To TV or not to TV?

I want to advise anyone reading this that I am going to have a relatively big argument in a small sphere. Here's what I mean: I'm talking about the nature and role of television (big argument) and how Christians conceive of using it (small sphere). This post is not about the secular vs. religious arguments for or against television. This post is about Christian vs. Christian arguments for and against television. Allow me to proceed:

Christian Arguments For:
We need to be relevant and current with culture. We must know the news. We must be in step with the 24-7 news cycle. We must be a watcher and commentator on the culture. We must know music and movies and popular tv shows so that we can reach younger audiences. On top of all that, sometimes television is just a good, mindless activity that allows one to unwind.

Proponents: Mark Driscoll, Nick Pollard and Steve Couch (ironic, I know) who wrote the book Get More Like Jesus by Watching TV

Christian Arguments Against:
The medium is the message: television not only presents us with info, it shapes how we receive that info. As a by-product, we become too image-oriented, and not word-oriented. We become too sensational, and not logical. We become too entertainment-obsessed, and not kingdom-obsessed. Furthermore, it's just a huge time waster when one could be much more involved in reading, pursuing face-to-face relationships, or any other worthwhile cause.

Proponents: John Piper (read his blog here), Douglas Groothuis (read his rejection of Pollard and Couch here), and Neil Postman (who I'm not sure is a Christian, but Amusing Ourselves to Death is a must-read).

It seems to me that there is a spectrum here, but by and large the arguments against are much stronger. Piper elaborates:

If you want to be relevant, say, for prostitutes, don’t watch a movie with a lot of tumbles in a brothel. Immerse yourself in the gospel, which is tailor-made for prostitutes; then watch Jesus deal with them in the Bible; then go find a prostitute and talk to her. Listen to her, not the movie. Being entertained by sin does not increase compassion for sinners....

I have a high tolerance for violence, high tolerance for bad language, and zero tolerance for nudity. There is a reason for these differences. The violence is make-believe. They don’t really mean those bad words. But that lady is really naked, and I am really watching.

Groothuis, of course, is excellent on the philosophy of TV (as is Postman for that matter). See the addendum to his book, Truth Decay, about the effects of television on our minds and our concepts of truth.