Wait, when did Siffy start showing Law and Order SVU reruns?

Article is right about the channels, but wrong about everything else.

Oh, and they should have made it a list of 8, and added BBC America. Star Trek: TNG, Battlestar Galactica, and the X-Files aren't BBC Programming. And the few BBC shows they do air are generally hacked up and filled with commercials for no good reason.

/it's a damn shame that the DC PBS affiliate has a subchannel that shows only British programming, and is doing a better job of being BBC America than farking BBC America.

I'm going to take a guess at a few before reading the article.

SyFy
History Channel
Discovery Channel
Food Network
CourtTV
MTV
Travel Network
National Geographic channel

Although, I don't think CourtTV even exists anymore. And as far as MTV goes, well, they've been Teen-Pop TV for a long time now, so they might as well not count either.

Don't listen to them AMC. You just keep doing what you're doing.

Sybarite: Don't listen to them AMC. You just keep doing what you're doing.

AMC Announces reality shows about taxidermy and a Venice Beach freakshow.

FirstNationalBastard: Sybarite: Don't listen to them AMC. You just keep doing what you're doing.

AMC Announces reality shows about taxidermy and a Venice Beach freakshow.


It's not like they aren't already grabbing a piece of the reality show pie. I don't watch any of them, and as long as they keep producing series I enjoy like Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Hell on Wheels, I don't much care. I'm really hoping the adaptation of Thief of Thieves works out, and I'm looking forward to Low Winter Sun.

Sybarite: FirstNationalBastard: Sybarite: Don't listen to them AMC. You just keep doing what you're doing.

AMC Announces reality shows about taxidermy and a Venice Beach freakshow.


It's not like they aren't already grabbing a piece of the reality show pie. I don't watch any of them, and as long as they keep producing series I enjoy like Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Hell on Wheels, I don't much care. I'm really hoping the adaptation of Thief of Thieves works out, and I'm looking forward to Low Winter Sun.

I think that's the fear though. Once a network starts down the reality show path, it's a very slippery slope. Sure they're just starting with 2 reality shows, but once those become successful (and for some godawful reason, most of them do), then they'll keep adding more while pushing out good programming. I could at least appreciate the History Channel's love of Hitler, because that was history. Now the most history I can get on that network is from Pawn Stars whenever they bring in an expert.

While "history" has become a rarity on the History Channel, it isn't because of "Deadliest Catch", which is on the Discovery Channel.

mr_a: While "history" has become a rarity on the History Channel, it isn't because of "Deadliest Catch", which is on the Discovery Channel.

Hystyry airs as much Deadliest Catch as Siffy airs Law and Order SVU.

from their descriptions, i don't think fox news or cartoon network fit the mold. cartoon network has always been eclectic and fox news has always had the stated goal of pushing a conservative agenda. neither have forgotten what they're all about, they just have specific channel names that don't necessarily capture what they are about.

TLC is now the freaks, midgets, and multiples channel. Coming soon: the 2-headed girl show! Really.

The History Channel is not even the History Channel anymore. It is now just called "History". Look it up.

MTV hasn't been music television since about 1994. It was great back in the day, the 80's and early 90's. Now it's all crap, all the time.

Walker: TLC is now the freaks, midgets, and multiples channel. Coming soon: the 2-headed girl show! Really.

The History Channel is not even the History Channel anymore. It is now just called "History". Look it up.

MTV hasn't been music television since about 1994. It was great back in the day, the 80's and early 90's. Now it's all crap, all the time.

to be fair to mtv though, what was their alternative? they had two sources of programming at the time of the rise of on demand internet media: music videos and reality programming. music videos became unmarketable at the same pace as the spread of high-speed internet, so they really had no other choice but to lean on their other competency.

I wish Cartoon Network would bring back June Bugs.

thomps: to be fair to mtv though, what was their alternative? they had two sources of programming at the time of the rise of on demand internet media: music videos and reality programming. music videos became unmarketable at the same pace as the spread of high-speed internet, so they really had no other choice but to lean on their other competency.

This needs to be repeated more in articles about how "cable networks have lost their way".

Cable TV in many respects was the first "internet" for people before the internet. Where as before the early 80s you had to choose from what 1 of 4-5 channels (4 of which were mostly "nationally programmed" in scope during prime time) in most markets wanted to give you... now through the "magic" of cable TV, you could get what you wanted, whenever you wanted....
I want to watch news... turn on CNN
I want to know what the weather is... Weather Channel
I want to watch sports.... ESPN
I want to see nature.... Discovery Channel
I want to watch Music Videos... MTV
I want to watch old movies... AMC
Etc, etc...

In that respect, it was a breakthrough, and the delineation of programming made sense (if you were called something, people expected to see exactly that).

Once the internet (and especially high speed internet in the late 2000s) became the norm rather than the exception.... now you could get that information that way, and all of the channels had to scramble to essentially become cable versions of the "traditional" TV networks (CBS, NBC, ABC) and try to become more "homogenized".

Honestly, to the extent that most networks have kept some semblance of an identity and not become totally 80 different versions of TBS and TNT is a good trick, although we are pretty close to that (although, even Turner split up TBS and TNT into themes.... TBS is the comedy channel, TNT is the drama channel, except when they need to show sports).

That took about 20 years to happen (80s to the late 2000s).... so, I think we are about 15-20 years away from the concept of "networks" losing their relevance totally..... why do you need "AMC" as a distribution "channel", as opposed to just putting your show out there, and the cable/sattelite/internet providers just putting the program out there for people to watch, if they want to watch it. The networks are quickly becoming an unnecessary middleman between the studios and the distribution channels.

While I somewhat agree with the take on AMC, they clearly mistook Unforgiven for The Shawshank Redemption.

\again, not that what AMC does is actually bad, just not quite what we were originally thinking
\\and I obviously don't know what they're talking about with Cartoon Network, I watch cartoons on there all the time
\\\rest good, though I'm sure they're just trolling on the Fox News thing, or mistaking it for HLN

Smoke14: I wish Cartoon Network would bring back June Bugs.

Yes.

Alas, poor SyFy! I knew it, Horatio, a channel of infinite
jest, of most excellent fancy. It hath bore me on it's back a
thousand times, and now how abhorr'd in my imagination it is!
My gorge rises at it.

dletter: That took about 20 years to happen (80s to the late 2000s).... so, I think we are about 15-20 years away from the concept of "networks" losing their relevance totally..... why do you need "AMC" as a distribution "channel", as opposed to just putting your show out there, and the cable/sattelite/internet providers just putting the program out there for people to watch, if they want to watch it. The networks are quickly becoming an unnecessary middleman between the studios and the distribution channels.

Spot on. Thread is over.

I had never heard of Ranker before.
Reading that article, my immediate impression? "Cracked Lite"

A few years ago, I met Bonnie Hammer, the woman who was responsible for shifting the Scf Fi Channel into SyFy, and running all of the non-SF programs. We were talking about the channel, and she asked me what my favorite program was.

"Farscape."

She actually flinched.

At least Disney Channel remembers what it is all about: middle-aged dudes pulling it while watching barely post-pubescent chicks.

Channels straying from their original intended formats was the main reason I finally said "Fark it!" last year and cut the cord!

scottydoesntknow:

I think that's the fear though. Once a network starts down the reality show path, it's a very slippery slope. Sure they're just starting with 2 reality shows, but once those become successful (and for some godawful reason, most of them do), then they'll keep adding more while pushing out good programming. I could at least appreciate the History Channel's love of Hitler, because that was history. Now the most history I can get on that network is from Pawn Stars whenever they bring in an expert.

There is one thing keeping AMC from going down that road, though: the critics and awards. So long as AMC's dramas are getting a lot of love from the critics and the Emmys, they'll feel as though they don't need to earn as much money from those shows since they bring cache to the network that the reality shows aren't. The biggest problem they're going to face is that their drama development has kind of sucked the last few years. Rubicon was too slow, The Killing was too crappy, and Hell on Wheels appears to be good for what it is. The Walking Dead is their financial tentpole right now, but it doesn't get the critical acclaim that Breaking Bad and Mad Men do. It'll be an interesting couple of years with Breaking Bad ending next summer and Mad Men probably the year after that.

I'm going to give SyFy a little credit because I like their show Alphas. It's not the most original premise, combining X-Men, Push, Heroes, The 4400, etc. but it's interesting and well-acted. So that's a little gem in a sea of Sharktopuses. Sharktopii.

They just HAD to link to a tvtropes page, didn't they?!?! There goes my day.

Cythraul: Although, I don't think CourtTV even exists anymore.

You did pretty good with your guesses. CourtTV is now TruTV. They show a lot of video clip shows "World's Dumbest..." and cop and jail shows.

The Bestest: I had never heard of Ranker before.
Reading that article, my immediate impression? "Cracked Lite"

I like cracked so I don't consider it an insult, but you're right. The same style. List of things, text explaining what, a picture with a "funny" caption, then text explaining why.

jaylectricity: I like cracked so I don't consider it an insult, but you're right. The same style. List of things, text explaining what, a picture with a "funny" caption, then text explaining why.

Also: list of 7 items inexplicably on two pages

They are all about money, always have been

dletter: so, I think we are about 15-20 years away from the concept of "networks" losing their relevance totally..... why do you need "AMC" as a distribution "channel", as opposed to just putting your show out there, and the cable/sattelite/internet providers just putting the program out there for people to watch, if they want to watch it. The networks are quickly becoming an unnecessary middleman between the studios and the distribution channels.

I don't think networks are unnecessary. They still serve the same purposes they've always served: risk distribution, customer access, and marketing. Production companies don't want to have to sell their products (the shows) to individual customers. Why would I want to try to convince 20 million people to buy my product when I can sell it to one company who already has 100 million customers? Plus, through the current model, the networks do all the advertising so the production companies don't have to worry about that cost

Syfy still has some worthwile shows. (Though one less since Eureka is gone).

/can't wait for new Haven season

Reality TV programming is making my bong more productive.

Walker: TLC is now the freaks, midgets, and multiples channel. Coming soon: the 2-headed girl show! Really.

The History Channel is not even the History Channel anymore. It is now just called "History". Look it up.

MTV hasn't been music television since about 1994. It was great back in the day, the 80's and early 90's. Now it's all crap, all the time.

I remember back in the day TLC's reality TV was showing surgeries.

I watched an open heart surgery, and then there was one that was removing testicular cancer. I don't think I watched much surgery after that.

Actually, in today's world, a reality TV show surrounding surgery with actual surgery taking place might make a lot of money.

Cythraul: I'm going to take a guess at a few before reading the article.

SyFy
History Channel
Discovery Channel
Food Network
CourtTV
MTV
Travel Network
National Geographic channel

Although, I don't think CourtTV even exists anymore. And as far as MTV goes, well, they've been Teen-Pop TV for a long time now, so they might as well not count either.

This.


/cartoon network and fox news were horrible choices
//Food network still does food
///travel and "nat geo" are on the verge of this list
////slashy

rugman11: dletter: so, I think we are about 15-20 years away from the concept of "networks" losing their relevance totally..... why do you need "AMC" as a distribution "channel", as opposed to just putting your show out there, and the cable/sattelite/internet providers just putting the program out there for people to watch, if they want to watch it. The networks are quickly becoming an unnecessary middleman between the studios and the distribution channels.

I don't think networks are unnecessary. They still serve the same purposes they've always served: risk distribution, customer access, and marketing. Production companies don't want to have to sell their products (the shows) to individual customers. Why would I want to try to convince 20 million people to buy my product when I can sell it to one company who already has 100 million customers? Plus, through the current model, the networks do all the advertising so the production companies don't have to worry about that cost

That is because you are thinking about how things have always been....

The internet is already giving us models that are showing what the future of what we consider "TV Programming" will probably become.... YouTube, ITunes/Amazon, Netflix, Kickstarter (for funding), Facebook/Twitter (for promotion/adveritsing), Google AdWords/Adsense (for buying/selling ad space in the shows directly). There are videos on YouTube that have had no other distribution, but have probably been watched more than half of the shows NBC had on last season.

Now, will there be "ad managers" still that do the ad buying/selling for multiple advertisers and multiple content creators .... yes, just like you have things like Burst Media, Valueclick, etc right now for websites.

As I said, I don't see it within 5-10 years, but, I'd bet you 20-30 years from now, it will be closer to what I've laid out than what we have right now.

thomps: Walker: TLC is now the freaks, midgets, and multiples channel. Coming soon: the 2-headed girl show! Really.

The History Channel is not even the History Channel anymore. It is now just called "History". Look it up.

MTV hasn't been music television since about 1994. It was great back in the day, the 80's and early 90's. Now it's all crap, all the time.

to be fair to mtv though, what was their alternative? they had two sources of programming at the time of the rise of on demand internet media: music videos and reality programming. music videos became unmarketable at the same pace as the spread of high-speed internet, so they really had no other choice but to lean on their other competency.



I agree to an extent, though MTV's move to reality show fodder predated widespread high speed internet and youtube. Maybe they saw the writing on the wall, but I think that's giving them too much credit.

How can we continue to dumb down America if we have intelligent programming on television?
History Channel
Discovery Channel
Food Network
Court TV
Travel Network
National Geographic
These programs had to go because they may have produced an uptick in someones IQ.
/ adjusting my foil hat now, and those pesky black helicopters are buzzing around the neighborhood again.

After that Roast of Rosanne Barr, I'd add COMEDY CENTRAL.

dletter: The internet is already giving us models that are showing what the future of what we consider "TV Programming" will probably become.... YouTube, ITunes/Amazon, Netflix, Kickstarter (for funding), Facebook/Twitter (for promotion/adveritsing), Google AdWords/Adsense (for buying/selling ad space in the shows directly). There are videos on YouTube that have had no other distribution, but have probably been watched more than half of the shows NBC had on last season.

Now, will there be "ad managers" still that do the ad buying/selling for multiple advertisers and multiple content creators .... yes, just like you have things like Burst Media, Valueclick, etc right now for websites.

As I said, I don't see it within 5-10 years, but, I'd bet you 20-30 years from now, it will be closer to what I've laid out than what we have right now.

I skipped over the "15-20 years" part of your post. That seems reasonable especially considering 15 years ago we didn't have DVRs and 35 years ago we didn't even have cable. I thought Apple was going to be the game changer (much like with music), but it looks like the television industry is still so terrified of replicating what happened to the music industry that Apple's now just playing around the margins (apparently turning Apple TV into a personal cable box).

cirby: A few years ago, I met Bonnie Hammer, the woman who was responsible for shifting the Scf Fi Channel into SyFy, and running all of the non-SF programs. We were talking about the channel, and she asked me what my favorite program was.

"Farscape."

She actually flinched.

"John, I gotta tell you something I've never actually put into words before...I LOVE shooting things."

/I miss that show
//For the most part

FeedTheCollapse: I agree to an extent, though MTV's move to reality show fodder predated widespread high speed internet and youtube. Maybe they saw the writing on the wall, but I think that's giving them too much credit.

oh for sure, they pioneered reality tv, that's why i called it one of their two core competencies when the internet started disrupting the cable programming ecosystem

Speed Channel - What happened to you? You used to actually broadcast some racing. Now, all we get is some show about tow trucks and another about a fat man in the bronx selling auto parts. Oh yeah, you also show a bunch of shows about a race that is about to happen or just happened. If you do show a race, it is at midnight on Saturday night.

Many of these specialty channels have turned into trailer trash TV. Just gather up a bunch of yokels and create a reality series with manufactured drama vaguely based on the channel's original concept. Cheap to produce.

rugman11: dletter: The internet is already giving us models that are showing what the future of what we consider "TV Programming" will probably become.... YouTube, ITunes/Amazon, Netflix, Kickstarter (for funding), Facebook/Twitter (for promotion/adveritsing), Google AdWords/Adsense (for buying/selling ad space in the shows directly). There are videos on YouTube that have had no other distribution, but have probably been watched more than half of the shows NBC had on last season.

Now, will there be "ad managers" still that do the ad buying/selling for multiple advertisers and multiple content creators .... yes, just like you have things like Burst Media, Valueclick, etc right now for websites.

As I said, I don't see it within 5-10 years, but, I'd bet you 20-30 years from now, it will be closer to what I've laid out than what we have right now.

I skipped over the "15-20 years" part of your post. That seems reasonable especially considering 15 years ago we didn't have DVRs and 35 years ago we didn't even have cable. I thought Apple was going to be the game changer (much like with music), but it looks like the television industry is still so terrified of replicating what happened to the music industry that Apple's now just playing around the margins (apparently turning Apple TV into a personal cable box).

I think it is an age thing.... you still have 40-60 year olds in charge of the networks and this is the "mode" they relate to... in 10-20 years, you are going to have the generation now getting into that power level and going "WTH? Why are we still running it this way?", with the general public already there and having abandoned the "network model" in most cases.

dletter: That is because you are thinking about how things have always been....

The internet is already giving us models that are showing what the future of what we consider "TV Programming" will probably become.... YouTube, ITunes/Amazon, Netflix, Kickstarter (for funding), Facebook/Twitter (for promotion/adveritsing), Google AdWords/Adsense (for buying/selling ad space in the shows directly). There are videos on YouTube that have had no other distribution, but have probably been watched more than half of the shows NBC had on last season.

Now, will there be "ad managers" still that do the ad buying/selling for multiple advertisers and multiple content creators .... yes, just like you have things like Burst Media, Valueclick, etc right now for websites.

As I said, I don't see it within 5-10 years, but, I'd bet you 20-30 years from now, it will be closer to what I've laid out than what we have right now.

I see all that as bad news, just as the same sort of Democratization has helped kill the music industry. Sure, it is/will be possible to get 20 million views on your own with that nifty new YouTube show you just produced, but those 20 million views will get you virtually no revenue in the new model, making the entire process very unattractive for people who actually want to do it full-time. The end result will be that they won't be able to do it full-time, and the people who do it less professionally for a "bit of fun" will take over, reveling in their view count, and not caring about making a living at it. And those programs that ARE professionally produced will become fewer and further between, and more difficult to find. Just because there's quality music/video/programming out there doesn't mean it's findable. That's what we need(ed) the gatekeepers for.

Is this the thread where people complain about paying for TV and getting crap in return?

Please explain to me how they get the money out of your hands again.

Hint: It takes two.

PsychoDBoy: Syfy still has some worthwile shows. (Though one less since Eureka is gone).

/can't wait for new Haven season

I'll stick with Alphas and Warehouse 13

Zombie DJ: After that Roast of Rosanne Barr, I'd add COMEDY CENTRAL.

And again, Jeselnik's bit was the best part of that roast.

Paraphrased:
"So Ellen, your new show debuts on September 11th. That's a good date to choose cause every time I hear one of your jokes, I feel like a 3rd tower is being hit."

FirstNationalBastard: Oh, and they should have made it a list of 8, and added BBC America. Star Trek: TNG, Battlestar Galactica, and the X-Files aren't BBC Programming. And the few BBC shows they do air are generally hacked up and filled with commercials for no good reason.

They have a ton of Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes (and tonnes of other stuff), and all I see on this station now is Top Gear all day long on weekends.

Only seven?

A&E - Human Trainwreck Channel, no arts or entertainment left anymore, unless you like looking at houses stuffed with magazines and cat shiat.

Discovery - Mundane Shiat Job Channel, wither Discovery?

TLC - Laugh at These Horrible People Channel, no learning, except how NOT to raise a family.

SyFy - Roger Corman Wannabe Schlock Fest Channel, Arachnosharktopusacondamansquito is not Sci Fi!

National Geographic - UFOs and Human Weirdos Channel, no floppy tribal boobies! WTF!?

The History Channel - What If UFOs and The Bible Were History? Channel, they stopped making history after WWII anywway.

MTV - Douchebags On Parade/Lets Steal Controversial Tween Series From BBC Channel, I think they might still play music at 3AM.

VH1 - Look at These Washed Up Stars Pretending They're Relevant Channel, Video Hits are played between 6 and 6:30 in the morning.

HGTV - Flip This Flip That Buy a House in 30 Minutes Channel, anyone remember what the "G" in HGTV means because apparently they don't

Food Network - Food Competition/Guy Fieri Stuffs His Face Channel, don't actually tell anybody how to cook anything.

Travel Channel - Look at These Guys Shoving Stuff in Their Gob Channel, Sure there's travel involved but only as a means to the end of watching a fat bastard sitting down to eat a 12 lb hamburger.

AMC - American Movie (two star or less) Classics (from the last 15 years), Catwoman is NOT an American Movie Classic, though their shows kick ass.

About the only channel that's stayed true to its original purpose is Lifetime, which is, and always has been, The Men Suck Channel.

Most channels are guilty of abandoning their demo in favor of a time slot ratings grab. My hypothesis is they would have higher overall ratings if they stayed true to a niche base like they were designed to do. What most channels do though is launch with poor content that never evolves and then get desperate for better ratings, which leads to showing wrestling or reruns of COPS.

People blaming the networks for this shiat are placing the blame in the wrong direction. It's not the networks fault, it's ours/the people's fault. Networks exist to get ratings which == money and nothing more. They don't tell *us* what they are going to show us, we tell *them* what we want to see...

The problem is that the vast majority of "us" are, you know...stupid. They're the ones who watch, they're the ones who probably don't even have a DVR, they certainly don't know of any other avenues to get their entertainment, so they are the ones who are going to get catered to.

It's not some sort of evil nefarious plot by the networks to make us all watch reality TV or anything, it's just a sad reflection on our society as a whole.

Article fails by not including

FuelTV - sorry, but your seemingly round-the-clock MMA coverage sucks. Get back to your roots, or simply go away.

ESPN - that's right, poker still isn't a goddamn sport, no matter how much you try to tout it

Speed (Speedvision) - hey, remember when this channel used to show races? Those were the days.