The Learning Channel: From Education to Exploitation

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The discussion centers on the decline of educational programming on The Learning Channel (TLC), which has shifted from its original mission of providing knowledge to airing reality shows that many consider sensationalist and exploitative. Participants express disappointment over the lack of educational content, noting that shows like "Toddlers and Tiaras" and "The Duggars" promote irresponsible behaviors and societal issues. There is a consensus that reality television has taken precedence over informative programming, leading to a broader cultural decline in the quality of television content. The conversation also touches on the implications of overpopulation and the societal values reflected in the programming choices of networks like TLC and Discovery Channel. Many lament the loss of intellectually stimulating shows and suggest that the current landscape prioritizes entertainment over education, leaving viewers with little opportunity to engage with meaningful content. The discussion concludes with a recognition of alternative educational resources available online, highlighting a shift in how audiences seek knowledge outside traditional television.
  • #51
story645 said:
The onion's got a fun article on this: [PLAIN
The[/PLAIN] link isn't working for me.
 
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  • #52
Evo said:
The link isn't working for me.

Sorry, accidentally included an extra url tag. Fixed it, but also:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/science_channel_refuses_to_dumb
 
  • #53
story645 said:
Sorry, accidentally included an extra url tag. Fixed it, but also:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/science_channel_refuses_to_dumb
Ahaha, I love the Onion.
 
  • #54
We don't cable TV at home, so my wife and I watch it mainly in motels when we're traveling. Once upon a time, CNN was good for catching up on news no matter when we checked in. Then they started to do more and more talk-show stuff and move away from straight news. Eventually they started a separate channel, Headline News, with a straight-news format, and we latched onto that. But now even that has morphed into HLN which also has nothing but talk shows in the evening... Nancy Grace, Glenn Beck, etc.

Even the good old Weather Channel has shifted to mostly "weather reality shows" in the evening, instead of straight weather reporting.

Apparently niche channels don't make enough money. Most of them have had to shift towards a more general-interest mix and thereby become less and less differentiated.
 
  • #55
Pythagorean said:
Evo, I agree completely about TLC and the whole other batch of supposed "learning" channels out there nowadays. But that's ok, because we have the internet and TED and GoogleTalks and a number of open courses online (such as Yale). We no longer need to be spoon fed our educational visual/audio stimulation. We can hand pick it!

TED is great, but methinks there is a bit of mutual backscratching going on

http://blog.ted.com/2009/12/cindy_gallop_ma.php
 
  • #56
Evo said:
I remember when The Learning Channel started and was about knowledge, that was a LONG time ago. There has not been an educational program on there in more years than I can remember.

Now they are hosting the Miss America pageant. Their programming is nothing but garbage, programs like The Duggars (it's a vagina, not a clown car), and Jon and Kate + hate. Toddlers and Tiaras, about promoting the exploitation of very young girls in beauty pageants.

It is so sad that educational tv cannot survive in America. But do they have to degrade to such irresponsible trash?

I also can't remeber the last time that I watched TLC for these reasons - I never even heard of Jon and Kate until their divorce hit the evening news. Unfortunately, I have seen the commercials for Toddlers and Tiaras.

I do remember the early days when TLC had educational programs. My favorite from the early 90's was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mechanical_Universe" and the follow up program "Beyond the Mechanical Universe". It really helped to clarify some of the topics that I didn't grasp as well as I would have liked in college. Of course that was way before everything was put on the internet.
 
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