This entire line of the thread is getting insulting to some of the posters and bordering on offensive. ONLY Hashem gets to decide who loses his chelek in Olam Haba -not you, not I, not anyone, including rabbonim. It is upsetting to see some of the smug remarks that have been posted here. One does not require the haskama of YOUR rov that TV is OK to have in the home, if his personal rov does not asser it. There is a very huge difference between ALLOWING something and actually condoning it. You may not find a rov of note who is willing to say it’s a GOOD thing to have a tv, but you will find many who will tell you it is nonetheless not an aveira, particularly if one uses the
V-chip and monitors closely (as I have always done) what the family is watching. Many secular educators also believe it is not a good thing to have a TV, but neither do they say it is a terrible thing to have one. It is a subtle difference, but if you think about it, it is still a difference. There are many excellent educational, nature-oriented, and newsworthy programs on TV, besides the things that concern our rabbonim. As with everything in life, the key is to use moderation, seichel, and know when enough is enough. My children learned a great deal from PBS, when they were toddlers, and there are still many fine programs on nowadays. This entire conversation will be moot for many in February, when the TV signal goes digital, and many people do not upgrade their tvs to be compatible with the new format.