"The wonderful thing about listening to these books is that you want to know more - it makes you want to learn more about this world we live in."
I will often read a piece of fiction, and then go to the library for nonfiction books about some aspect of the story.
There are so many fascinating people, places, cultures, religions, etc., in the world (not even including history!), that I can't imagine wasting time on "reality" TV shows! (Even the "reality" of my own life often just seems like something that gets in the way of my reading ...) If you're going to watch TV, at least watch documentaries; we've seen some marvelous stuff on the Travel Channel.