• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, January 11, 2011

Back in August, Time Warner Cable PR executive Jeff Simmermon offered a curious confession: He was a passionate cord-cutter. Somehow, he had survived without cable. Not just in his previous incarnations, but for the first 18 months on the job at TWC.

Simmermon's admission (on a TWC corporate blog) had him indicating he could get his entertainment fix from online streaming and iTunes downloads. And he was content to view the content on a modest lap top.

His boldness may not have worked in the hinterlands, he wrote. As a New York resident, he was paying too much in taxes not to hit the town to get his money's worth. He had to avoid "wasting my money if I sit at home passively watching the same television programs you can see in a seedy motel on the outskirts of Indianapolis."

Then he found religion and finally wired up.

"Shortly before I got cable, I realized that I was spending more time and money hunting down and streaming -- or downloading from iTunes -- stuff that I wanted to watch. My girlfriend and I had a few too many cozy nights in with a date to watch a movie and then discovered that the thing looked like a Chuck Close painting when I expanded it to fit my laptop screen."

TWC recently launched a modified cable service aimed, in part, at forestalling cord-cutting. The package of channels costs less, though there are many coveted networks - notably ESPN -- missing. Comcast has now done the same with a cheaper, slimmer package.

Executives on both the cable operator and network side say they have no evidence that cord-cutting is on the rise. People may be dropping subscriptions for economic reasons, but not philosophical or behavioral. These cutters are not a Simmermon circa April 2008, finding enough content gratis, or for little cost, online to more than satisfy them. Comcast has now lowered the cost of one of its cheaper, slimmer packages.

There will always be a cadre of viewers who need cable for certain niche networks with no online or pay-download options. Some people may adore their massive HD screens and won't forgo the opportunity for a cable menu to fill them.

There's no doubt that cord-cutting brings a sacrifice. But a decade ago, before going the online-video boom, former Fox and WB executive Jamie Kellner unwittingly offered an argument for taking the plunge.

If memory serves, Kellner recounted how at one of his homes, the cable was out and he was stuck with a limited analog set, yet he had a blast making do with it. There were enough jokes on network comedies to have him laughing his head off, and action in the dramas to satisfy him.

Now, if Kellner were to grapple with a blackout, but was equipped with a speedy laptop, he'd surely be even happier. More so, if a newspaper or Web site were offering TV Guide-style listings for a cord-cutter. The week ahead for the cutter, as it were.

The guide would, of course, acknowledge that many of the shows online take waiting a day to watch. Then again, they come with fewer ads. This week's suggestion for a personal prime-time line-up could go as such:

Monday:

BCS National Championship game, live, ESPN3.com

Tuesday:

8-9 p.m. - "Men of a Certain Age," TNT.tv 9-10 p.m. - "CSI: Miami," CBS.com 10-10:30 p.m. - "The Simpsons," Hulu.com 10:30-11 p.m. - "The Daily Show," ComedyCentral.com

Wednesday:

8-9 p.m. "Desperate Housewives," ABC.com 9-10 p.m. - "Conan," TBS.com 10-11 p.m. - back-to-back episodes of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," FXNetworks.com

Thursday:

8-9 p.m. - "Glee," Fox.com 9-10 p.m. - back-to-back episodes of "Modern Family," ABC.com 10-11 p.m. - "Psych," USANetwork.com

Friday:

8-11 p.m.-ish - NBA: Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs, live, ESPN3.com

Saturday:

8-9 p.m. - "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," BravoTV.com 9-10 p.m. - back-to-back episodes, "Tyler Perry's House of Payne," TBS.com 10 p.m. - 11 p.m. - "Iron Chef America," FoodNetwork.com

Sunday:

8-9 p.m. - "Intervention," AETV.com 9-10 p.m. - back-to-back episodes, "The Office," NBC.com 10p.m. - 11 p.m. - "Greek," ABCFamily.com

A free analog set-up is crucial to get "American Idol" and NFL football on CBS, Fox and ESPN (not streamed, yet). But get the antenna and add an affordable Netflix subscription for movies and older TV episodes during downtime, and viewers content with a schedule similar to the above, could make cord-cutting a little more cutting for the TV industry.