It was not Reagan. it was not the mere fact of privatization. It was the market and some bad business decisions. Please do note NASA still has it’s own TV channel in 1080 HD . Lots of space science and programming there.
Question-would we any less outraged by Honey Boo Boo on another channel? I would not.

6 TV Networks That Aren’t What They Started Out to Be

TLC

NASA, along with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, wanted to show how local education could be improved through educational technology. From 1972-75, the Appalachian Educational Satellite Project gave graduate credit to Appalachian teachers who used the free material delivered by satellite to develop their own courses. The Appalachian Community Service Network (ACSN) channel was then independently incorporated in 1979 and offered 64 hours of programming per week in 42 states by 1982.

In November 1980, it was renamed “The Learning Channel.” In 1991, Discovery Communications bought it, including what was owned by the bankrupt Financial News Network as well as the 35 percent still owned by ACSN. Beginning in 1998, it started going only by the acronym “TLC.” Educational content began to decline, and the network increased reality-style programming.

Content then: Documentaries; science and nature shows; academic, educational programming. Most popular show: Captain’s Log with Captain Mark Gray.

Content today: Reality shows. Most popular shows include Toddlers & Tiaras, Say Yes to the Dress, Extreme Couponing, and the aforementioned Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

Watch: You can see all of Captain’s Log with Captain Mark Gray on YouTube. Here are a few PSAs from the show, featuring bad 80s music, Griffin O’Neal (son of Ryan O’Neal, brother of Tatum), and Alan Hale, Jr. (Skipper on Gilligan’s Island):

For those interested in todays NASA TV, the link is above and details from their web site follows.

Note to viewers: On July 31, 2012, nasa.gov discontinued streaming NASA Television in the QuickTime and Windows Media proprietary formats. The change helped us to simplify our webcasting infrastructure. The site will continue to stream NASA Television and NASA Newsaudio in Flash and HTML 5 for iOS devices.

NASA TV’s PUBLIC, MEDIA CHANNELS NOW IN HD
NASA Television’s Public (101) and Media (103) channels are now transmitting in high definition.

NASA Television’s Public Channel (channel 101), the “NASA TV” most often carried by cable and satellite service providers, provides coverage of NASA missions and events, plus documentaries, archival and other special programming.

NASA TV’s Media Channel (channel 103) provides mission coverage, news conferences and relevant video and audio materials to local, national and international news-gathering organizations.

(HD Channel 105 is no longer in service.)

NASA Television Is On Satellite AMC-18C

NASA TV is available in continental North America, Alaska and Hawaii on AMC-18C. A Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) compliant Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD) is needed for reception. Below are parameters for each channel:

Uplink provider = AMC 18 C
Transponder = 3C
105 degrees W
C-Band
Downlink Frequency: 3760 MHz
Downlink Polarity: Vertical
Transmission Format = DVB-S, 4:2:0
FEC = ¾
Data Rate = 38.80 Mbps
Symbol Rate = 28.0681
Modulation: QPSK/DVB-S