---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The TV business is uglier than most…"
description: "\"The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/hunter-s-thompson-278_business_the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-thin_581306.jpg"
---

#  The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally…

![“The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason.” quote by Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/hunter-s-thompson-278_business_the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-thin_581306.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/hunter-s-thompson-278_business_the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-thin_581306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/hunter-s-thompson-278_business_the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-thin_581306.jpg)

> “The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason.”

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Television prioritizes profit and sensationalism, corrupting journalism and dehumanizing participants.

**In simple terms:** TV often sacrifices truth for money and spectacle.

Key Takeaway

Demand integrity and accountability in media.

Themes

media criticism ethics corruption journalism

Mood

skeptical urgent

Type

critical reflective

When to use this quote

- newsrooms
- advertising
- regulatory debates
- public discourse

Key Concepts

capitalism sensationalism human dignity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can audiences support honest reporting?
- What reforms could curb media exploitation?

A Different Perspective

Commercial pressures can erode journalistic standards.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business Uglier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-uglier-4778326/) [Journalism Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism-industry-2692256/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Shallow Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shallow-money-4778327/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Tv Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv-business-516833/) [Uglier Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uglier-things-2043942/)

## Related quotes

> [The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson-2/the-music-business-is-a-cruel-and-shallow-money-trench-a-long-plastic/)

[Hunter S Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson-2/)

> [The print magazine and print journalism industry is obviously in a great deal of trouble, and one of the things that happened when this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/the-print-magazine-and-print-journalism-industry-is-obviously-in-a/)

[Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/)

> [“He used to say the uglier things are the longer they live, and the ugliest things live forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/he-used-to-say-the-uglier-things-are-the-longer-they-live-and-the/)

[Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/)

> [“Uglier things have been spotted in the skies, but not by reliable witnesses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/uglier-things-have-been-spotted-in-the-skies-but-not-by-reliable/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [After making a lot more films, I realized that the movie and TV business is, for all its inefficiencies, one of the best-run big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/after-making-a-lot-more-films-i-realized-that-the-movie-and-tv/)

[Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/)

> [I've realized that the dang TV business is even crazier than the music business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lainey-wilson/i-ve-realized-that-the-dang-tv-business-is-even-crazier-than-the/)

[Lainey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lainey-wilson/)

> [The theater business has allowed me, in a way the movie and TV business has not, to do very, very interesting work. So that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dennehy/the-theater-business-has-allowed-me-in-a-way-the-movie-and-tv/)

[Brian Dennehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dennehy/)

> [The TV business is like the produce section of the market. Today everything is fresh and glistening and firm. And tomorrow, when they find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/the-tv-business-is-like-the-produce-section-of-the-market-today/)

[Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/)

> [What brought me into the TV business is what keeps me here and happy. You can learn something new every day if you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-couric/what-brought-me-into-the-tv-business-is-what-keeps-me-here-and-happy/)

[Katie Couric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-couric/)

> [I went onto reality TV as a business decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/i-went-onto-reality-tv-as-a-business-decision/)

[Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/)

> [Anybody who really knows about the TV business knows that it would be impossible to just march in one day and say to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-cohen/anybody-who-really-knows-about-the-tv-business-knows-that-it-would-be/)

[Andy Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-cohen/)

> [The TV business is soul crushing, talent destroying and human being destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-de-havilland/the-tv-business-is-soul-crushing-talent-destroying-and-human-being/)

[Olivia de Havilland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-de-havilland/)

> [In 1995, I had been chosen to make a short presentation about the state of the TV business at a company retreat in Santa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/in-1995-i-had-been-chosen-to-make-a-short-presentation-about-the/)

[Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/)

> [The music business looks like, you know, innocent schoolboys compared to the TV business. They care about nothing but profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/the-music-business-looks-like-you-know-innocent-schoolboys-compared/)

[Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/)

> [When you're just starting out in the TV business, you don't know anything at all, and you think you're doing a better job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/when-you-re-just-starting-out-in-the-tv-business-you-don-t-know/)

[Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/)

## More by Hunter S. Thompson

> [“There was also the fact that sending a penniless writer to get $135 worth of beer was — as Khrushchev said of Nixon —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-was-also-the-fact-that-sending-a-penniless-writer-to-get-135/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“Cases of champagne and scotch lay broken in the street, and everyone I saw had a bottle. They were screaming and dancing, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/cases-of-champagne-and-scotch-lay-broken-in-the-street-and-everyone-i/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [No music + Bad TV = Bad mood &amp; no pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-music-bad-tv-bad-mood-no-pages/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-one-holds-command-over-me-no-man-no-god-no-prince-what-is-a-claim/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb grey hairs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-person-who-doesn-t-scatter-the-morning-dew-will-not-comb-grey/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [Hope rises and dreams flicker and die. Love plans for tomorrow and loneliness thinks of yesterday. Life is beautiful and living is pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/hope-rises-and-dreams-flicker-and-die-love-plans-for-tomorrow-and/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [If we get chased out of Iraq with our tail between our legs, that will be the fifth consecutive Third-world country with no hint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/if-we-get-chased-out-of-iraq-with-our-tail-between-our-legs-that-will/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [At age 22 I set what I insist is an all-time record for distance hitchhiking in Bermuda shorts: 3,700 miles in three weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/at-age-22-i-set-what-i-insist-is-an-all-time-record-for-distance/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [Paranoia is just another mask for ignorance. The truth, when you finally chase it down is almost always far worse than your darkest visions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/paranoia-is-just-another-mask-for-ignorance-the-truth-when-you/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“No doubt they all Got What Was Coming To Them. All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-doubt-they-all-got-what-was-coming-to-them-all-those-pathetically/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“For several months they'd been drifting toward political involvement, but the picture was hazy and one of the most confusing elements was their geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/for-several-months-they-d-been-drifting-toward-political-involvement/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [He wandered into the Newsroom and asked for a job the same way he’d walk into a barbershop and ask for a haircut, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/he-wandered-into-the-newsroom-and-asked-for-a-job-the-same-way-he-d/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [There's no point in getting into politics at all unless you plan to lash things around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-no-point-in-getting-into-politics-at-all-unless-you-plan-to/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [There’s a lot of things wrong with this country, but one of the few things still right with it is that a man can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-things-wrong-with-this-country-but-one-of-the-few/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

[Explore all 765 Hunter S. Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hunter S. Thompson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-things-it-is-normally-perceived/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-things-it-is-normally-perceived/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/hunter-s-thompson-278_business_the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-thin_581306.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/hunter-s-thompson-278_business_the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-thin_581306.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4b/hunter-s-thompson-278_business_the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-thin_581306.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money…” — Hunter S. Thompson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Hunter S. Thompson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The TV business is uglier than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-things-it-is-normally-perceived/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-tv-business-is-uglier-than-most-things-it-is-normally-perceived/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
