Disappointment in the History Channel

Monday, January 4th, 2010 / TV / Author: Shawn

Remember my rant about cable channels abandoning their roots?

Today on Fark, there was a discussion about an LA Times article about History getting into reality programming.  In the discussion was this gem of a pie chart:

It actually prompted me to write the History Channel a letter:

I just read enough of an LA Times article titled “History channel pursues updated look”.  I stopped at the part about an Annie Oakley related reality show.

What has happened to the History Channel?  I am barely watching the channel I used to love because they have removed the element that caused me to watch it: HISTORY!

I do not come to History to watch reality TV.  When I do have Ice Truckers on, it’s usually for background noise to fall asleep to.  I have no interest in it other wise. I don’t watch Pawn Stars, either.

I hardly see Modern Marvels on anymore, which was the show I enjoyed the most.  It showed discoveries and observations of the past that people used to improve things of the present.

And what is up with the UFO stuff?  Not everyone believes in UFOs.  That stuff should belong on Sci-Fi (excuse me, that’s SyFy now, which is another example of a cable channel abandoning its roots).  Same goes with all the Nostradamus and other guessing games of the Bible and physics.  Half of Nostradamus’s predictions haven’t even come true.

If A&E wants a Discovery Channel clone, turning the History Channel to that clone is not the way to go.

And believe it or not, I am a 31 year old female.  I have always enjoyed history. I had a professor in college beg me to become a history major because of my love of history.  I have learned a lot from the OLD History channel, and not this new impostor.  I come to History to watch documentaries.

I may be one viewer with a small voice, but many of your old fans feel like I do.  Abandoning the History may bring you higher ratings now, but who’s to say it will in the long run.  As it is now, your advertisers are loosing one set of eyeballs with me choosing not to watch you any more.

I doubt I’ll get a reply, but at least I got my opinion of my chest. I’m getting sick of all these cable channels becoming clones of each other.