by Chance Clift

Created on: March 17, 2009

A decline in good old family-oriented television shows isn't so much a deliberate conspiracy of network executives trying to starve the moral fiber of the nation; it's simply a case of supply and demand. New technology, high-paced schedules, and complex floor plans of millennial homes have changed families' TV consumption patterns. In an increasingly individualistic society, we want self-serving media that appeals directly to ourselves, and the TV delivers.

It is no secret that the dynamic of the 2009 American family is much different than that of the traditional 20th century nuclear family. Even the Simpson family of TV fame is by now outdated by the high-tech fast-paced millennial family. We no longer live in an age where a working father, stay-at-home mother, and 2.3 kids sit together in the family room to watch a family-friendly sitcom that all could enjoy. We simply face too many distractions. Conflicting schedules of working parents and active kids make it harder to enjoy quality time with the whole family, hence, less demand for the family programming usually watched during those times.

It would be rare today to find a household with only one television set, like the typical American family of the 1950s. Most kids today have TV sets in their bedrooms. The TV shows they watch are more influenced by the peers they are texting, not their parents. Furthermore, more homes have cable or satellite TV. Having more channels means that each channel can target a more narrow demographic. Like everything in the life of a 2009 youth, their media consumption is specific and self-serving. Family-themed TV shows are not on their agenda

New media technology have erased the former time constraints cause by TV programming schedules. The internet allows viewers to watch just about any TV show they desire, and they can watch it whenever they want. Live TV recorders like Tivo and DVR allow us to watch programming that would have otherwise been unwatchable because of scheduling conflicts. This on-demand media lifestyle has made families much more individualistic and fragmented in what they watch, and family programming takes the back seat to hand-picked TV favorites.

Many people blame big budget TV studios for the decline in quality family television programming. The studios are merely a mirror to the wants and needs of their viewers. Family-oriented TV shows don't get watched because families don't watch TV together anymore. In American households where kids carry laptops and cell phones, people today simply have better things to do.

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