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Graphic representation of exactly how much "science" appears on science-related tv networks (skepticblog.org)

submitted ago by Pilebsa

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[–]swizzcheez 22 points23 points ago

It misses "TLC," which used to be "The Learning Channel," which apparently is the interior design channel last I checked.

[–]Dentarthurdent42 8 points9 points ago

Also oversized families, undersized persons, and the Palins

[–]Sludgehammer 6 points7 points ago

You forgot the "lets laugh at the freak" type shows.

Related

[–]takatori 0 points1 point ago

Right, the "Tender Loving Care" channel.

[–]BaronSamhedi 19 points20 points ago

I think you forgot the ghost hunting shows. They need their own category.

[–]leavesontrees 5 points6 points ago

I thought that was mostly contained to Syfy, a former husk of the channel that used to show a lot of The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and MST3K.

"It's footsteps! It must be ghosts!" Pretty sure it's just mice, the wind, and the other crew of "ghost hunters" down the hall...

[–]BaronSamhedi 7 points8 points ago

I know Travel Channel and I think Discovery shows them now, too.

The best period in the history of the Sci-Fi channel was that few months between when they bought the airspace and when they actually had programming. For like three months they aired nothing but footage from the moon landing, space flight, telescopes, and CGI of random things in space.

[–]BlueJoshi 3 points4 points ago

Discovery and even Animal Planet have ghost shows, yeah.

[–]ventusignis 3 points4 points ago

Once upon a time, SciFi aired Stargate SG-1.

Just saying.

[–]kodiakus 1 point2 points ago

Their golden age was when they had Stargate, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica all in one night, all new episodes. This lasted for about 2 years? They also had a few good secondary shows on, and I think Eureka got its start during this time as well.

[–]sweetcommunist 11 points12 points ago

Last I checked, the History Channel was 99.999% Hitler Worshipping Pagan Aliens From Outer Space.

[–]darkon 8 points9 points ago

I'd prefer Hitler to most of the things they do show. At least Hitler is history. If you want WW2 stuff, it's mostly on the military channel now. I often watch it because WW2 is, if nothing else, more interesting to me than toddlers and baking.

[–]takatori 4 points5 points ago

It hasn't been the Hitler Channel in years.

[–]nicesalamander 0 points1 point ago

the only explanation... aliens.

[–]thesorrow312 8 points9 points ago

Science channel is the only one still tolerable for me.

Damn capitalism = channels cannot have actually educational programming anymore, because that doesn't optimize ratings.

[–]TheCheekySeagull 9 points10 points ago

I think the science channels are going through what MTV went through in the end of the 90's and through the 2000's: A degeneration in programming from music into complete and utter crap. When I watch Discovery, I want to learn new things, not watch uneducated brutes chop down trees or fight over nuggets of gold.

[–]SGMidence 5 points6 points ago

It's called "Network Decay", and it has claimed so many niche channels over the years....

[–]boxen 14 points15 points ago

Why is everything blue? Are they charging you extra for multicolored pie?

[–]heyiquit 3 points4 points ago

I'm color-blind. I hadn't noticed.

[–]arch4ngel 0 points1 point ago

Your opinion on this?

Do you really see through stuff?

[–]undedditor 0 points1 point ago

Obligatory "what do you see here?"

[–]Letsgetitkraken 0 points1 point ago

So how much is it gonna cost to turn some of them blue only pies into some multicolored pies?

[–]GrokMonkey 8 points9 points ago

Engineering doesn't qualify as science?

[–]sje46 6 points7 points ago

Excuse my ignorance, but isn't engineering entirely the application of science? And science is the search for objective truths.

That said, they're pretty related, so I have no problem with engineering being on the Science Channel.

[–]GrokMonkey 0 points1 point ago

Well, yes, it is only technology or a collection of technologies, but almost any show entirely about the raw science itself, as opposed to applications thereof or the basic processes surrounding it, would be pretty unwatchable.

[–]kjmitch 1 point2 points ago

If the science is applied in some useful manner, the people who don't apply the science but only come up with it think they're getting cut out of the picture and get all butthurt.

[–]Gecko99 5 points6 points ago

Most of the slices of those pie charts should overlap.

[–]MirrorLake 3 points4 points ago

My favorite channels are Science, Nat Geo, Discovery, and PBS (for Nova.)

It really saddens me when I turn on any of these channels and I see shows that are attempting to compete with reality TV shows on entertainment channels.

Real people! Nothing important to say, except mumbling and fighting! Up next.

The History Channel has been garbage for so long, I actually can't even remember what it was like before it was The Conspiracy Channel.

[–]mariod505 2 points3 points ago

Someone should do this for "News" channels.

[–]Black_Apalachi 2 points3 points ago

Shows about science: 27%
Shows not about science: 18%
How much longer I spent reading this graphic: 0%

[–]hobbit6 1 point2 points ago

I'm just waiting for the "Science Channel" BS to start cropping up on Nova.

[–]Dentarthurdent42 8 points9 points ago

NEVER. Nova has NDT. He shall protect us!

[–]Hypersapien 1 point2 points ago

To get the shows that are really about history or science, you need to get the higher tier package.

[–]RobotBuddha 1 point2 points ago

I think it's even more sad that when you think about it, the science shows are usually about scientific discoveries instead of the scientific process. It's a subtle difference, but one which is pretty highly represented in how the public views science. There's a vast number of people out there who claim to love science, while being totally ignorant of scientific methodology. I'd even go so far as to say it might well be the norm.

[–]5klp471 1 point2 points ago

Old men need something to watch while they are napping and drooling all over their shirt. They need this crap to sleep to.

[–]teratomata 0 points1 point ago

What exactly counts as a show about science?

[–]WoollyMittens 0 points1 point ago

What year is it? I haven't watched TV since "The Deadliest Catch".

[–]casfacto 0 points1 point ago

So true so true...

Makes me sad to be 'Merikhan.

[–]DrDOS 0 points1 point ago

Don't have much of a problem with any of that except the History Channel. I'm more of a science buff without a doubt than history buff. The problem I see is that people (myself in the past included) turn on the History channel expecting something verified as historical (or with proper caveats in place).

As a contrast, I recently watched a Nova science program about recent Mars discoveries where they even brought up crazy claims about aliens on Mars etc. but they quickly put them in their place as complete bunk or highly unlikely.

History channel has made some good stuff in the past. Wish they would again or more.

[–]cyber_rigger 0 points1 point ago

What I hate worse about TV is the crime=entertainment mentality.

[–]tehalynn 0 points1 point ago

This can easily be explained by the fact that these are television channels. Television is judged by how entertaining it is, and educational television is no different.

For more on this, read Amusing Ourselves to Death, chapter 10: Teaching as an Amusing Activity. For that matter, I recommend reading the whole book. It details the unexpected, unnoticed, and far-reaching ways in which television has changed our culture.

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