When I was growing up we used to dream of having a vast assortment of cable channels, a wide selection of programs.

We have that in the 21st century, but many times it seems like there’s nothing worth watching. I read or listen to a CD in the evening when nothing on the television schedule looks appealing.

If it weren’t for PBS, the Weather Channel and TVLand I could easily go without cable. It makes me wonder how some of the channels can possibly get ratings.

We need more programming that dates back to the 1970s and 1980s. TVLand has one program that I watch on a regular basis. It shows “M.A.S.H.” episodes from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., so I’ll sometimes get up for the day and catch an episode of “M.A.S.H.”

There are many more programs that deserve to be featured. I could fill my whole column space with a list of them, but some examples are “Star Trek,” “Adam 12,” “Emergency,” “Happy Days,” “Welcome Back Kotter,” “the White Shadow” “and Cheers.”

I remember the days when I watched such programs in my parents’ family room on Marguerite Avenue in Marshall. It was nice to stay warm by the fireplace in the winter. In the summer, it was a cool basement that was perfect for staying out of the heat.

I took part in activities also. I enjoyed bike rides, going to the pool and summer baseball. Still a significant amount of my free time was spent watching TV.

The programs were worth watching. It must happen to every generation when it comes to pop culture that the latest isn’t as good as what existed previously.

I have to remind myself that program organizers are more familiar with younger generations than I am. They should be experts on what the younger generations want.

Still I think at least to some degree the cable channels should cater to people of my age range, from Generation X on back to those who are older.

Many of us aren’t into the latest technological fads such as streaming. We simply want to turn on the television and find something to watch.

I think people like me would watch television more often if there was more programming from our era. TVLand is good, but they trend toward newer (seemingly new to me) programs such as “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “King of Queens.”

It’s hard to know what will happen with home-based entertainment. I hope there will be more available for basic cable rates. I hope it doesn’t come down to money grubbing corporate crud where every new feature translates into a higher cost for consumers.

I would enjoy seeing better advertising on cable. It would be nice to have some of the older commercials for products like paper towels, soups and rice dishes.

Instead it’s all commercials about medicine, insurance and other big ticket 21st century items. The last thing I want when enjoying TV is commercials about those real world annoyances.

The only way to change the content is to make cable channel directors aware of what we want. There should be a niche market, a way for channels to make money on programs that were popular in the past.

We’ll just have to wait and see whether channel executives decide to give me more of what I want. It would be nice. It would make me feel like I’m truly getting my money’s worth.

I’d enjoy television like I enjoyed it as a kid. I’d look forward to seeing favorite programs on particular nights. It would bring world class entertainment into our TV rooms just like it did back in the 20th century.

It could bring back “the good old days” for people in my age range to enjoy and for young audiences to discover. The 20th century was in many ways television’s golden age. It deserves to be available on modern cable.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and

contributor to the Marshall Independent