A diversity of voices in a "vast wasteland".

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 01 May 2003
• Author: Pressley, Condace L.
• Published date: 01 May 2003
• Author: Pressley, Condace L.

I believe Newton N. Minow had a crystal ball.

In 1961, in his first speech as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"), he challenged members of the National Association of Broadcasters to:

[S]it 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. (1) Imagine if Minow sat in his living room today, remote control in hand, with a cable or satellite signal being fed into his television set. He would find his "vast wasteland" more of an understatement than the prophecy it seemed to be.

Minow spoke of 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." (2) Did he know there would be a television channel devoted to game shows? Could he see Jerry Springer, Maury Povich, and Jenny Jones in television's future? Was he anticipating "Must See TV" where Friends replaced families, where children would rule the roost? Was he predicting the degree of crime and...