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History Channel Gone Wrong

Bruce Wayne

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I saw this in my news feed on Facebook & thought of this thread.

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Shangas

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6,116
Location
Melbourne, Australia
I never understand why half of the shows on the HS are even there. Some I really do. Others...I don't.

I know a guy who lives in Long Island. He told me that the American version of "Top Gear" was going to be launched on the History Channel. And the first thing I asked him was: "What the hell does a show about CARS have to do with HISTORY?"
 

Gregg Axley

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5,125
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Tennessee
The American version of Top Gear actually has some history to it.
It's not 100 percent like the British version.
I do agree though that some shows like Ax-Men don't have a lot of history to them, so I can see that point.
 

Fletch

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8,865
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Iowa - The Land That Stuff Forgot
Networks focus on the age and gender of their audience (History is 62% male over 40) and provide programs that will appeal to that demographic.
Not strictly true. They provide programs that will appeal to advertisers to that demographic. There is no room for programs the audience might like if they would screw up advertisers' research and preconceptions.

Nobody wants to make the company money and still get fired for being too radical, or become unemployable in the industry because they challenged commonly held truths. The system can be gamed, and rest assured, it is gamed.
 
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Captain Lex

One of the Regulars
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149
Location
St Paul, MN, USA
I really like American Pickers, but I recognize it's at best faintly connected to history.

My parents watch a lot of HGTV, and to their (the channel's) credit that content is mostly on-topic, but I would say few people would argue that television's non-fiction content is what you should be watching. Plenty of recent drama shows are among the most critically-acclaimed of all time.

Not that television has all that much time left to be relevant before online streaming original programming becomes the new normal! :D
 

KayEn78

One of the Regulars
Messages
124
Location
Arlington Heights, IL
I remember when the History Channel actually showed documentaries and programs dedicated to true history. Yes, a lot of it was WWII-related, but that didn't bother me since I love writing about that era.

I don't have cable now as I've seen TV sink lower and lower--yeah, what Pawn STars and American Pickers find is debatable "history" but the attitudes, cheating others, and constant beeping of cuss words just makes what used to be a great channel to watch now a pile of trash. It may say "reality" but it's still fake.

I'll stick to my OTR shows and classic TV programs from the '50s, '60s and '70s.

-Kristi
 

Jack Patch

Familiar Face
Messages
52
Location
Chicago
Between Netflix, Amazon, Roku, and the internet they only reason I have a T.V. is to get the a fore mentioned channels on a big screen. "Reality" shows have lowered the collective I.Q. of this country by at least 20 points.
 
Messages
12,005
Location
Southern California
...If you want merely to be entertained, watch TV. If you want to learn something, get of the couch and read a book.
Actually, the couch is a perfectly suitable piece of furniture to sit upon while reading, providing there's enough light to do so. :D

If you really want to learn something, read more than one book on the subject--preferably books that were published more recently as they're likely to contain the most up-to-date information. And always keep in mind that commonly repeated "facts" are probably, but not necessarily, true, and the rest is generally subject to interpretation. I'm always intrigued when "new" information comes to light regarding any given subject; it makes me question everything I was taught in school and thought I knew. As such, one of my favorite quotes comes from Samuel Langhorne "Mark Twain" Clemens: "If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're misinformed." In modern times, his commentary could (and should) apply to any and every form of "information" media, especially the lack-of-actual-History Channel.
 

Ed

Familiar Face
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57
Location
Northeast
Ice Road Truckers begins its seventh season on the History Channel June 9th.
Seven years ago it was the highest rated show on the History Channel by a wide
margin. Since then, History began producing their other reality shows. What
Ice Road Truckers has to do with history is a mystery. Sure, the scenery in Northern
Canada and Alaska is breathtaking, but arguably that's geography, not history.
 

AmateisGal

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,126
Location
Nebraska
Ice Road Truckers begins its seventh season on the History Channel June 9th.
Seven years ago it was the highest rated show on the History Channel by a wide
margin. Since then, History began producing their other reality shows. What
Ice Road Truckers has to do with history is a mystery. Sure, the scenery in Northern
Canada and Alaska is breathtaking, but arguably that's geography, not history.

I've never understood this show's link to history, either.
 

AmateisGal

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,126
Location
Nebraska
So tomorrow is the 69th anniversary of D-Day. The "History" Channel is showing Pawn Stars all day long. Not even an hour to devote to this milestone in history!

Infuriates me.
 

Big Man

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3,781
Location
Nebo, NC
So tomorrow is the 69th anniversary of D-Day. The "History" Channel is showing Pawn Stars all day long. Not even an hour to devote to this milestone in history!

Infuriates me.

Pawn Stars, Ice Road Truckers, Ax Men, Swamp People. Heck, I think they would be better off with Sponge Bob Square Pants. Sure not much history in the History Chanel any more.
 

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