The Primacy of Purpose
In the last 40+ years, we’ve seen the launch of several high-minded educational television networks. TLC (“The Learning Channel”) was founded in 1972 to be an instructional network providing real education through the medium of television. The Discovery Channel was established in 1985 to provide documentaries focused primarily on science, technology and history. The History Channel, established in 1995, originally broadcast documentaries and historical fiction series. But what these channels are most known for today are their reality series and pseudo-documentaries like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Jon & Kate Plus 8 . After starting out with lofty ambitions to educate and inform, how did they end up peddling brain-dead entertainment? These companies were not purpose-driven, and instead placed profit-making as their highest priority. Reality television was too profitable for programmers to resist. Reality programs are relatively cheap to produce and are like catnip ...