I think there is no link between the media interest in games and the presence of these games on Steam. On the contrary, these last years indie games have become all the rage and are more and more present on the front page.
However once you get Steam you also tend to follow news and games' development through Steam. New games and offers pop up almost every day, I think the average player doesn't feel the need to look elsewhere. Just have a look at any Steam account : we have hundreds of games often waiting to be played.