Triple J
…answers the question, “What do you do when your TV dies?”
If you recall the end of Terminator 2, when Arnie is lowered into the smelt and finally his lights go out—that’s what our TV did tonight. Compressed to a single, hot white line, then gone. Cathode Ray Tubicide. And like the end of Terminator 2, tonight’s turn of events was hard to accept. How could something that powerful just be gone? (And why now? Our microwave went into a coma several weeks back—all 88:88, and the DVD player has been ticking monotonously since Labor Day, and the muffler fell off the Dodge a few weeks ago… Seriously, WTF?)
Fortunately, there is Triple J.
Elena says, “This music is so good.” I say, “Yeah! Triple J.” The Monday morning news comes on, she says, “They can say ‘arvo’ on the news?” I say, “Yeah, it’s Triple J!” And, they never ask you for money? Triple J! (You could probably run a successful marketing campaign here just based on this.) And they talk about U.S. politics? Triple J! And Australian politics? Triple J! And indigenous issues? Triple J! And no frickin’ ads? Triple J! You’re just making it up now. Triple J!
There is currently no equal in the world to this radio station, and the way that media (and political economy) is changing there may never, ever be. Our new TV should arrive by the end of the week (don’t even start with the whole, people can live without it, you know) and I for one would just like to say thank @#$% for Triple J.
Postscript: It’s nice to pipe the sounds of home right into your living room. Thank @#$% also for the Internet.
I lived with no TV for 18 months. It was surprisingly easy, once you get past the withdrawal pains.
After having 4,300 channels of Everyone Love’s Raymond and Law and Order for the duration of my time in Canada, I look upon Australian free to air TV with a fond quaintness.
As for JJJ – we’ve agreed to listen to other people for a while. They’ve been doing that thing that they do where the playlist is boring and repetitive and I stop listening for a few months. After this hiatus, we, as usual, just hang-out again like nothing has happened.
In the interim, I’ve become a nerd and have been listening to Richard Fidler of DAAS on the Local ABC AM station 612 or ABC News Radio on 963.
Finally, If it weren’t for podcasting, I’d have gone berko. The quality of programs released by Our ABC and the BBC is simply amazing. NPR is also quite good.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:49 am #
Ooh, ooh. I nearly forgot. Why aren’t you using Pandora or Last.FM? Pandora is very cool, but very US only.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:50 am #
When I first bought a house there was only so much money to go around. Being a cashflow smart kind of girl some things just didn’t make the cut of what we could afford. It turned out that a TV was way down the list and a dining table to entertain friends was a bit higher although that was also a few months away.
A good stereo came into the picture at the 12 month mark as 12 months of getting to know my loved one well was enough before we needed a break. During that time a laptop did wonders for our sanity and music needs.
It took 18 months before we purchased our first TV and sometimes I still wish we hadn’t. We don’t watch that much TV these days but I find when we are tired is when it is most likely to be turned on. Why would I want to watch crap when I am tired, who knows what subliminal messages I am absorbing!
There are some quality programs around but usually these can be found elsewhere than on the TV so yes thank gosh for the internet. A great way to watch and listen to only those things I really want too.
If our TV dies it will be a very long debate as to whether a new one is purchased.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:01 am #
I’m keeping y’all’s sanity in my thoughts until the end of the week. (But after that, you’re on your own.)
October 6th, 2008 at 10:54 am #
Dan, Pandora is nice but the lack of human programming loses the social aspect of radio (and TV) that I like. Stephen Fry wrote a terrific speech about this in relation to the BBC. And yes, Triple J has her moments. As you mention, it’s a relationship :)
Jody, if I could get TV shows on the Internet like I do MP3s, and watch them on a large screen, then I’d lose cable altogether and probably save a lot of money in the process! But streaming TV on the web, from anywhere, would be truly awesome. C’mon, surely that would tempt you?
Lyds, thanks—not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse when it comes to The Debate, part two.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:34 pm #