[Grampa Dave]

I went for the 150 channel package which carries Fox news.

You are right that the basic package doesn't carry FoxNews. You have to subscribe to the 100 or the 150. The 150 option had a lot of other channels that we like.

The picture on our 12 year old set is great, and we lose the satellite a few minutes during really bad storms. With cable bad storms could mean hours if not days. Then when a drunk, illegal alien or a drunk illegal aliend took out a utility pole, we might be without cable for a day or days.

[concerned about politics]

LOL.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

I've never heard the liberals whine more about biased news. Things were peachy when CBBS/NBC/ABC/CNN marched to the NY Times drummer. People aren't watching & they are pinging. I love it.

[4Freedom]

What brand is your 12-year-old set.

I have 20-plus-year-old, 19", Sony 'Pro-Feel' component tv, that has a steel monitor housing and a better picture than most of the new sets. It weighs more than a 32" I have. I've never needed to service it once.

A lot of the new stuff is just cheap junk without much in the way of performance enhancement.

I'm eyeing the bigger screen HDTV and plasma sets. If the prices come down now that the holidays are past, I may jump, but the Pro-Feel will stay in one of the guest rooms for at least another 20 years. ;^)

[strela]

we lose the satellite a few minutes during really bad storms.

That is really the only downside I have ever experienced with satellite (and I've had mine for 5 years now). Compared to the local cable service, which provides only 25 or so channels and is $20 a month higher than my satellite service, satty is the way to go at least for me.