The question is WHY is television "self-indulgent claptrap?" It has a sedating effect on people, it dulls their thinking and reality testing and establishes a status quo that people strive for. Therefore, less probability of revolutionaries getting to the airwaves and destabilizing a quirky (American) society.
Ask yourself: when was the last time the big 3 had a nature or history special on prime time? Now frame that answer with today's current offerings.
Not that I don't have my guilty pleasures: I wouldn't dream of missing "Cops" or "Judge Judy."