The T-Files


Fri, 03 Sep 2010

When television is bad, nothing is worse

I don't watch much TV these days, so I cannot really claim an informed opinion, but here is instead a quote from Newton Minnow, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, the regulator for television in the US:

I invite each of you to sit down in front of your 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.
Minnow had just been appointed by President Kennedy, and he gave this speech in May 1961. How fortunate that things have improved since then.