What if there was no television?

If television was defunct from the modern day world, I cannot imagine what life would be like today. First of all, there would be no actors/actresses, favorite shows, network stations such as CBS, etc. People would have more active lives and would find themselves with much more of an active life. Although some people may feel the absence of television would improve people's lives, the spread of news would flow at a much slower pace. Americans would never be able to grasp current events or be able to watch important figures such as Barrack Obama with his eloquent political speeches. Television may be a time consumer for many, but it is a beneficial resource to society.