Pop Culture Curmudgeon

TV Is Out of Balance

There was a time when the entertainment arm of the big networks was seen as the patron of the educational and informational arms. The money made on primetime shows was used to fund the important things, such as educational programming for children or the news.

Now, each arm of the big entertainment conglomerates must make money or it is cut. The news must win in the ratings and make money, rather than being provided as a public service and to fulfill the charter granted to the television station by the government (and by extension, the American people).

And scripted shows seem to be given the cold shoulder when networks are shown the shiny, cheap reality shows that will bring in the ratings. Never mind that the reality shows have little, if any, redeeming social value. Or that good scripted shows can make us think and possibly change the world (e.g., All in the Family, which challenged racist values and led to one of the first African American sitcoms on television).

I’d like to see a return to a time when the less artistic, more money-focused aspects of the TV biz helped subsidize the more socially responsible pieces. I would feel better about horrific nightmares like Hitched or Ditched if I knew they were helping make possible a good local news program or a high-quality scripted show. And don’t even get me started on what the local networks count in their public service programming to keep their charter.