Losing interest in Shark Week

[cbborromeo]

Instead of *****ing about it on this board or tuning out because it's the same old reruns, why doesn't everyone write Discovery to complain. I did, but one voice doesn't count a whole lot these days.

http://extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelations

 

[erparamedic]

I think that there's too much of a "Jaws" factor in Shark week now. I do think that there's still alot of educational points to each show, but that is overshadowed by the attacks and such.

My 8 year old son loves shark week. He thinks (rightfully so) sharks are magnificent creatures. Actually, for his GATE class last year, he did months of research on sharks, and compiled it into a report, power-point presentation, a clay-mation video of a nurse shark and it's environment, a mask, and a poem. Even at his young age, he doesn't get all the hype about shark attacks, as he knows it's not the norm, and knows that the sharks are seeking food, not intentionally trying to hurt a person. While snorkeling on Shell Key (on vacation), he was just itching to see a shark... but we didn't see any.

I wish shark week would put away all the old attack episodes (or at least limit it to 1 or 2), and make more educational episodes that aren't overshadowed by attacks and gore.

 

[erparamedic]

cbborromeo

Thanks for the link... will do.

 

[cbborromeo]

You're welcome and thanks to everyone who writes in and spreads the word to all other boards and members. Wow, imagine if we actually affected a network programming change next year?!

 

[erparamedic]

Done... I've wrote them, and they say I should have a response from them in about a week. Here's what I wrote:

I would like to say that as an avid Scuba Diver, I love to watch Shark Week... however, it seems that in the last several "Shark Weeks" that have been aired, there's mostly reruns. In that, it seems that the majority of the shows are sensationalized with shark attacks, how to avoid them, and such. I would really like to see more shows that don't focus on shark attacks, but focus on the species, differences in species, survival techniques, habitats, endangered species, etc. I can understand airing an episode or two on shark attacks, but it seems that the majority of the shows focus on that, and it gives sharks a bad rap. I would much rather see some NEW episodes that are more educational without the "Jaws" factor.

 

[jbichsel]

I emailed TDC this morning about Shark Week (or is it Shark Weak) and Global Warming: What you Need To Know.

 

[GulfDiver23]

Shark week just isn't what it used to be. I can remember being riveted to the television every single night, this year I think I caught 1 show so far. Maybe if the Discovery Channel had spent its money on creating new and more informative programs rather than on their Bight University marketing campaign I would have spent more time watching.

Although, I don't think the problem is just shark week, I would say that the overall quality of the Discovery Channel's prgramming has dropped drammatically over the past several years. The only show I watch regularly now is Deadliest Catch. The same is true for the History Channel (except for Deep Sea Detectives of course), Sci-Fi Channel, etc. I think the cable channels in general need to stop spreading their programming so thin, concentrate on their flagship channels, and reconnect with their core audiences.

I am now returning my soap box to the closet, sorry about that.

I agree 100%, There is rarely anything on discovery about wildlife anymore. As a kid I loved shark week and was glued to the screen for a solid week. Now it seems like the show is more in the lab. or on the boat explaining how they plan on doing research. I want to know some results of this research, because I saw them explain how they gathered the research for the past 10 years. I want to see the sharks in there own environment. I love to watch them swim and to see the GW flying through the air like a dolphin.

I will also write to Discovery and add my complaints to their lists. Thank you for that link.

 

[scubarealtor]

i saw a good show on the waterchannel last week about shark diving in the bahamas. it talked about how it got started and showed a typical encounter. i think showed the sharks for what they are. they are not friendly animals that want to cuddle nor ferocious killers hunting humans. it focused on how if you follow the right procedures shark diving is relatively safe.

 

[gangrel441]

In their defense...

At least one program each night is new. They fill in the rest of the night with reruns from previous years, but what would you like them to do? Come up with 27 hours of new programing about sharks every year? This is the Discovery Channel, not the Shark Channel. I am surprised they come up with 7 hours of new programing.

Sunday's new program was "The World's 10 Deadliest Sharks". While the title is a bit sensationalized, most of the data came straight out of the ISAF, and a George Burgess himself appeard several times giving personal commentary on behavior patterns and attack statistics on specific species.

I have not watched the Shark Hunter program yet, but based on the description, it appears this is not about a mercenary fisherman, but rather about a research oceanographer who is catching, measuring, tagging, and releasing sharks.

Air Jaws is definately a rerun, and we have all seen it many times before, but come on....it is some great filler material...

And Mike Roe seems to be doing a pretty good job as host this year. Much better than Adam and Jamie did last year. I haven't gotten to see much of his "Jobs That Bite" shows yet, but hey - that's what TiVo is for, right?

 

[GulfDiver23]

I thought 10 Deadliest sharks was a rerun too. I thought I remembered seeing it last year. Maybe not.