I’m old enough to remember when ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS were the only networks to watch. Then in 1979 we got a “box” we could use to access the upstart networks Nickelodeon and WTCG (soon to become WTBS) and maybe a couple of others. Now with hundreds of “networks”, it seems like there’s too much chaff and not enough wheat. Maybe it will get to the point where each of us will have his or her own private network.

I’m old enough to remember when ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS were the only networks to watch. Then in 1979 we got a “box” we could use to access the upstart networks Nickelodeon and WTCG (soon to become WTBS) and maybe a couple of others. Now with hundreds of “networks”, it seems like there’s too much chaff and not enough wheat. Maybe it will get to the point where each of us will have his or here own private network.

I guess you could have your own private network if you have a huge dvd collection.

I grew up in the era of the Big Three Networks. Whatever one network did, another one copied. Addams Family, The Munsters. Bewitched, Jeannie. Family Ties, Growing Pains. Brady Bunch, Partridge Family.

This is a new Golden Age of Television. Different that the first, to be sure, but certainly many more options for viewers. You're not limited to three choices anymore.

I don't watch any of them anymore other than for sports. Nothing but trash on.

I remember when my mom & dad didn't have cable & we only had 3 channels we had 4 11 &10!!

Right, in Philadelphia there were channels 3 (NBC), 6 (ABC), 10 (CBS), and later 12 (PBS). With a rooftop antenna we could pick up 7 WABC in New York, in southern New Jersey. 6 did not carry a lot of ABC shows, so it was good to be able to pull in 7, although it was snowy.

Later they added 3 independent UHF stations, 17, 29, and 48, which required an additional rooftop antenna.

But to answer the question, there are WAY too many networks.

Back 30 years ago growing up I didn't have cable or satellite. We had ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, and one independent station. Back then I was able to find a lot more to watch on TV with only 5 channels than I am today. Today we have Direct TV and most of the channels are pretty much useless to me. If it were strictly up to me I would probably just cut the cord.

It doesn't do a whole lot of good to have all of these networks when there is nothing on them worth watching. Especially when a lot of these networks show the same programs that are on other networks.

my cousins probably don't know that you had to get up early on saturday moorings!! now they got 24 hours cartoons channels!! I remmeber waiting all week long unitl saturday & getting up around 6:00 am!! & we didn't have online streaming severs liked netflix or dvrs! if you wanted to tape you would use an vsh!! !

Way,way too many.And I don't even consider most channels these days networks.Frankly I don't know what to call them.Then add things like streaming and who know what else into the mix,what a mess.

And by the way I am also old enough to remember when there were just the 3 networks,PBS and a few local channels.And television,every single thing about it was a thousand times better.And you rarely heard anyone say there is nothing good to watch.In fact the majority of TV shows that I still watch today were made back in those days.Less was so much more.

And by the way I am also old enough to remember when there just the 3 networks,PBS and a few local channels.And television,every single thing about it was a thousand times better.And you rarely heard anyone say there is nothing good to watch.

With fewer networks back then, the flops were more visible than they are now. Remember “Supertrain” and “The Star Wars Holiday Special”?

With fewer networks back then, the flops were more visible than they are now. Remember “Supertrain” and “The Star Wars Holiday Special”?

I remember both.Everything on TV back then was more visible. Also back then television made people household names.It was a big deal just to be on TV.That is certainly not the case anymore.These days being on TV means nothing and it certainly does not make anyone even close to a household name anymore.

I like having the many choices the network and cable channels offer. The main network channels here are CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, The CW and PBS but if you have an antenna you can get around 10 more channels for free.

im not really big sports fan!! but i don't under stand why do the local stations show sports!! we got sevarl different sports channels!! what i don't under stand! is why they show golf!! when we got golf channel!!

There are too many networks with no substance. A lot of the channels are just marathons of a tv show or shows.
Honestly, I hardly watch any current tv with the exception of a few shows.

There are certainly more channels than I can even follow or desire to follow. Now I don't mind having more than just the big 3 like it was in the old days, but all these channels that sit on my cable system I would say the majority of them I have never watched.

Aren't people exaggerating when they say we only had three networks? I'm from NYC, and we had the three networks, PBS and three independent stations (WWOR, WNEW and WPIX). Yes, nothing compared to what we have today, but I didn't remember feeling as if we only had three stations.

Yeah, but back then didn’t you WISH there where as many networks as there are now?

Even though I don't watch the majority of the channels on my cable system, I have to say I do enjoy the variety of channels I do get to choose from. I have 5 channels that pretty much show classic shows and that is what I watch mostly including: AntennaTV, METV, TVLand, FETV, and LAFF. I also have a ROKU and when I am not watching classic shows I watch the classic shows I can find on the channels they offer on the ROKU. So I do not complain there is too many channels at all.

They probably are too many, at least there is not enough decent content for them to show. HGTV will show the same show for hours on end (most networks do that with some show or other). Even if I like a show 10 episodes in a row is overkill, but I suppose they are too cheap to buy or make more shows. They can probably make the same money (obviously) by not investing much into a variety of content.

Last weekend one of those true crime channels showed stuff about Ted Bundy all weekend, over and over again.

Yeah, but back then didn’t you WISH there where as many networks as there are now?

Call me old-fashioned, but no. I don't have cable, so still watch OTA. Out of OTA, I only watch three stations religiously. I have more networks/stations than I do today, but they're running the exact same TV shows that used to air on the few stations that we used to have. It's just that this programming is now spread out across 10-15 channels when back in the day, they were concentrated to the major three networks and the four indie stations.

Yeah, but back then didn’t you WISH there where as many networks as there are now?

Actually no.Back in the day with the 3 networks and a few locals etc.much of the time there was always something to good to watch.Sometimes you would have to make a choice between a few channels because there were a few good programs showing at the same time.Of course this was back in the days when the big networks were very good.They were totally the opposite of what they later turned into.

Aren't people exaggerating when they say we only had three networks? I'm from NYC, and we had the three networks, PBS and three independent stations (WWOR, WNEW and WPIX). Yes, nothing compared to what we have today, but I didn't remember feeling as if we only had three stations.

Probably depends on your age and where you lived. I grew up in a rural area in the 1960-70's. We got ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS (which few people I knew ever watched) and that was it. In the 80's a couple of independent stations launched but it seemed they did not last long and eventually ended up being sold to broadcasters of paid religious programs. In fact where I lived we got a low rent version of Mtv that was great to us because we could not get cable. I think it may have lasted a year or so. Mtv had exclusives on most hit videos and we got stuff like Pia Zadora singing "Rock it Out" but we made the best of it while it lasted.