TV: a vast oasis of public interest programming.

• 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. broadcasters provide a far more diverse menu of news, information, sports, and entertainment than that which is available anywhere else in the world. America's unique system of free, over-the-air broadcasting--based on localism and free of government control--is the model for nations around the globe. Indeed, in my occasional travels abroad, I am struck by how many international broadcasters are striving to emulate the U.S. model.

As U.S. broadcasters, we take seriously our responsibility to serve the public. That is why the most successful stations are those that are laser-like in their focus on localism, whether they are sponsoring a debate between candidates for Congress, sending news anchors to a community service event, or partnering on a local Toys for Tots campaign.

Every day and in every community, local broadcasters serve the public interest in a variety of ways. For example, broadcasters across America voluntarily launched the AMBER Alert that has been responsible for the rescue of dozens of kidnapped children all over the country. Stations implemented the plan, not because they were coerced by the government, but because it was the right thing to do.

The causes are endless, and the requests for airtime for such causes are countless. That is why stations donate considerable airtime to public service announcements ("PSAs") tailored locally to...