with the magic of time zone shifting they are easily postponed until later in the evening and we can relish our meal without hurrying. The news could wait while we enjoyed our newly-found freedom. The interesting aspect is that we watch less news now, whether at 8, at 2 a.m., or any other of the many available times. It has become irrelevant; the news is not new news anymore. It is the same program shifting across Canadian time zones.There is another aspect that disturbs me. The world's problems seem to diminish proportionally to the fullness of one's belly after a hearty meal. Prime Minister Chretien's public comments about our North American degree of prosperity
