That is why we used to have community affairs programs, and why the news used to be structured as a loss leader rather than as a profit center. A certain level of programming was done because it served the public interest, not because it made a profit. That notion of television in the public interest has been dismantled systematically throughout the '80s. Starting in 1979, we saw the drop-off of almost all community and public affairs programs. Since then, the focus moved to lowering production costs and increasing advertising revenue.
Broadcasting continues to be based on selling audiences to advertisers.