5 ms·

TCM is one of the few cable channels that remains true to its original purpose. The "old movies channel" still shows old movies in an era where the "sports chan

TCM is one of the few cable channels that remains true to its original purpose. The "old movies channel" still shows old movies in an era where the "sports channel" is filled with sports-themed cable news style yelling matches, the "music channel" is almost all crappy reality TV shows, the "history channel" is filled with stupid conspiracy theories and crappy reality TV shows, the "news channels" are filled with yelling matches and partisan propaganda and even the "cartoon channels" sometimes air programming that isn't appropriate for elementary school aged children. The only other cable channel I can think of that remains as committed to its original purpose as TCM is C-SPAN which still airs neutral and non-partisan coverage of politics as it happens (which is usually more boring than watching paint dry but very useful whenever something big and important is actually happening). So it is not good news that Warner Bros management, fresh off destroying a bunch of works of art for a tax writeoff, is now turning its attention to TCM to "fix" a channel that isn't broken. We all know where that slippery slope ends if/when they decide TCM "needs to draw higher ratings to increase ad revenue": a weekly All Elite Wrestling program on TCM (not unprecedented given that NBC once aired a WWE program on the science fiction channel).

dhosek 3y ago
Given sufficient time, all basic cable channels eventually converge to a format of showing Law & Order reruns.
- brewdad 3y ago
  Hey now, Food Network has landed on competitions and game shows. That’s an alternate path others may take.
  - joker_minmax 3y ago
    Honestly, the competition shows on Food Network are good fun. I would gladly welcome more of that format. Guy's Grocery Games is the only show I bother watching on there now. It's blissfully lighthearted enough to be a good distraction, and it's got no sleaze whatsoever.
- euroderf 3y ago
  There's going to be an all-Godzilla channel. I guess this development supports your thesis.
  - tourmalinetaco 3y ago
    Honestly it wouldn’t shock me if there was on say PlutoTV.
kitsunesoba 3y ago
The History Channel getting gutted was so disappointing. I loved shows like Modern Marvels that'd do deep dives into the history of various everyday things.
- Dalewyn 3y ago
  You could say Modern Marvels was a modern marvel.
- senkora 3y ago
  There’s a lot of Modern Marvels episodes available on YouTube now. I’ve been watching them as nostalgia TV: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4F4CD715F1A3E6C7 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4F4CD715F1A3E6C7
- tourmalinetaco 3y ago
  Listen, I love having William Shatner on there, but for the love of God I wish the content of the show was even half-decent. I’m quite partial to cryptids and other such paranormal happenings, but the History Channel never gets it right. Besides, given his space adventure both on TV and real life, it makes far more sense to have him talk of weird/mysterious/beautiful things in the Universe. Not a very general tale of Mothman.
silisili 3y ago
Do you see this as a dumbing down/erosion of society, preferences changing between generations, or just everyone throwing poo at the wall to see what sticks? The rise of reality and outrage shows in the last couple decades really dimmed my view on the public at large.
- dangus 3y ago
  Hey no need to slander my reality TV shows. I know they’re dumb. I like them dumb. It’s just entertainment, and I don’t have to be invested in it like all the over-serious shows out there.
  - hakfoo 3y ago
    There's value in curation and scheduling. Let someone else wade through the ocean and make decisions for you. When it comes to passive entertainment, I prefer broadcast TV over streaming, because left to my own devices I just hit choice paralysis and put Futurama on.
    - dangus 3y ago
      https://letterboxd.com/lists/ https://letterboxd.com/lists/ Just one example out of thousands of how the Internet can do this a lot better than cable.
- talldatethrow 3y ago
  It's just weak willed management. Sure a reality show will outperform the history of the soda can. If you run a "discovery channel" your task should be to maximize the performance of that niche, not just throw up your hands and decide to just show whatever performs well. I'm surprised they havent just started showing softcore porn. That'll probably get viewers too.
  - silisili 3y ago
    You're probably right...add that and we'll pretty much be in a literal Idiocracy. IIRC it was reality(people getting hurt/pranks) and porn on the TV.

dhosek 3y ago

Given sufficient time, all basic cable channels eventually converge to a format of showing Law & Order reruns.

brewdad 3y ago
Hey now, Food Network has landed on competitions and game shows. That’s an alternate path others may take.
- joker_minmax 3y ago
  Honestly, the competition shows on Food Network are good fun. I would gladly welcome more of that format. Guy's Grocery Games is the only show I bother watching on there now. It's blissfully lighthearted enough to be a good distraction, and it's got no sleaze whatsoever.
euroderf 3y ago
There's going to be an all-Godzilla channel. I guess this development supports your thesis.
- tourmalinetaco 3y ago
  Honestly it wouldn’t shock me if there was on say PlutoTV.

kitsunesoba 3y ago

The History Channel getting gutted was so disappointing. I loved shows like Modern Marvels that'd do deep dives into the history of various everyday things.

Dalewyn 3y ago
You could say Modern Marvels was a modern marvel.
senkora 3y ago
There’s a lot of Modern Marvels episodes available on YouTube now. I’ve been watching them as nostalgia TV: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4F4CD715F1A3E6C7 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4F4CD715F1A3E6C7
tourmalinetaco 3y ago
Listen, I love having William Shatner on there, but for the love of God I wish the content of the show was even half-decent. I’m quite partial to cryptids and other such paranormal happenings, but the History Channel never gets it right. Besides, given his space adventure both on TV and real life, it makes far more sense to have him talk of weird/mysterious/beautiful things in the Universe. Not a very general tale of Mothman.

silisili 3y ago

Do you see this as a dumbing down/erosion of society, preferences changing between generations, or just everyone throwing poo at the wall to see what sticks? The rise of reality and outrage shows in the last couple decades really dimmed my view on the public at large.

dangus 3y ago
Hey no need to slander my reality TV shows. I know they’re dumb. I like them dumb. It’s just entertainment, and I don’t have to be invested in it like all the over-serious shows out there.
- hakfoo 3y ago
  There's value in curation and scheduling. Let someone else wade through the ocean and make decisions for you. When it comes to passive entertainment, I prefer broadcast TV over streaming, because left to my own devices I just hit choice paralysis and put Futurama on.
  - dangus 3y ago
    https://letterboxd.com/lists/ https://letterboxd.com/lists/ Just one example out of thousands of how the Internet can do this a lot better than cable.
talldatethrow 3y ago
It's just weak willed management. Sure a reality show will outperform the history of the soda can. If you run a "discovery channel" your task should be to maximize the performance of that niche, not just throw up your hands and decide to just show whatever performs well. I'm surprised they havent just started showing softcore porn. That'll probably get viewers too.
- silisili 3y ago
  You're probably right...add that and we'll pretty much be in a literal Idiocracy. IIRC it was reality(people getting hurt/pranks) and porn on the TV.