While on-board the abandoned/wrecked ship, the "villain," is watching A&E! A&E is a cable/satellite channel! How was he able to receive that? Furthermore where'd he get the electricity to power the TV set?
He could have a generator to power the TV. As for A&E, in the past, the A&E coverage of the Boston Pops July 4 Show and fireworks was simulcast on a local Boston channel since it was obviously a big deal for the city. I don't know if it was still the case in the early/mid 90s, but it was not too before that.