What's with The History Channel??

[Custer1961]

I do not think the history channel has fallen for this change any more than the other cable channels. When A&E first came on, they actually had operas and art shows and all that. Comedy Channel actually had unknown comics, MTV actually had music. The problem is, if you want to make a mark as a hot shot programming manager, you have to get the ratings and the advertising money. So all these cable channels start out with a wonderful mission but end up with reality shows. Chase the lowest common denominator and use sex and fads to program your channel or work hard, take risks and try to get talented people to put on great programs. You know who wins that one............weclome to Anna Nicole Smith and her nipple slip reality show............

[Canoerebel]

What's with the History Channel?  The same thing that's with the NCAA basketball tournament expanding from 64 to 96 teams; stadiums being named AT&T Park as opposed to something like Candestick Park; and the rise and decline of newspapers and magazines (which were built on advertising revenue rather than subscription revenue and therefore oriented toward the advertiser rather than the subscriber).

Money.

The same wonderful, awful thing that persuades us - at least we Americans - that lining our highways with billboards is a good idea; that decorating our countryside with cellphone towers is a good idea; that lengthening the college football season from eleven to twelve or even thirteen games is a good idea (never mind that the student-athlete is rarely a student); and that we need to fill television programming during "family" hours with advertising for ED medication.

The freedom to pursue our dreams is one of our greatest strengths, but it is also one of our greatest weaknesses.  Our insatiable appetites for more, more, MORE! money gives us everything from ridiculously long sports seasons to ridiculous History Channel programming.

Rant over.

[cantona2]

ORIGINAL: Custer

I do not think they will ever go back. They have a new hotshot programming woman and the new shows have made History Channel a top ten cable channel. I watch The Military Channel more than the history channel now. The Military Channel bascially shows repeats of History Channel material that the History Channel no longer makes.

Enough said!

[MAHI567]

They have a new show about gangs, so of course Chicago gets mentioned a LOT now. They showed some episodes tonight, then the Al Capone episode of Lost Worlds which is from a while back. I think it was just kind of a coincidence.
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[Anthropoid]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

What's with the History Channel?  The same thing that's with the NCAA basketball tournament expanding from 64 to 96 teams; stadiums being named AT&T Park as opposed to something like Candestick Park; and the rise and decline of newspapers and magazines (which were built on advertising revenue rather than subscription revenue and therefore oriented toward the advertiser rather than the subscriber).

Money.

The same wonderful, awful thing that persuades us - at least we Americans - that lining our highways with billboards is a good idea; that decorating our countryside with cellphone towers is a good idea; that lengthening the college football season from eleven to twelve or even thirteen games is a good idea (never mind that the student-athlete is rarely a student); and that we need to fill television programming during "family" hours with advertising for ED medication.

The freedom to pursue our dreams is one of our greatest strengths, but it is also one of our greatest weaknesses.  Our insatiable appetites for more, more, MORE! money gives us everything from ridiculously long sports seasons to ridiculous History Channel programming.

Rant over.

Very well said Canoerebel!

I have a solution that has worked well for me for about 25 years: don't pay for any of it, i.e., mostly cable and other mass media.

Okay, granted I do have a subscription to Playboy, but I think its worth enduring the advert-drivel for that [:D]

Wife grew up without TV entirely, and I quit my cable-addiction in about 1980. Just to check things out in this 21st century world, we resubscribed back last summer/fall for about 6 months. It was so underwhelming, so frustrating, so insipid, so worthless, so vacuous . . . we probably could've unsubscribed after a mere month, but we just left it for a while just to make sure we did not value it.

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: Anthropoid
...and I quit my cable-addiction in about 1980

lol - I didn't get cable until around 2007.

[tprice]

Who needs History when you have conspiracy theories, crab fishermen, whale enthusiasts, aliens, myth busters, and apocalyptic paranoia? Sometimes history just gets in the way of what really matters, mind numbing, meaningless entertainment. I think you can learn more about history from watching American Idol, or Fox News...(no spin zone, that means everything they say is true)

[ilovestrategy]

We canceled our Cable TV last June. I missed it the first month but I don't even think about it anymore. Wife feels the same way too. 

[anarchyintheuk]

You have samurai kitties to amuse yourself. The rest of us don't.

[Sarge]

Forget the Pawn Stars,Gang Land,Ice Road Truckers,Aliens,

I’m still trying to figure how HC got Axe men spotlighting cutting down old growth in this new “green” fade to fly …………?

Nothing like watching 300 years of growth disappearing in the 30 min slot…………[X(]

[Feltan]

Well I have to admit an affinity for Pawn Stars. I have come to believe that if I ran a pawn shop, I would go broke quite quickly.

As for the rest of the History Channel, it has unfortunately been dumbed down to drive up ratings. Such activity is systemic; any channel I start to like changes, or any show I want to follow inevitably gets cancelled.

This causes me dismay. However, I have had an idea kicking around. Instead of being upset, embrace the dumbing down of America. Make a few bucks while you are at it!

I have an idea for my own reality show for the History Channel or any other cable outlet.

My show would be called "Bass Boats, Babes and Booze." My buddies and me would go around to fishing sites all across the country, drink copious amounts of adult beverages while fishing, and have the boat handled by hot babes in bikinis. This would be a sacrifice as I could see it eating into my gaming time, but, you know, anything to contribute to our current culture.

Regards,
Feltan

[t001001001]

I like Pawn Stars.  About half the show is about history as they have experts come in to examine old weapons, documents, uniforms, etc. It's obvious Rick is interested in history. It's one of my favorite shows

I think history channel changed up its format a bit b/c military channel is hitting, plus discovery wings, BIOCH (that's how bio channel is abbreviated in my cable guide [;)] ), and so on. 

I'm bored w/ all the old b/w documentaries.  I used to love im but after I've already seen the same footage (all that's available) 50x it starts to get dry.

[Canoerebel]

We haven't ever had cable (or satellite), and when television went digital a few years ago we didn't bother getting a converter box. We don't watch televiosion shows, but we do use the t.v. as a movie screen to watch old movies like Stalag 17, Casablanca, North by Northwest, To Have and Have Not, The Sound of Music, and other works of art that don't poison the brain.

The rest of the time we read.

[SLAAKMAN]

We haven't ever had cable (or satellite), and when television went digital a few years ago we didn't bother getting a converter box. We don't watch televiosion shows, but we do use the t.v. as a movie screen to watch old movies like Stalag 17, Casablanca, North by Northwest, To Have and Have Not, The Sound of Music, and other works of art that don't poison the brain.

The rest of the time we read.

[&o] Man.....I need to live next to you. I really do detest the modern world & the nightmare its become. [:D]

[NefariousKoel]

ORIGINAL: cmurphy625

I'm bummed, first Comcast said they were giving us the Military Channel when they did the switch over, but now that does not seem to be the case!!!.. Boy I hate Cable!!!.[:-] wish FIOS was available here!

I've had a few different cable companies in my lifetime and Comcast was the worst. They suck ass like there's a shortage.

[billyjj]

Home Improvement shows have been turned into interior design shows.. no more building a deck in the backyard. The host is now a flaming homosexual, rather than an actually handyman like Bob Villa or someone... What color shall we paint the room? light purple or maybe pink?

[diablo1]

If you want good history anymore you have to subscribe to the "Military Channel" now or watch PBS for their war series when they play them every once in awhile.

[nicwb]

Ugh ! My own local version of the Histroy Channel is going funny too - "Nostradamus and 2012" - what does that sort of dross have to do with history ?