# WHAT has happened to the History Channel? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588 "2009-05-25T18:05:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588/41 "2009-05-26T19:46:26Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > The answer is really simple. History can be presented only two ways. One from the point of the losers and one from the point of the winners. At least in the view point of wars. > > Example: White people civilized the American Indians. The American Indians didn’t need to be civilized. > > OK once you do the two sides that’s about it. There’s nothing left to show to hold people’s interest. > > Showing shows that have no clear cut answers, for instance paranormal, mean lots of new shows. History is incredibly open to interpretation but I don’t see why that has to stop them, it can be as fair and balanced as Fox News with Oliver Stone like directing and the entertainment factor would only be enhanced. Hell, I learned a lot of real history from Duck Tales when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Simmerdown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simmerdown/32/14859_2.png) [@Simmerdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simmerdown)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588/42 "2009-05-26T19:48:51Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Battlebots, anyone? Buttlebots, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588/43 "2009-05-26T19:55:22Z")
As an employee of public television, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least put in a reminder that thoughtful, careful documentaries are still being produced and aired on a regular basis by PBS. Ken Burns is trotting out a series this fall on the national parks, American Experience just had a multi-part doc on American history from the natives’ perspective, and this week American Masters has a doc on Chinese influences on Hollywood. Enjoy! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588/44 "2009-05-26T20:05:10Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > As an employee of public television, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least put in a reminder that thoughtful, careful documentaries are still being produced and aired on a regular basis by PBS. Ken Burns is trotting out a series this fall on the national parks, American Experience just had a multi-part doc on American history from the natives’ perspective, and this week American Masters has a doc on Chinese influences on Hollywood. Enjoy! 🙂 Thanks for the reminder. One of the problems is the independence of each member station, and their tendency to mess around with the official schedule. I shuttle bank and forth between Kansas City and Chicago, and it’s pretty much impossible for me to know when, exactly, NOVA is going to be on. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588/45 "2009-05-26T20:06:31Z")
+1 for PBS. They had a great series on the political maneuvering and backroom negotiations between the Allies during WWII, with an emphasis on Stalin. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588/46 "2009-05-26T20:16:08Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > This is nuts! At least ESPN is still sports, though they had a TV movie about a famous coach. ESPN is showing…Poker. Do we need to go over this again? If you can smoke while you are doing it, it is _NOT A SPORT_!!! \*If you can smoke AND SIT AND DRINK \*while you are doing it, it has no place on a Sports network. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588/47 "2009-05-26T21:08:01Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > +1 for PBS. They had a great series on the political maneuvering and backroom negotiations between the Allies during WWII, with an emphasis on Stalin. Good stuff. Any PBS documentary is better than any original programming the History Channel has ever broadcast. I find PBS documentaries absolutely riveting. Nobody does it better. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588/48 "2009-05-26T21:08:59Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > If you can smoke while you are doing it, it is _NOT A SPORT_!!! You sound just like my high school basketball coach. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588/49 "2009-05-26T21:11:10Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Any PBS documentary is better than any original programming the History Channel has ever broadcast. I find PBS documentaries absolutely riveting. Nobody does it better. If either of the Burns brothers (Ken & Ric) did a 6 hour documentary on the history of lawn furniture I’d probably watch it. The best documentaries on _History Channel_ look as if they’re consciously imitating the Burns docs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-the-history-channel/497588.md?page=2)