Hello, rabbit ears! Americans give free antenna TV a new look

In telling the Los Angeles Timesthat his sales are going "through the roof," Richard Schneider might make cable TV providers hit the roof.

That's because Schneider's company makes antennas to watch television the old-fashioned way -- for free over the airwaves.

Schneider's St. Louis-based Antennas Direct cranks out 100,000 antennas every month, adding to the ranks of the 13 million American households that already watch over-the-air TV, the Nielsen survey company said in the Times article. In Southern California alone, at least 30,000 households returned to antenna viewing in the last year, and the trend will likely continue nationwide as the recession hangover lingers, according to the story.

How about that? At the dawning of another tech-muscled decade, a Rockwell portrait of throwback domesticity is emerging: the family gathered in front of the TV with rabbit ears on top!

Dozens of channels are available and the picture is surprisingly clear, the story said. And did we mention it's FREE?