I don't watch Hallmark Channel much either. In fact, the only channels I care to watch these days are Antenna TV and MeTV, plus a local RTV affiliate; I basically ignore the networks except for the NBC nightly news. For older shows not airing on the retro channels, I watch DVDs of my favorite series from the late '60s and '70s.
A&E used to have fairly decent programming some years ago, but these days...sheesh. One of my favorite shows from the '70s is Quincy, M. E., which used to be on A&E on a regular basis, but not anymore. Oh well. I have all but the last two seasons of that series on DVD, so I don't miss the show's reruns on cable.
I quit watching The Golden Girls on Hallmark because I could not abide the smart-aleck language and remarks coming out of the mouth of Sophia Petrillo (played by Estelle Getty). I tolerated it through the show's first network run and a couple of cycles of reruns, but I will have nothing more to do with the show today. Enough is enough!
For Sandy G.: This is likely OT, but I'm curious. Did you ever get your Sony 36" TV working, or did you retire it and get a flat screen set?
You said in previous posts that the Sony was on its last legs, or at least the CRT was weakening to the point where it was too dim to watch anymore.