Still a Wasteland
Exactly 42 years ago yesterday, May 9, 1961, soon after being appointed FCC Chairman by JFK, Newton Minow spoke to the National Association of Broadcasters and said, in part:
"When television is good, nothing--not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers--nothing is better."
"But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there without a book, magazine, newspaper, profit and-loss sheet or rating book to distract you--and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that you will observe
a vast wasteland." (emphasis added)
"You will see a procession of game shows, violence, audience-participation shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western badmen, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence and cartoons. And, endlessly, commercials--many screaming, cajoling and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you will see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, try it."
( See http://www.janda.org/b20/News%20articles/vastwastland.htm )
Well, we don't see many westerns anymore, but otherwise, it is absolutely amazing to think about how little has changed in TV since Minow spoke those famous words.
-M!
