TV: a vast oasis of public interest programming.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 01 May 2003
• Author: Fritts, Edward O.
• Published date: 01 May 2003
• Author: Fritts, Edward O.

A presidential candidate once asked: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" The American people answered with a resounding "No." (1)

Today's question is, "Is the American public better served by television now than it was forty years ago?" The answer, resoundingly, is "Yes."

I am not sure I ever subscribed to the notion of television as a "Vast Wasteland," but putting that aside, today's TV landscape bears little resemblance to the three-network era when Newton Minow uttered his memorable catch phrase.

Then, there were fewer than 600 commercial stations mostly affiliated with ABC, CBS, and NBC. Today, there are around 1300 commercial stations affiliated with nine commercial networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PAX, WB, UPN, and the Spanish-language networks, Univision and Telemundo), along with dozens of true independent stations. There is also a vibrant public television system, and multi-channel video providers, such as cable and satellite, that offer a wide variety of niche programming options.

Even if one eliminates cable and satellite from the mix, it is undeniable that U.S...