network TV is the ghetto of entertainment.
how much longer before the networks start going the way of newspapers?
how much longer before the networks start going the way of newspapers?
Probably never, because the average American watches more than 4 hours of tv a day, at least some of which is broadcast networks.
I've also read articles about people cancelling their cable/satellite because of the economy, so that's going to drive broadcast network viewership up as well.
Print newspapers went out of favor as a medium because the intelligent people that read them found more convenient, less expensive and more worthwhile sources of news. They substituted a similar good in its place.
For big fans of network television, a substitute good doesn't currently exist. We used to do lobotomies, but those fell out of favor some time ago.