PBS Mocks 'the State of TV' with Fake Reality Shows That Could Be Real
It's kind of a cliche at this point to lament the loss of once venerable institutions of televised knowledge such as The History Channel and The Learning Channel to the scourge of "reality" TV.
Did you know that Bravo started as a channel devoted to airing highbrow culture and works of art?
But cliche or not, the state of TV is sad and getting sadder with every bachelor (17 and counting!).
Hoping to use this to their advantage, New York metropolitan area PBS affiliate Thirteen recently teamed up with CHI&Partners to launch an ad campaign mocking real reality shows by promoting fake reality shows that look real.
"The fact that you thought this was a real show says a lot about the state of TV," says a tagline pointing to mock promos for such upsettingly possible shows as Bad Bad Bagboys, Married to a Mime, Knitting Wars, and Bayou Eskimos.
"It’s pretty scary when you look out there and see what’s on television these days," CHI Executive Creative Director Jeff Anderson told Entertainment Weekly. "If New Yorkers want an inspiring and educational option, they need to get behind a network that we sometimes take for granted."
The five posters will begin appearing in NYC subways this week.
