# If you could only pick 5 cable stations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2001, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043 "2001-09-06T15:04:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/21 "2001-09-06T17:46:09Z")
PBS is broadcast, so I don’t think that counts as a cable channel, unless there’s a “generic” cable PBS channel for dish services, as opposed to the local PBS station I watch. Assuming PBS is available as broadcast, and off the table, and judging by what I actually look at, rather than any image I would like to present: Comedy Central A&E Cartoon Network History Channel Tossup between CNN, sports (I don’t pay much attention to what channel a game is on if I decide to watch it), VH-1 and Nickelodeon (yes, I’m an adult. Really. It says so right on my driver’s license. Maybe my second childhood is happening early. Does it help to know that I channel surf between “The Rugrats” and “Law and Order”? No? I didn’t think so). I would LIKE to say Discovery and TLC, but I tend to pick up that sort of fare from PBS (sometimes A&E), and never got in the habit of watching either of those. It tends to change over time anyway. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/22 "2001-09-06T18:07:45Z")
HBO (Dennis Miller, Gary Shandling, Sex & the City) Comedy Central (Jon Stewart, South park) THC TDC NBC (Everybody Loves Raymond) ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/23 "2001-09-06T18:16:10Z")
1. Comedy Central 2. FX (as long as Son of the Beach continues to air) 3. Nickelodeon (SpongeBob et al.) 4. Fox 5. Cartoon Network ---
**Author:** ![Kepi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kepi/32/7251_2.png) [@Kepi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepi)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/24 "2001-09-06T19:40:28Z")
In no particular order: HGTV (just bought a new house, need lots of decorating, gardening and fix-it advice) The Weather Channel (never know what Texas weather is going to do) Fox Sports Southwest (for Texas Rangers baseball and Big 12 football) Nickelodeon (for Nick at Night) CMT (hey, I live in Texas. I like country music. Sue me.) ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/25 "2001-09-06T19:46:47Z")
1. Cartoon Network 2. The History Channel 3. TLC 4. The Weather Channel (it’s so soothing, with their Muzak and their forcasts) 5. A&E ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/26 "2001-09-06T20:01:11Z")
1. Discovery Channel 2. The Learning Channel 3. Cartoon Network 4. History Channel 5. Food Network I don’t have cable, so just getting these 5 would certainly make me happy. If I could opt for a 6th, I’d say Comedy Central though A&E is sorely missed too. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/27 "2001-09-06T20:51:46Z")
Cartoon Network HGTV Food Network TLC Discovery ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/28 "2001-09-06T20:54:07Z")
In alphabetical order: Cartoon Network Comedy Central ESPN ESPN2 SciFi ---
**Author:** ![PatrickM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@PatrickM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickM)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/29 "2001-09-06T20:56:33Z")
Tough question: In no particular order: ESPN Fox Sports-Ohio FX - for Buffy reruns! E! - for “Wild On…” starring Brooke Burke. Yowza! Comedy Central - for the Daily Show. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/30 "2001-09-06T21:19:44Z")
Comedy Central - Daily Show, South Park, BattleBots, Ben Stein MTV2 - actual music videos BBC - midnight Monty Python Starz - they seem to have better movies than HBO Sci-Fi - I hear good things about Farscape et al. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/31 "2001-09-06T22:12:32Z")
PBS counts as cable? I thought it was one that just always was there. Comedy Central (South Park, That’s My Bush, SNL, and all the movies) Cartoon Network (Powerpuff Girls!) Nickeloden (Spongebob, plus for Nick at Nite) Sci-Fi (Tales From the Crypt) Animal Planet (For all the cute doggies out there in TV Land) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/32 "2001-09-06T22:18:23Z")
Heck, my building’s not wired for cable, so I’d take anything. From what I remember, though… American Movie Classics Arts & Entertainment Cartoon Network Turner Classic Movies HBO (for my wife) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/33 "2001-09-07T01:59:10Z")
Ok, skip PBS, it is a Free station ( unless you have satellite tv and have to pay for local programming.) Replace it with Comedy Central. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/34 "2001-09-07T02:01:54Z")
\*\*re: the New CNN screen format \*\* I second the hatred of it. It’s way to busy. When I watch it I feel like I’ve just done some crack with an expresso chaser. Not that I would ever do expresso, it’s too pretentious and tastes awful. and I too cheap dry clean my clothing, let alone buy crack. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/35 "2001-09-07T02:12:33Z")
This doesn’t exclude what comes on through the antenna does it? ESPN(Baseball tonight, hockey, that trivia show) ESPN Classic(love the old stuff) HBO(Sopranos, Six Feet Under-only reasons I have it) MSNBC(Political Junkie and Chris Mathews has the best show on politics) Disney (for my 9 month old-he loves the roly poly thing that’s on at 7 a.m.) ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/36 "2001-09-07T03:19:38Z")
good evening friends, I don’t watch much TV, but I love old movies. My choices would be: AMC TCM TLC: (I like Junkyard Wars too) My daughter (age 23) likes all the channels. Watching TV with her is like staring into a strobe light. My younger daughter (age 20) runs MTV pretty much non-stop for Road Rules and Real World. Mrs. Longhair watches: Whatever channel it is broadcasts Friends and ER Lifetime (the men are pigs channel) ---
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/37 "2001-09-07T03:53:49Z")
A&E [gotta have my ‘Investigative Reports’] Discovery [ditto with ‘Forensics’ and ‘FBI Files’] TLC [Medical Detectives] WTBS [BRAVES games] HBO [I’m still suffering withdrawal from ‘Six Feet Under’] Hmmmm, except for the baseball, I definitely see a pattern here! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![katiekilldare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/838e76/32.png) [@katiekilldare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katiekilldare)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/38 "2001-09-07T04:06:52Z")
Comedy Central Discovery Channel Travel Channel Sci Fi (MST3K) A&E ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/39 "2001-09-07T04:08:31Z")
**ESPN** - Sports Center, MLB, College Football & Basketball **ESPN 2** - College Football & Basketball **FOX Sports** - Fox Sports News. Locally, they show Twins baseball, Timberwolf basketball, U of M Gopher football, basketball and hockey. **TNT** - NBA basketball & NASCAR **Animal Planet** - Crocadile Hunter Steve Irwin and his lovely wife Terri. ---
**Author:** ![Trucido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Trucido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trucido)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043/40 "2001-09-07T04:13:21Z")
I don’t like forcing myself to pick, but I’d have to break it down as follows, in no particular order: History Channel Discovery CNN TLC A&E (Cuz I like Law & Order, and those weird English murder mysteries they show late at night. No, I’m not crazy.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-pick-5-cable-stations/80043.md?page=3)