I block my kids favorite channels until I know they finish their homework, now that's parenting
and if they yell, all I have to say is Don't make me go over there.
I let my daughter watch whatever she wanted... with the stipulation that there would be penalties if she screwed up in some way? She's almost 16 and as a doting parent I could go on for hours about how cool she is, but I can say to her, "You should take out the trash" (or whatever the chore is) and she says, "Okay, is there anything else to do?" I never spanked her after 5 years old (it's a psychology thing that you just raise a pissed-off kid, hitting them after that age. I'm a perfect example of that one!), never made any of those stupid punitive things our parents did (You're grounded for a month!). I just made her realize that you can do whatever the hell you want to do, but it's going to cost you somewhere in life? TV just isn't the be-all, end-all.