What has happened to the Travel Channel?

[hookedonears]

The Travel Channel use to be a really good cable network. I thought it was supposed to be about travel? It's just about completely lost now. In between Poker, Man v. Food, Bizarre Foods and Ghost Hunters, the channel is horrible. The only saving grace is Anthony Bourdain. Even Disney isn't running the frequent infomercials that they use to. Where did Samantha Brown go? Does she still have a show? If she does, we use to see her all of the time, but never do now. Rick Steves has a great travel series. I can't understand why the Travel Channel has never picked it up. Just venting here, but one of the only TV channels we ever watched is just about completely gone, and it's really a shame.

 

[PudgetteD]

I agree! It has definately gone downhill. I usually don't even bother checking to see what's on because I know it won't be worth watching.

 

[disneydad78]

I agree.

 

[ssuriano]

I avoid Travel Channel now and just watch Anthony Bourdain's show on Netflix. I can't stand some of the things they try and pass off as a show now.

 

[jcb]

I don't know what you all are complaining about. Bacon Paradise is on right now. Who wouldn't want to watch "Americans go hog wild for bacon!"

 

[sayhello]

I don't know what you all are complaining about. Bacon Paradise is on right now. Who wouldn't want to watch "Americans go hog wild for bacon!"

OMG, the "fill-in-the-blank" Paradise shows are the WORST!!! There's only like 3 of them, and they show them OVER and OVER and OVER again!!!

Sayhello

 

[tolemommy]

I couldn't agree more. The interesting and informative travel shows are long gone. Most of the time I just surf on by every once in a while at a very odd time a good show will be on... Few and far between.

 

[sunnysideup3]

I totally agree, it's been horrible the last couple of years.

 

[WebmasterMike]

They had a great show on Monorails the other Sunday morning at 7am.

Other than that, it stinks.

 

[WaltD4Me]

ITA! I miss the old Travel Channel sooooooooooooooooooo much. There were so many shows I watched all the time, now I don't want anything on the Travel Channel. Nothing. I wouldn't mind even if they ran some old good shows that I've already seen a few times over what they put on now. It's really sad.

Same thing for TLC, they aren't quite as bad, they are another station that has gone off the rails. Half their shows now give me nightmares. I rarely watch TLC anymore either.

 

[kaligal]

I didn't even realize until just now that I've stopped watching the Travel Channel.

I used to watch a lot of it!

Never liked Anthony Bourdoin. Too cocky for my taste.

 

[Joshua_me]

Agreed.

Half the time it plays more like a second rate Food Network than anything else...

Watching that Man vs Food guy stuff himself with 10,000 oysters is not my idea of entertainment.

And it IS strange how Samantha Brown has just disappeared. They must have had a "parting of the ways" contractually, or something...

Or, maybe it's just that The Fourth of July through Labor Day weekend is notoriously the very WORST time for ALL of TV, and things will pick up in the Fall.

Who knows ?

 

[lttlmc3]

I miss "Great Hotels." That was my favorite show of Samanthas.

 

[disneychic2]

Agree, agree, agree! I was just thinking the other day about Samantha Brown and wishing I could catch her shows again. Glorified food channel hits the nail on the head. I hate most of the programing on the Travel channel now and wish they would go back to those great travel shows we all loved so much. Maybe if we all wrote to them...?

 

[bellanotte10]

I was just telling my friends the other day that the travel channel is just food shows. I like Man vs. Food, but like others have said, I love Samantha Brown's shows and series. I also loved to watch the "Luxurious log cabins" "extreme yachts" and all those random shows. My favorite was in College a two years ago I had insomnia, and i would record travel channel shows like "Yellowstone Park" in a half asleep stupor I wouldn't remember the next day. I would find a whole series of them on my dvr the next morning. Always made my day, random pre-recorded travel channel shows.

 

[MainStreetFireman]

It used to be that Verizon FiOS would archive a lot of the TC shows in the "on demand" part of their service. No more.

Too much food, not enough travel. And as far as "Man vs. Food" goes, the LAST thing we need is a show lauding mass consumption as the highest form of food praise. Since when did "gourmand" supplant "gourmet"?

 

[mikelan6]

The current Travel Channel is awful.

One of the HD Channels, I think it's HDNET every once in a while has those travelogue shows of flying over a country. The images are stunning and makes me what to visit those places.

 

[ADP]

Great post! I have to agree. Their focus has moved away from travel. I do enjoy Man V Food, but beyond that I don't even watch it anymore. It used to be one of my favorite channels.

I sort of compare it to when MTV moved away from showing music videos in favor of airing Carmen Electra hosted shows.

I hope the Travel Channel gets back to what they were good at....Producing more shows about travel and travel destinations.

 

[dmccarty]

It is not just the Travel Channel.

There is a pattern on the channels that I have noticed over the years. A channel starts off with a certain subject, like travel, cooking, history, science. The next thing you know, the channel has switched to reality shows that MIGHT have something to do with the channel.

This has happened with the Food, History, Discovery, A&E, Travel and various home improvement channels. The channels go from showing programs that are interesting and usually informative to something else.

I watch less and less TV every year since there is just nothing worth watching. We have not watched the old networks in almost a decade. Seriously, we watch more Disney channels now because it is the better than what is on the other channels. Which is not really good because Disney has some BAD TV shows. The kids like them those shows though.

Course Disney does have Phineas and Ferb!

Later,
Dan

 

[lttlmc3]

I'm finding that I'm watching a LOT less TV also!