We do receive books and such. And for a while you could see lots of the BBC on free television.
For the geeky, there was also the World Service on shortwave....
ETA. Forward into the Past Dept: Will Prepay Smart Meters Catch on in the US?
There will come a day -- sooner than I care to think -- when references to fishing around for a shilling to put in the meter will be met with stares of blank incomprehension.
:down: