Well I dont believe in TV in the workplace. This is not the grumpy old man talking. Its a business man talking. First up its distracting and in your business could cause an accident either as in damage to a piece being repaired or working with a tool. Second one of the biggest issues employers are having since the internet and cell phone came out is the issue of engagement. When internet first hit a desk, it meant a load of lost hours and productivity dips. Now we can manage it via the IT admin guys but still its added effort and cost in policing and policies for computer use etc. Then cell phones hit and we now have staff taking calls at any time or texts and checking FB etc all day long. That's a time burner. Its distracting from what they getting paid to do and impacts productivity in a part of the world where the cost structure of any small business is having difficulty being competitive.
Lets go back to time when this was not possible and we went to work and got on with work. Yes there was a cooler break but it was limited and very visible.
What i think you want to consider is being pretty disciplined about the times its on and used.
You also just added a further cost to your company each month in the TV service fees and then keep in mind when something does come on the news you end up not just having the tv take time while everyone watches something they cannot do anything about, there is then the added discussion that follows.
On our Thanksgiving i was in the emergency with my son at the local hospital. They had a TV in the wait line in the area after the reception to keep patients entertained while waiting. Well that day the Blue Jays were playing some important game. Heck the whole emergency staff stopped processing patients to follow what was going on with the game. The talk between staff and doctors became the game not what the heck they were supposed to be focused on as in patients and making sure the right care is being taken.
Sorry to sound like a party pooper but that's just the thing, we seem to have lost our common sense and now feel the compelling need to have media in our lives every second. Where is the downtime to actually think and ponder your own views rather than hearing what some talking head has to say.
As for TV in a hobby shop, well for me again i agree with Steve and Leo and Stu. I have enough of a time making sure i stay focused and use the safety devices i have, i dont need "breaking news" i can do nothing about distracting me, and I dont need a real time update on how the Pats are beating everyone, I know they will.