The "Rural Purge" of American television networks was a series of cancellations of still-popular rural-themed or senior citizen-skewing shows, instigated by CBS executive Fred Silverman in 1971, following research highlighting the greater attraction to advertisers of the more affluent younger urban viewer demographic and the institution of the Federal Communications Commission's Prime Time Access Rule, which led to the loss of a half-hour of network programming each night.
Silverman, disturbed by CBS's reputation as the "Country Broadcasting System," decided not to renew a number of long-running and short-lived shows that were either rural oriented or had a low youth/ urban demographic: The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., Green Acres, Hee Haw, The Jim Nabors Hour, The Ed Sullivan Show, Family Affair, and Hogan's Heroes were all cancelled. Pat Buttram, who played "Mr. Haney" on Green Acres, said at the time, "It was the year CBS killed everything with a tree in it."
When CBS axed Hee Haw in 1971, it immediately went into first run syndication, and ran for another twenty-one and a half years, ending in 1993.
It wasn't just "Mayberry RFD". The nation's definition of "good entertainment" in 1971 was pretty wholesome -- but for 37 years we've been drifting toward the type of entertainment enjoyed by the urban crowd.
That is true. I know you are right by just catching a quick minute of IMHO the worst show ever to be put on TV “Moment of Truth”. I even think that is worse than Jerry Springer and that was bad.