# What cable channel has suffered the most from network decay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 14, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641 "2011-01-14T20:34:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/1 "2011-01-14T20:34:08Z")
For those of you who may not know, here’s the definition of network decay, courtesy of Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > The gradual transition of a television network away from its original programming focus to either target a newer more lucrative audience, or to broaden their viewership by including less niche programming.[2] Networks that focus on a particular theme, such as Golf Channel, tend to show shows outside of this scope that the channel’s management feels that the viewers would also like to see, though balancing the needs of expanding a network’s audience while continuing to service a channel’s most loyal viewers. Anyway, MTV and VH1 are the obvious examples, networks that were founded primarily as vehicles for music videos, but now exist mainly as platforms for D-list celebs to peddle their reality shows. The History Channel is another that comes to mind. People used to bitch back when it was “The Hitler Channel,” but at least that was real history and not the pseudo-science crap like “Ancient Aliens” they show these days - that is when they’re not showing stuff like Pawn Stars and Ice Road Truckers. But I think TLC has to take the cake. It’s easy to forget that they were founded as The Learning Channel. Today it’s seems to exist mainly as a showcase for wedding and fertility porn, with an occasional cooking or tattoo reality show thrown in, not to mention Sarah Palin’s Alaska. So what are some other networks that have drifted far from their original premise. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/2 "2011-01-14T20:36:19Z")
The Food Network is starting to look that way. The cooking has been replaced by “challenges,” all of which involve Disney in some way. What a surprise. One more reason to loathe the Mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/3 "2011-01-14T20:39:35Z")
MTV and AMC. _Black Dog_ is NOT a classic. Neither is original programming. And the music on MTV has long been little more than incidental. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/4 "2011-01-14T20:39:37Z")
American Movie Classics has redefined classic movies to include … all movies. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/5 "2011-01-14T20:53:06Z")
While flipping through the channels in the evening, once in a while I would stop at “FitTV” and they would have an interesting general health or cooking show on, in addition to numerous exercise shows. It appears that their afternoon and evening programming has all been replaced by the remains of the now defunct Discovery Health channel - the medical examiner show, the adoption show, the “little people” show, the “didn’t know I was pregnant” show, etc. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/6 "2011-01-14T21:02:55Z")
XM/Sirius satellite radio is obviously not a TV network, but this has definitely happened to them! ALL four of my favorite channels (Beyond Jazz, XM Music Lab, Fine Tuning, and Special X) were eliminated over the last few years, in favor of stations that are closer to the crappy broadcast radio format. Feh. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/7 "2011-01-14T21:05:11Z")
I’m not sure it quite qualifies, but Nickelodeon (Nick at Nite) used to show old classic TV shows. Not stuff that finished its run 5 years ago, but sitcoms from the 50s and 60s, old game shows, and stuff like that. Now all they seem to show is B-list comedies and made for cable crud. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/8 "2011-01-14T21:09:38Z")
I agree with the OP, TLC is the winner. I used to love TLC util they started the house flipping programs and they went straight down hill since than. ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/9 "2011-01-14T21:14:34Z")
All of the above are great choices, but I think ABC Family deserves an honorable mention. One of their shows, “Pretty Little Liars,” might as well be titled “Gossip Girl - Jailbait Edition” and then there’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” which is the worst written, worst acted show about minors having sex (for example, their term for “having sex” is… “having sex”) that you could possibly imagine. ABC Family used to be The Family Channel, which was actually owned by a Christian organization. Things changed, a lot, once it got into the Mouse’s hands. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/10 "2011-01-14T21:16:21Z")
TLC FTW. AMC a very close 2nd. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/11 "2011-01-14T21:16:45Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I’m not sure it quite qualifies, but Nickelodeon (Nick at Nite) used to show old classic TV shows. Not stuff that finished its run 5 years ago, but sitcoms from the 50s and 60s, old game shows, and stuff like that. Now all they seem to show is B-list comedies and made for cable crud. All that stuff got shuffled over to MeTV. Except for Twilight Zone (and maybe Alfred Hitchcock Presents) which I think is on SyFy. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/12 "2011-01-14T21:16:47Z")
\*\*MTV and TLC \*\*are the clear winners to me. They have nothing to do with their original concept. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/13 "2011-01-14T21:23:48Z")
I have to give an honorable mention to SyFy for including professional wrestling. I mean, it meets the “fiction” descriptor, but not the “science” one. It really is an odd placement. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/14 "2011-01-14T21:30:06Z")
Did the travel channel used to have shows about travel? Because now it seems like almost all their shows are about food. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/15 "2011-01-14T21:30:52Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The Food Network is starting to look that way. The cooking has been replaced by “challenges,” all of which involve Disney in some way. What a surprise. One more reason to loathe the Mouse. Actually, I think the Food Network has probably suffered the least network decay. There are less cooking shows, but they’re the _Food_ Network, not the _Cooking_ Network. I can’t think of any shows on the channel that aren’t related to food. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/16 "2011-01-14T21:33:42Z")
And I will say one thing about MTV. Yes yes, they don’t have music anymore. Which would be pointless anyway because of YouTube, we don’t need a channel airing music videos anymore. But I love the fact the during most of their shows, they have a little feed on the bottom that says what song is currently playing in the background of a show. More channels need that. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/17 "2011-01-14T21:40:39Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > AMC. _Black Dog_ is NOT a classic. Neither is original programming. Though in fairness, it is usually very good. This might be termed “Network Decay For The Win.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/18 "2011-01-14T21:41:48Z")
A & E actually did used to be very artsy-remember the operas? Classical concerts? What channel can you watch such fare on nowadays I wonder-if any? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/19 "2011-01-14T21:42:38Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I’m not sure it quite qualifies, but Nickelodeon (Nick at Nite) used to show old classic TV shows. Not stuff that finished its run 5 years ago, but sitcoms from the 50s and 60s, old game shows, and stuff like that. Now all they seem to show is B-list comedies and made for cable crud. Nick at Nite’s lineup has almost included shows that were canceled between 8 and 15 years ago. And it hasn’t included a show from the 60s in over a decade. > **[List of programs broadcast by Nick at Nite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programs_broadcast_by_Nick_at_Nite)** > > The following is a list of programs broadcast by the American nighttime block Nick at Nite. > 3 > Occasionally, episodes of Rugrats and SpongeBob SquarePants have aired regularly or as marathons during Nick at Nite special events in the 1990s and 2000s. This has also occurred during crossovers with Nickelodeon special programming where the Nickelodeon programming runs into the regular Nick at Nite timeslot. A 30-year reunion special of Double Dare aired on November 23, 2016. Regular marathons oc... ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/20 "2011-01-14T21:44:16Z")
MTV. At least they finally gave up last year and took the “Music Television” off of their logo. TLC would be my second choice. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641.md?page=2)