First off, here’s what Wikipedia says about the History Channel:
It originally broadcast documentary programs with fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future. Now it broadcasts a variety of scripted reality television and other non-history related content.
The implied endorsement of Einstein (“appeal to authority”) is debunked here at 2012Hoax .org
The cataclysmic pole shift hypothesis has a Wikipedia entry here, which notes that this is not connected with plate tectonics, continental drift, or geomagnetic reversal. The latter phenomenon is described in your second link (“the shift is real”) so has no relevance. The article concludes that…
Analysis of the evidence does not lend credence to Hapgood’s hypothesized rapid displacement of layers of the Earth.[19]
Here’s an article from The Skeptic Blacksheep (The End Of The World Part 1 – Polar Shift, An Earth Shattering Experience)
The renowned Commmittee for Skeptical Inquiry complained about a show NBC aired on this theory back in 1996.
Pseudoscience & media sensationalism go hand in hand & will always be with us. Education & critical thinking skills help filter this kind of foolishness.