The state of television

What is it with television these days? Reality shows, soft core porn and news shows that go on and on about the same old thing. I am really getting tired of what's on the set. I can legitimately call it "the idiot box".
Let's start with reality shows. They are all pretty much the same. A bunch of young, sexy people are put into a tight space and compete to be the worst back-stabber. There are so many of them. You have Survivor, Big Brother, Pirates and Lord knows only what else. I seem to recall that television was supposed to be an escape from reality. What ever happened to dramas, sitcoms and documentaries?
The next category of my complaint is not as severe, yet. Some nights of the week, all you see is ads for those 900 number phone sex lines. Young girls (Too young to be in those kinds of ads, in my opinion.) parade across the screen in bikinis that cover maybe six square inches of flesh. Then there are the constantly repeated advertisements for Girls Gone Wild. Where are these girls' fathers? At least the worst has been contained to late at night on the weekends. My best friend has had to lock out certain channels on his kids televisions.
Finally, what is this obsession with every little piece of fresh news? We have a choice of two all news channels just on basic cable. I think I like my news in doses at regular intervals. Keeps the depression confined to an hour and a half per day. The other problem with the news networks is that they pick one story and obsess over it. Currently, CTV Newsnet is slobbering all over the Conrad Black verdict. How long does it take to say that a CEO is guilty of fraud? How many people do we really need to analyse this for us?
Like I said, I remember when television was an escape from reality. Sure it informed us, but it also entertained. Maybe I'm showing my age, but things have been changing, and not necessarily for the better.