# Why the fuck must every cable channel slowly degrade from what made us like it?!?! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 7, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379 "2002-09-07T02:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/41 "2002-09-09T06:20:22Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **FriarTed** _: > **USA Network- oh for the days of Captain USA (Sat afternoons)…** IIRC, it was Commander USA’s Groovie Moovies. (Or some odd intentional misspelling.) And he was pretty amusing. 😃 Someone help me out (as my ^&\*%ing net connection is making it rough to Google tonight), wasn’t it USA that used to run Night Flight, way back upon a time? Odd show. Some kinda barely thematic stream of consciousness collection of, well, stuff, for lack of a better term. One episode centered on nuclear bombs, really trippy. It started out with _Blue Danube_ playing over black and white footage of B-52’s bombing the hell out of something, cut to a bunch of mushroom clouds (possibly a clip from the end of **Doctor Strangelove** ) then went downhill from there. It ended up with this Liquid Television-type cartoon of two guys running an 18-wheeler off the road, which is of course carrying a nuke hidden in the back, consequently blowing themselves (literally) to hell… Weird, man. [sub]I think that was the one with the Red Hot Chili Peppers video for ‘Hollywood Hills’, back when nobody knew who the hell they were.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/42 "2002-09-09T06:58:35Z")
It’s interesting how cable now has commercials, and you still have to pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/43 "2002-09-09T07:10:01Z")
Sam Stone said it best. It happens to commercial things. The next national PBS pledge drive is December. ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/44 "2002-09-09T07:11:15Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Skeezix \* > \*\*Someone help me out (as my ^&_%ing net connection is making it rough to Google tonight), wasn’t it USA that used to run Night Flight, way back upon a time?\*\* Night Flight was the best show _ever_. They played videos by bands that couldn’t get on MTV (I remember Suicidal Tendencies as well as RHCP), they played the coolest movies, they played short features. Before he became famous, Night Flight viewers had seen several short films by Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, From Dusk to Dawn, Spy Kids). I distinctly remember this great cartoon short with Porky Pig as a carpenter. at one point he hits his thumb with a hammer: “Son of a bi-bi-bi-bi… _Son of a_ bi-bi-bi-bi… Son of a bitch!” ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/45 "2002-09-09T07:58:26Z")
**grendel** : I’ve seen another version of that (it’s a black & white toon, yeah?) The only difference being he ends with, “Son of a bi-bi-bi-bi-gun. \ You thought I was gonna say Son of a bi-bi-bitch, didn’t you?” I’m with you. Night Flight was excellent. I only wish my tapes had survived. The one I mentioned earlier, I literally wore out years ago. ---
**Author:** ![flabbygirlyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/45deac/32.png) [@flabbygirlyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flabbygirlyman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/46 "2002-09-09T13:25:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doug Bowe \* > \*\*Sam Stone said it best. > It happens to commercial things. > > The next national PBS pledge drive is December. \*\* The Discovery Channel , TLC and the History Channel have broken tha back of PBS . They set themselves up as a valid substitute for PBS, offering very intelligent and well done documentary type series. We all got lulled into thinking that we didn’t need to put up with PBS’s fund raising drives anymore . Then Disc ,Hist and TLC pulled the rug out from under us ! They cut out a lot of the high- quality but expensive stuff ; after all, they’re out to make a profit like other media conglomerates ; they’re out to sell a commodity. But the merchandise they sell is **us**!! They sell our eyeballs to coke and pepsi and gm and ford and chrysler , and at the cheapest possible cost ! We need to support PBS now more than ever ; it’s really the only choice we have if we don’t want to watch dribble and dreck on tv ---
**Author:** ![apotheosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@apotheosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apotheosis)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/47 "2002-09-09T13:46:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flabbygirlyman \* > **They set themselves up as a valid substitute for PBS, offering very intelligent and well done documentary type series. We all got lulled into thinking that we didn’t need to put up with PBS’s fund raising drives anymore . Then Disc ,Hist and TLC pulled the rug out from under us !** “Blue Planet.” “Raising the Mammoth.” “Walking With Dinosaurs.” The first Discovery Channel specials that I can remember off the top of my head, from within the last year, any of the three of which rip the puckered sphincter right out of PBS’s finest attempts. Yes, they show a lot of crap in between; but don’t act as if you’ve been baited-and-switched. Producing content of that quality takes time. So they all show commercials? Boo-frickin’-hoo. Those eeevil capitalists, how _dare_ they. Don’t they know it’s much nobler to hawk umbrellas and coffee mugs while shooting your wad in tolerable programming once a year? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/48 "2002-09-09T14:06:21Z")
I loved History’s Lost and Found, and they used to show it pretty consistantly. Not anymore! “Same Hitler time; same Hitler channel!” If the Hitler channel manages to show something other than Hitler, it comes the Ancient Egypt Channel. Now, don’t get me wrong, Ancient Egypt _is_ interesting, but my major interest is in Ancient Rome, which nobody shows anything about anymore. Unless you count Trio’s showing of _I, Claudius_ (which I love by the way, but—I want my Roman documentaries!). I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to put together a show about Nazi’s in Ancient Egypt. Pharoah Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![flabbygirlyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/45deac/32.png) [@flabbygirlyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flabbygirlyman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/49 "2002-09-09T14:21:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by apotheosis \* > \*\* > > " > So they all show commercials? Boo-frickin’-hoo. Those eeevil capitalists, how _dare_ they. Don’t they know it’s much nobler to hawk umbrellas and coffee mugs while shooting your wad in tolerable programming once a year? \*\* ``` I never said I was against capitalism ; I'm all for making a buck--I hope to make a few myself someday. It's just that I insist on being either the **buyer** or the **seller** not the **bought** ``` ---
**Author:** ![apotheosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@apotheosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apotheosis)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/50 "2002-09-09T14:34:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flabbygirlyman \* > **I never said I was against capitalism ; I’m all for making a buck–I hope to make a few myself someday.** Well, allright then. Just as long as you’re not one o’ those heathen pinko commies or nothin’. 😃 > [@](#): > > \*\*It’s just that I insist on being either the **buyer** or the **seller** not the **bought** \*\* But you’re not bought, because you’re not owned. Perhaps I’m mistaking your intent, but don’t you retain the right to change the channel? Vote with your Remote, as it were? ---
**Author:** ![flabbygirlyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/45deac/32.png) [@flabbygirlyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flabbygirlyman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/51 "2002-09-09T16:26:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by apotheosis \* > \*\* > Well, allright then. Just as long as you’re not one o’ those heathen pinko commies or nothin’. 😃 > > But you’re not bought, because you’re not owned. Perhaps I’m mistaking your intent, but don’t you retain the right to change the channel? Vote with your Remote, as it were? \*\* It’s true that I can change the channel . But there must be something better waiting for me when I do so. I find that cable tv documentary shows don’t have the quality that they used to .For example : compare the original **connections** series to the last one. The final series was hacked to pieces to make room for commercials. It seriously interfered with the flow ,making it harder to see the connections. also , sometime back, there was a series by John Roemer called **testament** which was about the archeological findings concerning the writing of the bible . It was a fabulous series ! . What happened ? A&E decided that they ,too, could get in on this lucrative market. The results were a long series of hastily made biblical documentaries that ,in additon to being long and dreary, didn’t really say that much because they were afraid to offend the religious right . ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/52 "2002-09-09T18:45:16Z")
Here’s the low-down on TV: NBC = 101 variations of Friends and Everybody Love Raymond Fox = Poor white trash families and World’s Wildest/Worst/Most Dangerous… UPN = Yo yo YO!!! Buffy in da Howse! This network is proactive and in yo face!! WB = Fox without The Simpsons, X Files, Malcom in The Middle, or Married With Children ABC and CBS = Who cares PBS = Seasame Street, crappy British comedy and Masterpiece Theater TNT, TBS, TNN, USA, FX - 24 hours of Baywatch reruns and Schwartzenigger movies AMC - No one wants to watch 40 year old movies so it’s becoming a highbrow version of TNT, etc (ie True Lies and Predator instead of Last Action Hero and Twins) A&E - Low production values does not make a movie “artistic”. Like PBS with comercials. History, TLC, Discover - The War Channel, the Here’s How War is Made channel, and the Science of Making War Channel. Sometimes there’s a little something on monster trucks or robots. Cartoon Channel - Wannabe Ren & Stimpy cartoons and bad Japanese Anime Comedy Central - Southpark and a lot of really funny movies with all the best parts cut out Sci Fi Channel - The best of the worst sci-fi movies and the worst sequals to the best sci fi movies. Plus Farscape which is like Han Solo meets the Muppets and Lexx which is like Red Dwarf but not as funny. MTV- 24 hours of the Real World/Road Rules VH1 - 24 hours of shows about rock stars E! - 24 hours of Wild On! and/or Jules Asner IFC - Movies no one has ever heard of and or cares about HBO - Why get TiVo or a VCR when your favorite movie is on 10 times a week? ---
**Author:** ![flabbygirlyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/45deac/32.png) [@flabbygirlyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flabbygirlyman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/53 "2002-09-09T19:04:40Z")
I guess I’ll start reading books again ! ---
**Author:** ![Riboflavin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Riboflavin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riboflavin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/54 "2002-09-09T19:41:37Z")
You know, for everyone who’s sick of the paucity of good shows on TV, I highly recommend getting a Tivo. I’ve almost forgotten how much junk there is on TV because when I watch TV, I watch what I want. For me, TV is more of a collection of Junkyard Wars, The Simpsons, Iron Chef, Adult Swim, L&O, and things I like. And I don’t even have to worry about what comes on when, since the Tivo keeps all of the schedule stuff. And I can even fast forward through commercials. (Not affiliated with them in any way, I am just amazed by how well it works). ---
**Author:** ![apotheosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@apotheosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apotheosis)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/55 "2002-09-09T21:14:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flabbygirlyman \* > **It’s true that I can change the channel . But there must be something better waiting for me when I do so.** I was going to point out that the ‘off’ button is a vote as well, but your book comment already acknowledges that. The Foundation Trilogy works wonders for alleviating boredom. 🙂 > [@](#): > > **I find that cable tv documentary shows don’t have the quality that they used to .For example : compare the original connections series to the last one. The final series was hacked to pieces to make room for commercials.** I’m the last one to defend commercials in general, and particularly the obnoxious **“If you act now you’ll ALSO receive…”** variety that infests the specialized Discovery channels; but having seen all three Connections series, I don’t think they screwed it up TOO badly. Perhaps I’m just willing to forgive a lot, after suffering so many years with local network crap. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/56 "2002-09-09T22:14:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Finagle \* > **Well, to continue the lovefest, the SciFi channel just axed Farscape.** And yet they keep showing John FUCKING Edwards every damn night! :smack: I try to keep liking this channel, I really do. But they make it so hard. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/57 "2002-09-09T23:15:17Z")
“Why the fuck must every cable channel slowly degrade from what made us like it?!?!” It’s all part of a plan by cable channels and cable operators to get viewers to buy more cable service. An example of this is what happened to TNT. When Ted Turner acquired the huge MGM/Warner Brother’s movie library, he needed a channel to show them. It was then that TNT was started so all these old movies could be shown with pristine prints and a minimum of commerical interruptions (of course Turner wanted to colorize the B&W ones too but, fortunately, he abandoned that plan after public outrage). Then, after a few years, the shift began: it started with movies made originally for the channel, then reruns of old TV shows, then sports, and, finally, newer movies that (of course) were hacked up to meet basic cable standards and fit into time slots. Soon, TNT was a virtual clone of its sister station, TBS, in terms of programming. And where did the classic movies go? Turner’s new premium cable channel TCM. Of course, now the viewer had to pay extra for an additional channel to watch programming that he used to get on the basic cable TNT. The same strategy is also used by, to name a few, MTV (where “Road Rules” marathons and other non-musical programming have pushed most videos–especially those which aren’t TRL-friendly–over to MTV2), AMC (which now mostly shows the same hacked-up, commerical-ridden crap you can get on F/X or USA so it can transfer its original programming of uncut old films to a new premium classic movie channel), and Discovery (which is breaking up its programming into sub-categories so its viewers will have to pay for more channels rather than just one). I know it’s annoying but until the TV audience revolts against this “move the goal line” tactic by cable programmers, it’s likely to continue into the near future. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/58 "2002-09-09T23:29:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Myrnalene \* > \*\*You forgot AMC and Nickelodeon. > > I have a theory that the entire universe is just going to get progressively worse until it’s a big black pit of misery and the E! network. If anyone has an alternate view, I would like to hear it. \*\* Second law of thermodynamics in action. Keep that entropy increasin’! I hope this never happens to the History channel. If it does, I’m gonna…think of something bad to do to them and then do it. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/59 "2002-09-09T23:44:14Z")
And before everyone jumps on me for my History channel comment, here is my formula for watching it: 1. Look in TV Week that comes with Sunday paper. 2. Look at what’s playing that week on HC. 3. Find something interesting - move to #6. 4. Don’t find something interesting - move to #5. 5. Close TV Week and go about my day. 6. Make note to set VCR.\* 7. Set VCR. 8. Record show. 9. Watch at my leisure. Either that or watch my “History of Britain” tapes. I lurve Simon Schama. \*I do not have control of the TV at my house without making a General Announcement. My dad gets hold of that remote and keeps it on FOXNews. I do not know this person. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379/60 "2002-09-09T23:53:02Z")
The Evil Television Programming Demons had better not come between me and “Big Joe Polkafest” on RFDTV. It’s more bizarre than anything I’ve ever seen on the SciFi Network. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fuck-must-every-cable-channel-slowly-degrade-from-what-made-us-like-it/127379.md?page=4)