DEBORA SHAULIS | On the Scene No TV? You can weather it out

Don't wait for TV Turnoff Week, which is six long months away. Declare your independence now!
Surely you're ready for a break. Eighteen long days remain before those irritating, divisive "I approved this message" ads disappear (until the next election). Three weeks from today, the November ratings "sweeps" period begins, so the political commercials will be replaced by endless network self-promotion. Meanwhile, we have reruns and schedule changes to look forward as networks try to compete with pro baseball's big finish.
Go on, just turn it off for a while. If my husband survived without TV, so will you.
The spouse and I took a TV holiday last month when we went to see his daughter, the marine scientist-turned-fishing boat observer. She now lives near Cape May, N.J.
Cape May has miles of beaches, plenty of restaurants serving fresh seafood, an historic lighthouse, an outdoor mall with intriguing shops and more. What it lacks is hotel chains. There are inns, motels and bed-and-breakfasts, but they are strictly mom-and-pop shops.
September is a busy time in Cape May, so it took several phone calls to find a bed and breakfast with a vacancy. I had to choose between a suite with a full-sized brass bed or a room with a queen-sized bed, but no TV.
As my husband pecked away at our computer, I told him that I just reserved a TV-free room. He became mute and motionless, like a football player who lies on the turf after taking a bone-crunching hit.
We're not going on vacation to watch TV, right? I asked.
He agreed. Sort of. No, sorely. You know that channel-surfing affliction that strikes males between the ages of 3 and 99? My husband is terminal.
Once we arrived at the Bacchus Inn, we fell into a good routine. We'd wake up each morning, get dressed and stroll across the street to the owners' other property. We'd have coffee and muffins on the porch, read the paper and watch about 30 minutes of CNN or MSNBC, until breakfast was served. Then we were off to the stepdaughter's, the lighthouse, the mall, the beach, the fish market. If we saw a TV, it was incidental and brief.
We didn't even watch TV at his daughter's, because she doesn't have it. She and her similarly employed housemates travel for eight to 12 days at a time, so they wouldn't get their money's worth from cable. They are too far away for an antenna to pick up the Philadelphia stations that cover that region.
All was well until it was time to drive home. That was Sept. 17, the day the remnants of Hurricane Ivan reached Pittsburgh. The TV meteorologists were predicting 8 inches of rain. We held our breath along the Pennsylvania Turnpike until around the Monroeville exit, when traffic snarled because of a mudslide that creeped into the right lane. We cleared that and went about five miles until traffic came to a dead stop. The cause: flooding. After traveling only 10 miles in two hours, we were running out of gas, literally and figuratively. We pulled off at Cranberry.
So there we were on the final night of our vacation, stretched out on a king-size bed on the second floor of a Red Roof Inn and watching the Pittsburgh TV stations for reports. I guess there's no complete cure for TV dependence.
Broadcasting awards
Speaking of the airwaves, local radio personalities Jerry Starr and Frankie Halfacre are among the latest inductees in broadcasting halls of fame. Both received their awards at banquets in late September.
The Broadcasters Hall of Fame was founded in 1982 and is based in Akron. Its goal is to recognize people who have made "significant contributions to the art of broadcasting," according to its Web site. It has a memorabilia display inside Crowne Plaza Resort at Quaker Square Center, 135 S. Broadway, downtown Akron. It also awards scholarships to broadcasting students.
Radio and TV performers, station owners, managers, producers and other personnel with 15 years service or more are eligible for induction. Halfacre has been in radio for more than 50 years, most recently as chairman of Stop 26-Riverbend, the parent company of WRBP-FM 101.9.
Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame in Canal Fulton has similar rules, but singles out talent that was either born in Ohio or worked in the state for at least one year. Starr has more than 40 years' experience, including as a disc jockey on WHOT-FM 101.1 and WYFM 102.9. He was production manager of those Cumulus Broadcasting-owned stations when he retired two years ago.
Trenchtown to perform
And now, this musical interlude.
The first city performance by reggae, dance and rock band Trenchtown will be Friday night at Cedar Lounge, 23 N. Hazel St. Opening act will be My Sister the Sun.
The bands have something in common. Each has a member who has been linked to another local band, Raul -- Trenchtown drummer Chris George and My Sister the Sun's leader, Justin Arroyo.
Drowning Pool tickets
Tickets are supposed to go on sale Friday for a performance by rock band Drowning Pool on Oct. 30 at The Cellar, 162 S. Bridge St., Struthers. Check the Web site www.thecellarrocks for details. Drowning Pool is the group that recorded the latest theme song for World Wrestling Entertainment's "Smackdown" TV program on Thursday nights.
XDebora Shaulis is entertainment editor. Write her at shaulis@vindy.com.