Ralph, you had it good if you had cable!
When I was a kid, we had a monsterous tv set on a wrought iron tv stand (how it didn't fall over and kill us all is beyond me). Tv was only in black and white (when it was invented, color tv was only for "rich" people, not the middle class) and since there was only 3 channels (or less depending on how the rabbit ears felt like working that night - I still remember my poor mother standing behind the tv and waving the rabbit ears to pull in a channel, she never got to see tv!), and if the president of the United States was on - you were screwed.....he was on all 3 channels, augggghhhh!
On the other hand, sure do miss F-Troop and Capt. Kangaroo!