European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Is there life after the to set Breaks one family a Story Frank Cerabino Cox news service. People tend to remember what they Wero doing during the big events the afternoon  was killed the morning the challenger exploded. The time the television went on the Fritz. I was eating dinner Quot the television is red Quot Nick my 3-year-old son announced from the living room. Warrior Bros. And suddenly no More goofy. No More Donald. No More tweetie Bird. To was watching a cartoon videotape the world according to goofy and sure enough goofy was barely visible in the red drenched screen cartoon hell had befallen the 19-inch.witsu-Bishi. A. Quot Don t touch the to Quot i told Nick figuring he d Boon monkeying with the knobs again i popped open the adjustment door and thumbed a few. Knobs. Bui goofy was still red. So i jiggled the Cable connection Cord took out the videotape and tried another. Turned off the Var. Flipped through the uhf stations the vhf stations even tried the Nashville network a any port in a storm. But it kept coming up red. A a sorry Nick the to s  Quot Well have to take it to a repairman Quot i explained Quot monday Quot this was a Friday night. I went Back. 10 the dinner table. My wife and i decided it would be a Good thing to be without a television for a few Days. Its probably because we Are to hypocrites people who can watch hours of television every Day and still maintain that it s a poor source of entertainment. Once upon a time Back in those childless years of Early marriage to and i chose to live without a television set. But on an october weekend in 1983, we got tired of watching the world series from a bar Stool and decided to break Down and buy a set. The Var came the next year then the Cable Hookup and the Ethan Allen television Cabinet. By the time goofy turned red seven years later we. Knew wed never be going Back to the pre to Days but Felt no sense of panic to be temporarily without a . A a not yet at least a. A. A. By saturday afternoon i walked through the living room and noticed Nick was lying on the floor in his. To watching position. The doors to the television Cabinet were open his logs were resting against the Bottom of the Cabinet and he was staring up at the screen. A. A i but the set was turned off. Old habits were dying hard. A a a by the end of the weekend the quiet set was beginning to take its toll. I missed a mets game the Simpsons and a live lotto drawing a an admittedly pathetic family ritual Nick saw Little value in the extra conversation with mom and dad when it also meant less of Chip amp Dale. So by the time monday morning came around a the first item on our list was getting the Mitsubishi in a repair shop. Nick insisted on going with me. Nick did the talking. Can you fix my television its  the repairman did t believe in miracles at least not in the electrical realm. He d Check it out. Whenever i told anyone at work about the television the usual response was Quot you Only have one Quot for our friends television has become practically the Only common element of discussion not everyone cares about sports or politics but it seems As if everyone knows what a happening on . Law,1 thirty something and twin peaks. Later in the Day i called Home to see How things were doing. To was sniffling on the phone. Quot what s the matter Quot Quot i be just been thinking Quot she said Quot thinking about our life  thinking about our life what kind of crazy behaviour is this she normally would be spending part of the afternoon watching As the world turns a soap opera exploring the lives of fictional characters. Much safer turf there. Quot i guess we just need to get the television Back Quot she said wednesday morning to Nick and baby Natalie went off to a playground i was ready to go to work when the phone rang it was the repairman. The television was ready by the time i d get Home from work the place would be closed for the Day. So i told him i d pick up the set the following morning. But on my Way to work i found myself driving to the to repair shop instead of interstate 95. Work would have to wait. I heaved the set into the Back seat wrinkling my work shirt. When i got Home i stuck it in the Cabinet and tested it. The red was gone. I wrote Quot surprised Quot on a piece of paper and Hung it Over the Cabinet doors then i went off to work Quot i think i d like to write about what its like to not have a television Quot i told my editor after i got to work Quot you did t see thirty something last night Quot she asked.  Quot Hope and Michael really had i out. She told him about the trip to Washington and Quot of o Nielsen St he following Are the latest available rankings of television shows in America starting with the top 10 shows As compiled by the , Nielsen co. The season to Date ranking is in parentheses of an Quot a a for firs time showing and the final figure is the rating which notes the percentage of the nation s 92.1 million Homes where people watched the show. 1 cheers 2  16.8 rating. 2 a different world 4  13.8. 3 Roseanne 1  13.7. 3 designing women the 22 lbs 13j.5 pm x  13.5 6 empty nest 9  13.3. 7 the Cosby show 3  13.2. 7 60 minutes tie 7 lbs 13.2. 7 Golden Girts tie 6 nbc.13.2. 10 unsolved mysteries 13  13.1. A and these Are the 10 least watched shows the ones at the Bottom of the Nielsen ratings. 77 totally hidden video Fox 5,1. 78 life goes on  4 9. 78 tour of duty lbs 4.9. 78 Normal life lbs 4,9. 81 married with children special Fox 4,6. 82 Beauty and the beast lbs 4.5. 83 21 jump Street Fox 4.4. 84 alien nation Fox 4.0. 85 outsiders Fox 3.3. 86 Tracey Ullman show Fox 2.6. What they re watching Page 4 c to plus sunday july 8,1990