# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/81 "2011-01-19T05:41:34Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I suppose it doesn’t run on a sports channel because it gave up the pretense of being an actual competition. It just doesn’t fit where it is. Stick it on Spike right next to MMA - then you can have your real fighting and fake fighting together. (So what if Spike is owned by someone else. It’s my recommendation, make it happen.) Spike currently runs a wrestling show (TNA, the second-biggest US wrestling company after the WWE). They did run WWE’s flagship show (Raw) for a few years before that. Your dialogue is really pretty similar to how it ended up there, actually. USA Network, SyFy, etc are all owned by NBC/Universal. When WWE moved Raw back to the USA network, they pretty much established a business relationship with the execs there. So USA gets Raw, NBC gets the occasional Saturday Night Main Event or other special, and when they needed a home for the next show, SyFy ended up being their choice of the remaining options. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/82 "2011-01-19T05:56:37Z")
This thread is a sad reminder of how the morons of this country have control. Many of the stations created, like TLC, The History Channel, etc. were great because they seemed to be more high-brow programming. Smart TV for smart people. I could watch one of these channels for hours if they were on a particular subject. But I guess the ratings and revenues are more important, so everything heads to the least common denom., or as someone said, the Jerry Springer effect. The dumbing down of this country continues at an unprecedented rate. I don’t know who runs Pawn Stars, but when someone named “Chumley” appears in my home and actually looks like calling him Chumley is an insult to the cartoon Chumley, it’s time to change the channel. Reality TV for the most part sucks. I don’t need to see every idiot at their job making TV shows for consumption. But, someone watches this dreck, and because folks keep making this crap, I assume I’m the minority that hates this crap. I wanted to second the ESPNClassic network, also. I thought this was a dream come true, finally getting to see some older Super Bowls in their entirety, or World Series games. Stanley Cup games. But instead, American Gladiators is pulled from the 80’s shitpile. Who even watches MTV anymore? Who is the target audience? And do they even make music videos any longer? I never thought I’d long for a show about Hilter until I saw that Pawn Stars was making an appearance on the History Channel. Child Please. When Poker is a big part of the Travel Channel, something is wrong. Poker on TV… seriously? This simply sucks. But it’s on every night. I don’t watch much TV anymore, and the trend toward idiot shows and reality tv is a big reason why. Each one of the networks mentioned seems to have sold out to the devil to make more money. What a surprise. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/83 "2011-01-19T06:42:11Z")
**Stink Fish Pot** , have some Brawndo. It’s got electrolytes, it’ll help you relax. 😃 BTW, I agree completely. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/84 "2011-01-19T07:14:42Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > I remember when both Bravo and A&E were more arts-oriented in that they both broadcast classical music performances (memory tells me one of them did opera every so often) as well as dance performances, the “intellectual” kind of movies that rely more on thinking than action. I likened both to a more refined version of PBS. [Here’s something](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psr0ZtPm2ZI) that was on the Arts & Entertainment network, back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/85 "2011-01-19T12:09:00Z")
And over here in Sweden TV4 Sport seems to like showing British police documentaries like “Road Wars”. Surely they can find some actual sport that is cheaper to buy than “Road Wars”? ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/86 "2011-01-19T12:20:12Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Surprised that nobody has mentioned _Top Gear_ on History yet. Well, James May is from the past and they do occasionally do things like race “classic” cars so there’s a spidersilk-thin connection to “History” there. IMHO, all Pay TV channels suffered irrevocably from Network Decay when they started showing ads on them. I know it’s different in the US where the really good TV shows are _only_ on cable, but in this part of the world I cannot fathom paying money for Foxtel or Austar when it’s got as many- if not more- ads as free to air TV, and they generally have the same shows. Except for movies, and if I want to watch a new release movie, I’ll wait until Cheap Tuesday at the local video library. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/87 "2011-01-19T14:23:47Z")
BBC America is heading down this road. There have been days when much of their programming is American shows and movies. There are so many good BBC productions, why do they show endless Star Trek and X-Files reruns? I have to watch PBS to see Eastenders (seven years behind). ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/88 "2011-01-19T16:25:46Z")
> [@dzeiger](#): > > Your dialogue is really pretty similar to how it ended up there, actually. USA Network, SyFy, etc are all owned by NBC/Universal. Yeah, that’s why I picked them. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/89 "2011-01-19T16:30:35Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I will give them a pass because they made a specific decision to change their format and made no bones about it. TNN started out as The Nashville Network, became The Nation’s Network, and finally settled on Spike. I don’t think that’s the same as network decay. Yeah, I’d forgotten that for awhile their initials stood for The National Network. For a few years they were the go-to channel for James Bond marathons on Thanksgiving and Christmas weekends. I’m surprised no one has mentioned CMT. Like MTV they don’t really play many music videos anymore. Looking through their schedule, it seems that they’re loaded with Extreme Makeover, My Big Fat Redneck Wedding, Dukes of Hazard and Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader reruns, so I guess they are sort of sticking with the country/rural theme (Jeff Foxworthy being the host of AYSTAFG). Still, last night while flipping through the channels I noticed they were showing Deliverance. I don’t know if that’s network decay, or just a really good sense of irony. ---
**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 19, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/90 "2011-01-19T17:19:35Z")
Would that often-proposed-but-never-implemented a la carte programming reverse the general trend? Or would the networks in question decay even more strongly as they fight for an ever-shrinking slice of the audience? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/91 "2011-01-19T18:23:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Right from the start, though, it was 1980s straight-to-video shit. I think they realized that real science fiction would appeal to far too narrow of an audience. There were some bright spots. They did run **science Fiction Theater** , late at night. And they ran the miniseries **Dune** and **Children of Dune** and a not altogether bad version of **The Cold Equations**. A lot of their other original offerings may have been far off the mark – **The Hidden 2** , both of their **Riverworld** movies, and **Earthsea** , but , Og knows, even these were light years above THe CGI MOnster Of The Week that the station has devolved into showing. Or Wrestling. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/92 "2011-01-19T19:04:20Z")
And don’t forget that Sci-Fi rescued MST3K when Comedy Central was getting ready to shit-can them. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/93 "2011-03-01T03:25:07Z")
Planet Green, which took the place of Discovery Home & Leisure two years ago, has started filling time with programs devoted to UFOs. ---
**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:** [March 1, 2011, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/94 "2011-03-01T06:06:45Z")
National Geographic Channel is doing shows called “Prison Women.” What is it with otherwise intelligent channels and reality dreck about people in jail? As noted earlier, MSNBC turns into a pumpkin every weekend and shows prison reality dreck. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/95 "2011-03-01T06:27:00Z")
SciFi lost me when they became SyFy. And then there’s CNN. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/96 "2011-03-01T08:05:02Z")
Headline News. Once it just was the title said. Just the news, You could catch up on what was going on. Now it is HLN. Nancy Grace and Joy Behar. Where can you go to get actual news now? ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/97 "2011-03-01T20:13:28Z")
> [@audit1](#): > > Headline News. Once it just was the title said. Just the news, You could catch up on what was going on. Now it is HLN. Nancy Grace and Joy Behar. Where can you go to get actual news now? I was just going to say the same thing. I miss having a 24/7 NewsFeed. ---
**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:** [March 1, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/98 "2011-03-01T21:28:41Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Planet Green, which took the place of Discovery Home & Leisure two years ago, has started filling time with programs devoted to UFOs. Planet (little) Green (men)? ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/99 "2011-03-01T21:43:07Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Planet Green, which took the place of Discovery Home & Leisure two years ago, has started filling time with programs devoted to UFOs. Cooking shows on Travel Channel. Poker, spelling bees and dog shows on ESPN2. Survival shows that have nothing to do with animals on Animal Planet. And Broken Arrow on G4 twelve times in the last two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641/100 "2011-03-01T21:50:58Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Cooking shows on Travel Channel. The Travel Channel, IMO, has made a bit of a comeback in recent years. It seemed that for a while in the early to mid-2000s they were showing nothing but World Series of Poker and shows about the gaming industry. Personally I’d much rather watch Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern, which, even if they are focused on food, also incorporate travel to exotic places. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cable-channel-has-suffered-the-most-from-network-decay/567641.md?page=6)