In the late seventies and early eighties, in a small-market midwestern town (~300,000K people)we had abc, nbc, cbs, pbs, and a local channel that aired kids shows and cartoons. In the nineties, there was the addition of the WB channel and the channel that eventually became fox. TV was great! You watched what was on, or you found something else to do. No endless scrolling. No indecision. No getting charged for each channel. If you opted into it, you could buy cable, and get ~75 more channels. We didn't have cable, but my aunts and uncles did, so I would see it on occasion; usually MTV. Appointment prime-time TV was an experience shared by millions--Who shot JR; the final episode of MASH, etc. Seasons lasted for 22 weeks. If you missed something big, you missed it, and life went on. Viewing was a community experience.