I am afraid we are still regarded as' big kids playing with toys' and are viewed with disdain by our 'betters. In the dumbed down society in which we live, there would appear to be more interest in programmes like' Big Brother' where apparently you can tune in and watch someone asleep in bed so we are unlikely to see tv companies turn to something which requires knowledge, skill, craftsmanship and technical abilities such as ours. The populus appears to be more interested in watching something break rather than being constructed as it is more dramatic and therefore makes for better viewing figures.
I once heard 'art' being defined as 'the creation of something for its own sake but with no practicle use'. Things such as paintings and sculptures definately fall into this category (unless they are hiding a hole in the wall or something) and are reveered and highly valued by all and sundry and indeed there have been countless tv programmes devoted to it. Our hobby generally could be regarded as having no practicle use and many boats, aircraft and the like which are not a true model of of any particular full size prototype would fall into the category of art, given the 'art' definition, so why are they not considered as such? Why aren't exquisite scale models, worthy of museum status also given a back seat in favour of so called art by the tv companies?
The truth is, the nation really has been dumbed down to the point where moronic behaviour and bad attitudes seems be more prevailant than education and skill. The tv world is more about 'look at me, see how fabulous I am', rather than 'look at my wonderful creation which required knowledge, skill, craftsmanship and devotion!! .. That just isn't 'good tv' in this day and age. So much of popular tv is purile rubbish and can only be regarded as shallowness in the extreme.