What the heck have they done ...

Question: What the heck have they done to Bravo? The network has been completely destroyed. I loved The West Wing, Project Runway, Inside the Actors Studio — heck, even the first season of Blow Out was mildly diverting. Today, while waiting anxiously for the next season of Runway, I am served a diet of endless marathons of The Real Housewives of Orange County (possibly the most revolting show ever), real estate shows, workout shows, etc. There is no programming but these marathons! The West Wing is never on. My friends who like Top Chef will kill me, but except for the occasional Kathy Griffin special or show, a network I used to watch all the time is never on in my home. Are their ratings actually up? And what happened to NBC having a boutique network arm? Will I ever see Josh and Donna again?
Answer: Your primary gripe against Bravo appears to be the fact that The West Wing has been taken out of rotation, which I would guess has something to do with the fact that it probably doesn't repeat as well indefinitely as something like Law & Order. Bravo's identity certainly has changed over the years, although Actors Studio (despite a noticeable drop in the quality of guests lately) is still a leftover from when it had pretentions as an arts channel. (And look what happened over at bottom-feeding A&E, which I'm sure would love to get its paws on those grisly Orange County matrons.) I have to agree that, even when I like Bravo (which tends to be whatever reality-competition show is airing on Wednesdays as well as a taste of Kathy Griffin here and there), the constant marathoning looks ridiculous. But that's the model that seems to work for them, and the branding with flamboyant, upscale reality programming is also very clear. The good news is that there are tons of other choices out there in the cable universe. Top Chef has been a fun staple of my summer TV menu, but beyond that gem, there are plenty of other fields to graze.