I ended up in a discussion at work today where we ended up bitching about the 24/7 news media.

I was still quite young at the time, but I vaguely remember when over-the-air television broadcasts would sign off. Literally they would stop broadcasting. If you tuned in all you would get were test patterns or static.

I particularly remember a local AM radio station that we would listen to in the morning, especially in the winter, for school closings. Yes, there was a time before the internet, cell phones, and text messaging when this is how we got our information (sometimes it was even printed on paper that was delivered to our door and we had to read it!). This particular radio station would sign off in the evening and start back up around 6 in the morning with the national anthem.

In a sense, we've come a long way. I don't know if it is for better or for worse. All I know is that when I think about these things I start feeling old.