[Jack Hydrazine]

Thinking that TV is free.

First you buy the TV so that isn’t free.

Then the ad campaigns that are used on TV get factored into the price of the product. It’s is the customer that is paying for the program one way or another whether over-the-air or by way of cable.

Now do you understand?

[Balding_Eagle]

I’m not going to argue with ‘there is no free lunch’, but there is one channel we get on digital TV (I’m so out of touch I’m not sure if there is any other kind). For us it’s on 14.3 and I think it’s called GET TV. No commercials, ever. Just old movies back to back.

I’ve wondered who and why that channel is on.

[oh8eleven]

Now do you understand?
My point was that TV programming was free back in the day, i.e., no cable bill. So simple even a caveman could understand ... but not you.
Not the cost of the TV, not the cost of an antenna, nor the burden of having to tolerate 12 minutes of commercials per hour.
But there's always one feckin' know-it-all who just can't grasp a simple concept, sticks his foot in his mouth, then tries to blame someone else.