TV - DirecTV looses a channel and gains a bad package

Flipping through the channels last night, I noticed that TCT -- another religious channel -- replaced PBS You. I was a little sad about that, since the religious channels don't appeal to me, and I kept thinking I'd take one of the PBS You telecourses one of these days. Of course, since I never watched PBS You--I, who actually like the intellectual stuff on TV--that didn't bode well for it. Indeed, since the channel seems to have croaked completely, I'm left with the conclusion that something is better than nothing.

It was while trying to look up stories / press releases about the change, I also stumbled the more interesting development: a couple of copies of a press release about DirecTV's new "Family Package," including a discussion of it on a message board. The list includes a half dozen channels I watch regularly (National Geographic Channel, RFD TV, The Science Channel, The Weather Channel, Link TV, CNN Headline News) and more than thirty channels rarely or never watch, but doesn't include at least two of my favorite channels--The History Channel and History International. For $35/month, the plan looks like a bad deal to me.
I'm skeptical about what strikes me as a widespread push for "family packages" and/or "a la carte" programming. The cable and satellite industry wants to keep going as it has, and the religious right and broadcast industry want to regulate cable and satellite channels (for quite different reasons). I don't know if this really cruddy package DirecTV has come up with is really an attempt to appease groups that I don't think can be appeased, or if it's a deliberate attempt by DirecTV to "prove" people don't want "family packages." All I know is I'm keeping my TV package as it is.