Tell about the changes in television.

(Anything you want, earlier shows vs. today's shows,

invention of VCR's & DVD's, the sky's thelimit.)

From: Mark Harris

I'm probably showing my age on this one. The best thing about TV so far............. the remote control. I got lots of exercise when I was younger, turning up the volume, turning it down. Changing channels wasn't too much of a chore because we didn't have cable, 4, 6, 10, & 13. There weren't a lot of choices for channels. I remember the "rich" folks had the TV with a cord coming out the back, up the wall, down the opposite wall, and then to the couch. All for changing channels. Wow, that was slick! My father and mother might say that TV itself was the big technological achievement, but me, definitely the remote control.

From: Philip Harris

We didn't have TV when we were growing up. We used to watch the radio. I remember when TV came out. We used to go to Glens Falls and stand in front of Braden and Chapman music store and watch the amazing picture coming over the screen. The H. Russell Harris family Isabel ,Peggy and Connie would let us come over and watch their TV. They had the first TV on Ridge Road,maybe Queensbury. We used to sit and watch the test pattern before John Cammeron Swayze and the news came on. Then our favorite was Milton Berle and the Texaco Star Theater came on. I bought the first TV for our family. It was a 12 inch Crosley. Some of our favorite shows were besides, Milton Berle were , Sid Caeser, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly, George Burns and GracieAllen,Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan and The Lone Ranger. The shows were all carried over from Radio. The other technology advances. Have left me behind. I am totally amazed with a fax and the computer. The TV programs were a lot better in the beginning than they are now. It seems that TV is a total waste land now.

From: Amy (Glick) Freeman

I think a lot of major changes in television have a lot to do with the vulgarity and overall lack of morals people have. I remember cleaner family programming when I was younger, and I'm afraid of what my daughter may grow up watching. On the other hand, they have done some outstanding things with picture and sound. The technology aspect is amazing, but I think they need to clean up the programming.

From Lois Rotella

Television aha there is a definite change in TV's and programing. I remember the older TV's that were in a wood box and had a picture tube and other tube's in the back. I also remember that television went off the air every night and came back on in the morning. There was no such thing has 24 hour television. We had many entertaining programs. There was variety shows where you saw new and old performers. Families watched together. I remember the most important thing I saw on television was JFK's funeral. It remained the most important thing I saw until Sept 11, 2001. I also enjoyed TV in black and white. The one program that got me started on genealogy was Roots.

From: Brenda (Harris) Olszewski

I remember when I was little about 4 or 5 yrs old, and we got a new TV. We thought it was the greatest thing! Black and White! WOW! This was a floor model and I remember falling asleep every night in front of it. I have the picture to prove it. The next recollection was color!! And then I remember in my teen age yrs the news about Cable !!! Wow what will they think of next? Then on to bigger screens and TV's, then smaller TV's that do everything and wrist TV's and TV's in your car. who's got time to watch TV and drive? A bit dangerous huh? There's televised viewing on our Computers! So I guess you could say it's hard to not have access to anything visual now a days. The programming was better in the earlier years of television. Much more wholesome and enjoyable, don't get me wrong there are very good documentaries, movies and educational shows out there, but I feel we are bombarded by things that are not appropriate for us let alone our younger viewers. Some things just can't be screened ahead of time (ex, live). There is too much violence , nudity, for me. The fondest memories are the Sunday night Disney programs . I'll take Disney any day!

From: Connie (Harris) Farrington

I've been watching Jeopardy occasionally for more than a decade, and that's enough TV for me. Prior to that, I probably didn't watch any.

I raised my kids on a maximum of one hour a night TV, and that was only if all homework was done and everyone agreed on the one hour. I didn't watch it with them, but I limited the choices of what they could watch. Many a night all 3 chose to work on other things in the house, or just read. And they all survived.

I do recall that toward the end of grade school, Bill Harris would come across the road occasionally to watch our 12 inch Zenith, maybe Freddy Freihoffer show, or Howdy Dowdy, or something exciting like that. Or maybe he was just looking for a little help with his homework. Or maybe it's just my imagination.

From: Renee (Harris) Zamora

I can remember watching black and white television. When color came it was unbelievable. One TV set we bought had a little box on it you had to feed quarters into it to watch TV. It was an installment plan Mom had for buying the new TV. I can remember how bad I wanted a TV wristwatch. It wasn't a real TV just a picture that moved back and forth but I thought it great. I think the show were much better in the “olden days”. I remember Sunday night watching “The Wonderful World of Disney”. Right before it was “Wild Kingdom”, that show made me nervous that they would be eaten by wild animals. Saturday afternoon had the thrillers, so much tamer than todays. Mom forbid me from watching them because I would get nightmares. Every time I heard the music for the Twilight Zone I would have to go upstairs. Sometimes I would just watch the show through the hole in the floor anyways. Sure enough it would give me nightmares. I remember watching the Brady Bunch, Bewitched, Julia, Mr. Ed, so many good shows. Today I don't watch much but I have a few I will watch. Passions – because it's like a spoof on TV Opera's, and the American Idol, when it had the good singers on.

From Connie Olson

In my opinion television has gone downhill from the earlier family type shows, to the filthy type shows we now have on the tube. I don't watch them. I have cable and enjoy watching the channels that still air the 1960, 1970, and some 1980 family oriented television shows. Many of the shows like "Survivor" are shows I wouldn't want my children or grandchildren to watch. As well as the others shows that do stupid stunts that could hurt or injure people by trying to copy the stunts. Television needs to clean up it's act. It sure does influence our young. Someone should be accountable.

Having the VCR has enabled us to buy the shows we want to watch, and tape the shows we would like to see again. One other good thing is you can tape family events to have to watch in the years to come. I don't own a DVD player. My children do and they seem to buy many cheaper and good movies to buy in the 5 and 6 dollar range. Much cheaper than the movies that are on tapes. I don't know if you can put family movies on DVD's but it would be a good way to keep family events and good memories for years to come.

From: Lucy Welden

The TV shows of 50's and 60's were family shows which were for children and adults and was in black and white through the years we have color and now large screens. Today they a lot of soaps during the morning and afternoon, talk shows, game shows more news, adult shows there is more of a variety. I like the history, discovery, animal, educational and movie channels. With VCR's I can tape a program and watch it later.

From: Joyce Eggleston

Television today has too many news programs and sit coms, which I don't watch. Earlier sit coms I liked were the Andy Griffin show. I have watched one soap opera, "The Young and the Restless" since it first started on daytime TV. Masterpiece Theater is the best. VCR is good, I have all of the Catherine Cookson Movies....she is my favorite author.

From: Heidi MacDuff

I can remember at the age of 3 years watching Lassie. I would get so engrossed watching the show. I can remember crying my heart out for Lassie when she was lost or being hurt. At the age of 3 I could empathize with the animals pain. My mom had to stop me from watching the show, as I would become too emotionally upset. Now I stay away from animal shows they still make me cry. I have to avoid shows that can upset me emotionally. I stick with romantic comedy's or sit coms that are funny.

From: Marie Zamora

Well we have more computers, that's for sure. I remember when computers were little and had black screans with green writing. We've got big computers now, in color, with tons of additions... I remember when CD players were hi-tech and you were totally cool if you owned one.. I remember when DVDs first came out... TV shows like "My Little Pony" "Punky Bruster" "Attack of the Killer Tomatos" "Bevis and Butt Head" "Teenage Muten Ninja Turtles"....

From: Jenny McMurray

I think that morality has declined on t.v shows and that families are suffering. It is amazing what is allowed to be aired on t.v and how we tend to accept it.