Olbermann-- Newton Minow's Worst Fears Play Out

[kpete]

...they will be very, very few.

Newton N. Minow

Television and the Public Interest

(delivered 9 May 1961, National Association of Broadcasters, Washington, DC)



"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 each of you to sit down in front of your own television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.

You will see a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, 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'll see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, I only ask you to try it.


http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/newtonminow.htm

[Octafish]

1. TV has changed the world.

Read Minnow (and Zappa) to grok.

[Riftaxe]

2. Apparently he is literate, but has not yet

figured out how to change a channel?