okay. good. first thing we need you to do is find a way to cancel the Kardashians. Then, Honey BooBoo, from there we move down the line until reality television contains actual reality
And the History Channel contains actual history. Or is forced to change its name to the "aliens, cryptids, and conspiracies channel".
As much as I liked to think that I'd have that kind of power, I really don't think that I'd have that kind of influence. The sad truth is that both the Kardashians and . . . that show about that horrific child who needs help desperately are cheap to make. Even if I somehow manipulated the numbers, I'd have to take them to such low shares that it'd be near impossible to achieve it with my job.
Plus, I kind of want to keep my job, so I won't be manipulating the numbers.
As for History channel, I'd like to see the network go back to what it was back in 1998 when it was basically the Hitler Channel. There was no Pawn Stars, Ax-men, or other macho reality shows. For people like me who can't resist Leonard Nimoy's In Search of, there was History's Mysteries that covered unusual things better than Ancient Aliens where everything is aliens. And don't ever get me started on the epic failure that History's Bible Secret Revealed which features "experts" who couldn't probably make it on Ancient Aliens: A&E once had a great series called Mysteries of the Bible that had actually Biblical scholarship that had a more even hand.
However, I don't think unless I get on the executive board of TLC or History Channel that I could make a change for the better. All I can do is make that my numbers are correct.
Congratulations on the new job! As long as you don't pull a Michael Grade, I'm sure you'll do well!
EDIT: And speaking of work, technically I'm working from home today (thank you, snowstorm). Although, since I was never issued a laptop, today basically consists of sitting by my computer and cell phone to answer general questions. Which is doubly ironic, since my job is considered "essential support" to my department...
Again, I'd actually have to be hired by a network and have some control over programming. At the moment, all I'm doing is making sure the gathered data is accurate. Though honestly if I got hired by a network for programming with free reign, I'd either be God's Gift to that network or Satan. It'd be science-fiction, smart dry comedy, and animated programing galore with little to no reality shows or cheap sitcoms, and unless audiences tune in large numbers, I'd probably be gone by the end of first sweeps. The sad truth is that everything that I'd want to do is expensive, and networks hate spending money unless there are guarantees of absolute success. Most reality shows are made because they are cheap to produce, so it doesn't matter the shares since the network makes money even if the only viewer is actually asleep. Besides the only channel that would try my strategies would have been UPN during one of their many makeovers, and let's face it, I'd alienate the previous audience in the first night of new programming.