channel surfing

1. Switching from one television station (channel) to another frequently, either to search for an interesting program or to keep track of several programs at once. For example, What did you see on TV last night?—Nothing much; I was just channel surfing. The term transfers the surfer's search for good waves to the viewer's search for programs. This practice became widespread with the use of remote-control devices for changing channels while remaining seated some distance from the television set. [1980s] A 1990s version is Internet surfing, a similar process for searching cyberspace.

Example Sentences

Lyrically, Malakian addresses school shootings, authoritarianism, media manipulation, infidelity, addiction and stream-of-consciousness ramblings as dizzying as an hour of random, rapid-fire channel surfing.

From Los Angeles Times

Discovery’s channels have long been mainstays of the television landscape and frequent destinations for viewers during an earlier era of channel surfing.

From Los Angeles Times

If I see myself in a film I did when I am channel surfing, I remember what I was doing that day.

From Salon

How a mega contract for CBS announcer Tony Romo in 2020 set in motion a reshuffling of NFL broadcast booths that gives new meaning to channel surfing.

From Los Angeles Times

This season gives new meaning to the term “channel surfing,” as the musical chairs in the booth mean there are new — yet familiar — football voices on Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights.

From Los Angeles Times