Oh please, just making 10% of the ads something educational would be so great :( I never understood why TV channels have all these dumb shows where they could make us learn so many interesting things.

Creating educational, engaging content is difficult. Ergo, expensive. I'd expect Reality TV to make an excellent ROI, as it diminishes the need for actors and writers (although not completely, mind you), while being engaging and gripping. Being mind-numbing does not even factor in that equation.