What has happened to the Travel Channel?

[wasabi girl]

Yes, you hit the nail on the head. I'm not sure when the travel channel stopped being about travel, but is sure has. I thought my timing was off and I was just missing the shows I used to like, and now only find, Man Vs Food marathons, or Poker...
It would be great if the travel channel aired travel programming. What a concept.

 

[KimStaR]

Love this thread. I love watching shows about travel, to anywhere, which this channel has almost none of anymore. Mid day they play the same old replays of $40 a day which is really a food network show, but I liked it, and then a Samantha Brown show... but they are both repeated over and over. I agree that it has gone the way of MTV, but at least now MTV and VH1 have replacement channels that show music. There are are barely any travel shows unless you catch one here or there on Travel Channel or those boring Rudy Maxa PBS type ones that are also rarely on.

 

[Golf4food]

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.

Yes, HDNet shows all the travel shows now: Rick Steves, Rudi Maxa, the aerial helicopter tours of countries, etc. And all in HD.

The current Travel Channel is a travesty and needs to change its name to "Bobo Food Network 2.0".

 

[disneydad78]

Poor Travel Channel. and Poor ole NBC trying so hard, putting on anything to get a hit show. Its worth what?,,crap. Who cares what people own and what its worth. All I know its something else that reminds me that RICH people have more money to waste their money on stuff they dont need instead of giving back.

 

[Yeti77]

I think the same thing about The History Channel. It used to consist of shows whose content was made up of (get this) HISTORICAL subject matter. Now it's made up of reality shows that might have a borderline historical connection. Most of the documentary style programs and specials are shown at odd times and I have to record them.

It is not just the Travel Channel.

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.

I hear this a lot but I swear we're in kind of a golden age right now. When I compare "The Office," "Modern Family," or "Parks & Recreation" to the shows a lot of us grew up on like "Growing Pains," "Who's the Boss," or "Full House," it feels like we're getting a LOT better writing and acting.

 

[mejkjj97]

glad to know I am not alone. I do watch Bert when he is on but that is really about it.

I miss Great Hotels so match. It use to be my Sunday morning staple to watch on tv (even the reruns)

 

[jcb]

I can generally understand the connection between travel and food. (But then, I can see a connection between pretty much anything and food.)

What I really don't understand is why syfy channel shows "professional wresting" at all, much less during prime time. Unless, of course, they trying to tell us something about whether professional wresting is real.

 

[Lynn57]

I used to love the Travel Channel and the History Channel. Can someone tell me why "Swamp Loggers" or "Ax Men" belong on the History Channel? I have yet to make that historical connection.

I also don't get how poker marathons are on the Travel Channel. Maybe if they actually discussed the locations of these marathons, I would understand.

I want to go back to the days when the History Channel taught me about history and the Travel Channel had shows about travel. I don't think that's too much to ask...

(Don't even get me started on TLC and their shows like "My Strange Addiction" and "Toddlers and Tiaras!!!)

 

[NitroStitch]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one wondering what happened to all these channels and the decline in their programming. Another channel that's gone way downhill is Animal Planet. They used to have marathons of cute, funny, informative animal shows, and now they frequently have weird shows about hauntings that don't even include animals at all. They're also fond of "I Shouldn't Be Alive", which rarely even seems to reference animals as a danger in the storyline. I don't get it.

On the subject of poker on TV, I'm not sure how poker is a sport either, but it's on ESPN2 a LOT.

I really miss when I learned something from Discover, TLC, the Travel Channel and the History Channel, other than what NOT to watch. Maybe someday we will get to enjoy some quality Samantha Brown programming again. I guess she's far too classy for many of the programming choices out there now.

 

[FireDancer]

I've noticed that there is a lot of program shuffling on the "B-level" cable channels. For example a lot of the good History programming is now on the Military channel. A lot of the good Foot Network programming is now on the Fine Living channel. I wonder if some of the better Travel shows have migrated over to another channel.

I agree with the pp who mentioned No Reservations. I like a lot of those shows. The one in Sri Lanka was probably my favorite.

Samantha very well might have taken some time off to start a family.

 

[tigger813]

Maybe we should all write letters to the Travel Channel requesting a return to their old format. I thought I read awhile back that Samantha would be doing a new series. I will have to check that out again. I can't remember where I read it. She also said she wasn't traveling as much as she used to. I will see what I can find out and post again later!

 

[NedsTJ]

Maybe it has something to do with the cable "tier" that the channels are on. I'm guessing here (not an expert, nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn last night) that the channels get more money from the cable providers if it's on an upper "tier", ie, not on the basic package. Meaning you and I have to pay more to get it, and thus they have more money in their coffers for decent programming. Reality shows are easier and cheaper to produce, which is why they've sprouted up everywhere, LOL.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

It's ridiculous. Man v Food and the ______________ paradise shows are ok with me, but shouldn't be on The Travel Channel. Paranormal whatever, truckstop Missouri, people building sand castles. It's all crap. Bizarre foods and No reservations are the only shows from "the good old days" that are still around.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I miss the old Travel Channel too. It used to be my go to channel when I had 30 minutes or so free during the afternoon.

Now the TV stays off and I do other stuff instead.

 

[BA33]

I do like poker, but enough is enough. They have lost their way as far as travel goes. Disney use to have the infomercials at the begining of the summer, along with the cruise lines but nothing this year. I guess they are changing with the time. Monkey see monkey do. They see what is popular with other networks and do the same. Thats like NBC is going to have a talk show with chef's now to try something from the Food Network.

 

[mjtm610]

I think Kevin should call Samantha and find out what she's been up to. I know they're close friends.....maybe she could sit in on a podcast!!

 

[dmccarty]

I hear this a lot but I swear we're in kind of a golden age right now. When I compare "The Office," "Modern Family," or "Parks & Recreation" to the shows a lot of us grew up on like "Growing Pains," "Who's the Boss," or "Full House," it feels like we're getting a LOT better writing and acting.

Never watched the first set of shows so I cannot comment on them.

When our kids were 2-6 we had problems watching the old networks which is why we stopped watching those channels. We like to watch Everyone Loves Raymond(ELR) reruns. But when the kids were younger, one channel was running ELR commercials that was one sound bite after another saying "cr..p". It is was funny but we did not need our kids running off to school saying "cr.p cr.p cr.p cr.p..." Now that they are older they know better. I hope.

There were other things on those channels that even during normal hours simply were not age appropriate. Given that we watched very little of the programming on those networks it was very easy to stop watching.

"Growing Pains," "Who's the Boss," or "Full House" where and are horrible. They were surely the Dark Ages of Sitcoms. Unfortunately our oldest went through a phrase of watching Full House over and over and over. It had not improved with age.

No much good has been on since Barney Miller was canceled.

Later,
Dan

 

[DisneyDoc5]

I miss Samantha, I miss the Travel Channel, I can't stand Anthony Bourdain - glad I'm not the only one feeling this way!

 

[DisneyKevin]

I can't stand Anthony Bourdain

Lining up with DisneyDoc5.

Dont like him....and I dont want to camp with Bedouins.

 

[wendydarling826]

I totally agree. I have a couple of Tivo'd Samantha Brown Disney episodes that I've watched so many times I know them by heart. I miss her shows and hate the junk the Travel Channel has on now.