New channels cater to families IN the networks' good old days of blockbuster ratings, the whole family met nightly around the living room set, and they all laughed together at I Love Lucy, Happy Days, The Brady Bunch , and such. Fox came along, then cable, and TV's voluntary family hour went the way of the dinosaurs. Those shows that once made families laugh are relics now, for the nostalgia niches of Nick At Night . Little on TV is suitable for all ages. Even TV sitcoms don't pretend to be.
Television today is the schoolroom of sex, violence and trashy talk.
There are exceptions, of course. Parents can still find bright spots, but they have to look hard for them. That search should be getting easier. The programs, though, haven't changed. Fox Family Channel is 50 percent original programming, but from the admittedly small bit I've seen of that, it couldn't be called a breakthrough for family viewing.