Designer cakes, wedding dresses, sextuplets and toddler beauty queens.
What do all of these things have in common? They each have their own show on thepopular cable network, TLC. Originally called The Learning Channel, the network has shifted far, far away from its original vision.
The network still retains its basic programming themes, but has pushed them to dramatic extremes. The channel was originally started in 1972 as an educational venue for shows about cooking, health, history, and home-improvement. If you dig deep enough, those themes can be found. "Cake Boss" is vaguely about cooking, and "Hoarding: Buried Alive" is vaguely about home improvement.
Some health programming is still there, like prime time specials on rare genetic disorders that cause extreme deformation, or the always ridiculous "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant." But no one walks away from these programs feeling like they learned something; they walk away with a story to tell tomorrow at work or school.
But the network quickly learned that shows about the extreme and ridiculous were what drew in audiences. Thus, a new programming pattern emerged.
The shift towards more personal stories and family drama arrived with a family with 8 children and two parents trying to contain them. "Jon and Kate Plus 8" started as a documentary-style show about a family created as a result of extreme fertility treatments. Now just Kate Plus 8, the show focuses on the drama that follows the family and cross-promotion with other TLC shows. The show is in its final season (finally), but still serves as an example of the tipping point from semi-educational programming to shameless reality TV.
Some programs on TLC have less humble beginnings, and less shame. The controversial program "Toddlers in Tiaras" serves no educational purpose whatsoever, except maybe to hold a mirror to society, but even that is unintentional.
This is not to say these shows aren't entertaining or that we should only watch PBS or CSPAN and nothing else. TV is meant to be a form of entertainment and enjoyment, and there's nothing wrong with liking shows about people making cakes or trying on wedding dresses. And we should keep in mind that television is a business, and like all businesses, they need to make a profit, which can come as a result of showing a highly rated show about a family with 20-plus children.
But operating under the guise of an educational network, a sister channel of National Geographic and The Discovery Channel, is a little bit like calling a dinosaur-shaped chicken nugget poultry. It kind of is, but let's not kid ourselves.
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