How much TV do you watch per week?

[dex]

I think the best advise in "How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free" is for the person who is retired not to watch TV. I also think it is good advise for anyone who has children.
Beth Midler on TV: "Why would I watch anything dumber than me.?"

I only use the TV to watch DVD movies (Blockbuster on line $15/mo.) Do not count watching DVD or video tape movies in TV watching. But if you watch movies on TV via cable, over the air or satelite as TV watching. Why? Because there is usually other TV watching that takes place around the movie and usually do people make apointment viewing for a TV viewing whereas a DVD you make an active choice.

So the question is for those of you who have retired: How much TV do you watch a week?

Be honest here and think about it - the time does add up.

PS - I currently work for a TV network.

 

[kz]

Too much but I'm a sports, news, and CNBC junkie. Drives my hubby crazy!! (he hates sports)

 

[TromboneAl]

I've long been an anti-TV guy, but I have to admit that we enjoy watching it every night.  We don't just watch what's on.  We use a DVR (a Panasonic device like TIVO but with no monthly fee) to record the shows, and every night we watch the previous day's Jay Leno, Conan, and that day's news.  We also record the few movies, some Novas and Natures.

We skip over all commercials and all the boring parts of the news.  

 

[kayelem]

We've gone the last 5 years without watching TV as you define it. We rent DVD's and even DVD's of television shows (24, Arrested Development). It all started when we moved here and the cable people stood us up a couple of times. We were both traveling and it took forever to reshedule the second time. After the second time they stood us up, we realized we had gone about 3 months without TV and didn't miss it. So we decided to just wait until we really missed it and 5 years later it hasn't happened.

We do spend too much time on the internet, though

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Almost none!

JG

 

[REWahoo]

I think the best advise in "How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free" is for the person who is retired not to watch TV.

So the question is for those of you who have retired: How much TV do you watch a week?

Dex, to paraphrase the well-known pollster DanTien, "NYDB".

I bristle a bit whenever someone who knows absolutely nothing about me gives me unsolicited advice on what to do or not to do with my time. I sought retirement so I could do whatever the heck I want to with my time, be that run for Pope or spend 24 hours a day watching reruns of Gilligan's Island.

REW

 

[unclemick]

Direct TV - four sets, three women - so at least one is on 24/7. I might catch Goldberg's hot rods 2 times a week, watch a PBS mystery or history, and Charlie Rose.

Football season is a whole different story - and watch more other stuff in winter.

Now the internet is on 10 -12 hours a day - handy on a desk in the central main room of the camp - so's I can indulge in between back and forth - in and out - so to speak.

 

[Eagle43]

Imus in the Morning; Lots of Sports (Red Sox and Rangers currently, and awaiting the Cowboys return) Lot of News Programs, and the occasional Frontline. Can't think of a single weekly network show, like Friends or Law & Order. Now I really liked Al Bundy and Peg... We have Direct TV, too.

 

[KB]

DirecTV with DVR here.

I try not to watch anything that I didn't record so I bypass the commercials. Such a waste of time.

Sometimes I listen to CNN when I'm on the computer, so I'm not really watching.....just listening.

 

[riskadverse]

Direct TV and two Tivo's - the only thing I watch live is the preopen / open / and close of the market.  I used to be a channel flipper, but Tivo cured that.  Gave up on news programs . . . local and national . . . everything important in the news still gets to me somehow.    

 

[unclemick]

Step daughter in spare room - just got a tivo - so once she gets the hang of it - I may be coerced into learning. Her and the SO got tired of me banging the corner of my webtv keyboard on the floor and got me a 'real computer' last Christmas.

Direct TV wasn't my idea either.

Heh, heh, heh - ok, ok - so I'm losing it in my old age. Reading Bogle's Character Counts as a counterbalancer right now. Friedman's The World is Flat is next on the list.

 

[Bruce]

A better question would be to ask how much TV do you watch and what is your net worth. I have read that there is an inverse relation between the amount of TV you watch and your net worth.

 

[unclemick]

Hmmm

Wonder if there is an answer to that question.

In my particular case - not working, watching tv, not paying attention to the market(watching, not acting, I'm incurable there - heh, heh) - multiplied our net worth four fold. Again I suspect that may be a time and point in history thing.

At a stretch - working, studying/actively investing  and not watching tv was detremental to my ER. Hindsight being 20/20 - had I DCA'd into a broad based low cost diversified 100% stock fund and kept faith with De Gaul - probably could have quit ten years earlier than 49 and be sitting in a modest villa in the Bahamas.

Ran the numbers about 15 years ago and it pissed me off so much - I don't go there anymore.

Heh,heh,heh - sigh!

 

[Newell]

The business channel is turned on all day. I answered your poll accordingly but it probably shouldn't count - it's primarily background noise unless something catches my attention.

 

[greg]

I have the TV on all day, from 7AM to about 10:30PM. The dogs watch CNBC during the day.. It's there favorite show, I think. I actually leave it on because, otherwise, they yap at any suspect noise and 'boogiedogs' under the bed. I watch between 8-8:30AM. We both, Martha & I, sit down in front of it at about 7PM during the week. We both read while we are not watching (I actually watch about twice as much as DW). She watches HGTV on Thursday evenings. I suspect that while reading Martha engages 2% of her brain on the TV. I engage about 15-20%. We make snide comments to each other if something horribly offensive is on. I surf.

We have DishTV with HBO, which we both watch on Sunday evenings. The tenants pay for it; ours is free. We would not have it otherwise. I got the dish as an upgrade for the tenants. I get better quality lookers when the rent is bumped up $45/mo. No sports at all for me.

Real viewing time for DW: 2-4 hrs/wk
Real viewing time for DH: 5-10 hrs/wk

Time spent fully engaged in TV: almost Worthless
Time spent fully engaged in other projects: almost Priceless

--Greg

 

[dex]

Dex, to paraphrase the well-known pollster DanTien, "NYDB".

I bristle a bit whenever someone who knows absolutely nothing about me gives me unsolicited advice on what to do or not to do with my time. I sought retirement so I could do whatever the heck I want to with my time, be that run for Pope or spend 24 hours a day watching reruns of Gilligan's Island.

REW

REWahoo!,
The book makes the observation that there is a dirct corelation between wathing TV and deprection, isolation and possibly poor health for retirees. I think that is true. The average person (not just retirees) watches 38 hours of TV per week and that is forecasted to increase. This is an interesting statistic considering how everyone complains how hetic life is for a working person. I know people will doubt this statistic. I can only tell you it is from TV research

This article gives an idea of viewing lenght
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/News2005/jun05/june27/2_tues/news1tuesday.html

 

[wabmester]

The book makes the observation that there is a dirct corelation between wathing TV and deprection, isolation and possibly poor health for retirees.

Whew, thank dog none of that applies to sitting in front of a computer all day. I'd be hosed.

 

[REWahoo]

REWahoo!,
The book makes the observation that there is a dirct corelation between wathing TV and deprection, isolation and possibly poor health for retirees.

Deprection? - Did you mean to say "deprecation", as 'to express disapproval of or deplore'? So just because I watch a lot of TV I'm supposed to have a negative attitude? Hogwash! That's an absurd correlation and I absolutely reject the idea.

Isolation? - Both the people I know know at least one other person. I've got lots of friends.

Poor health? - My doctors tell me at my weekly appointment that my health is pretty darned good, considering. My diabetes will likely improve as soon as I get my weight down under 300 and give up smoking. And those blood pressue and cholesterol numbers are nothing more than a way to pad the drug comany's profit margins.

Excuse me, gotta go. Gilligan has figured out how to get everyone off the island....

REW

<edited to correct my weight>

 

[Danny]

I think the best advise is for the person who is retired not to watch TV.
PS - I currently work for a TV network.

I understand why you don't want to watch it then.

DanTien

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I have the TV on all day, from 7AM to about 10:30PM.  The dogs watch CNBC during the day..  It's there favorite show, I think.  I actually leave it on because, otherwise, they yap at any suspect noise and 'boogiedogs' under the bed.  I watch between 8-8:30AM.  We both, Martha & I, sit down in front of it at about 7PM during the week.  We both read while we are not watching (I actually watch about twice as much as DW).  She watches HGTV on Thursday evenings.   I suspect that while reading Martha engages 2% of her brain on the TV.  I engage about 15-20%.  We make snide comments to each other if something horribly offensive is on.   I surf.

We have  DishTV with HBO, which we both watch on Sunday evenings.  The tenants pay for it; ours is free.  We would not have it otherwise.  I got the dish as an upgrade for the tenants.  I get better quality lookers when the rent is bumped up $45/mo.  No sports at all for me.

Real viewing time for DW:  2-4 hrs/wk
Real viewing time for DH:  5-10 hrs/wk

Time spent fully engaged in TV:   almost Worthless
Time spent fully engaged in other projects:  almost Priceless

--Greg

Interesting. I am compelled to expand on my previous answer

Back when I was working I watched a lot more tv, or at least I sat there
with it turned on. Used it to chill out after a tough day. Don't need that any more. Plus, no cable or dish so we only get about 6 channels and some of that
is overlap. We do rent some movies but mostly I watch movies we own
that I have already viewed. This is due to being disappointed with so many rented films ('Be Cool' being the most recent example). Anyway, I try to watch
the national news and Seinfeld reruns. That's about it.

JG

 

[kat]

PBS and sports, varies how much. Don't really care what it adds up to.

 

[TromboneAl]

This is due to being disappointed with so many rented films

Right. I found that we actually like only about one movie out of every eight that we rent.

 

[KB]

Speaking of renting movies.....

I joined Netflix for the free 2 week trial. I found that I didn't watch the movies very quickly. I thought I'd jump all over them since I have my newly found free time. But noooo, just left them sitting on the coffee table. Made me feel guilty so I'm cancelling.

Maybe it's more of a wintertime thing....watching movies.

 

[retire@40]

I never watch TV during the day, unless there is an interesting news story. Everything else is junk.

TV producers know the demographics. They know most of the smart people are not home during the day because they're working. The people that generally watch TV during the day are low class dummies with no life. That's why they put on shows like Jerry Springer, soap operas, and infomercials during the day that appeal to those type of people.

 

[Martha]

I do like my HGTV. My latest is reDesign with Kenneth Brown. I watch it in part because he drives the DH absolutely nuts.