Nothing compares to PBS NOVA. Free market = Power lunch douchebags + Entertainment tonight + Other crap that appeals to your average Joe the Plumber / Sarah Palin couple. I'm actually for state intervention in the media, have at least ONE good channel financed by the public for the sake of public good..... corporate media works for its own interest : MONEY.
I think Frontline compares to it. The times I've peeked in at Entertainment Tonight it actually hurt to watch. Mary Hart's standup routine is just bizarre and she almost single handedly has brought down the culture quotient a few orders of magnitude. Though tuning in is of course a choice, before someone jumps all over that.