Understanding the response to the vast wasteland address james l. Integrating communication theory into media policy an economic perspective timothy j. The vast wasteland speech revisited jonathan blake it is fascinating to reread the vast wasteland speechnewt minows first major policy utterance as the new frontiersman assumed the helm at the federal communications commission fcc or commission. In may 1961, about five months prior to the appearance of vonneguts harrison bergeron, newton minow, then chairman of the federal communications commission, gave a memorable speech, entitled television and the public interest, which challenged his audience as follows. In the hit tv show gilligans island, which seemed to epitomize everything minow hated. Anti death penalty essay titles for social media, newton minow vast wasteland speech analysis essay, theoretischer bezugsrahmen beispiel essay. Our flexible, affordable, entirely digital readers help you focus your classroom on primary sources.
Newton minow on his 1961 vast wasteland speech to tv. Minow, television and the public interest, speech before the national. Most orators agree that ones character is the most potent weapon in ones rhetorical arsenal. Nearly fifty years after fcc chairman newton minow blasted broadcast television as a vast wasteland, the fcc has the. He then worked for multiple law firms before being appointed one of. People are against government subsidies for pbs for many reasons. In may 1961, about five months prior to the appearance of vonneguts harrison bergeron, newton minow, then chairman of the federal communications commission, gave a memorable speech titled television and the public interest, which challenged his audience as follows. Considering the medias enormous power to influence its audience, one would expect there to be responsibilities and obligations. Minow gave a speech to the national association of broadcasters nab in washington, d. Newton minow address to the broadcasting industry i invite you to sit down in front of your television set.
Minow, fcc chairman, testifies before a senate subcommittee on may 23, 1961, weeks after delivering his vast wasteland speech. But minows vast wasteland speech was concerned with the quality of. In his first major speech after being appointed chairman of the federal communications commission fcc by the newly elected president john f kennedy, newton minow coined a phrase that was used by critics of american televisions programming standards for years to come. Longtime sidley atty newt minow receives medal of freedom.
A repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses. The vast wasteland speech revisited jonathan blake it is fascinating to reread the vast wasteland speechnewt minows first major policy utterance as the new frontiersman assumed the helm at the federal communications commission fcc or commission over forty years ago. Minow to the convention of the national association of broadcasters on may 9, 1961. Apr 24, 2017 newton minow was in washington to mark the 50th anniversary of the vast wasteland speech that shook up the broadcasting business, leading to the first educational childrens programming. In his now famous vast wasteland speech in 1961, fcc chairman newton minow noted that the commission would hold a well advertised public hearing in each community to assure broadcasters were serving the public interest, clearly a move to reconnect the commission with the public interest at least rhetorically. This is an edited version of newton minow s speech to the national association of broadcasters on may 9, 1961. The childrens television act as a case in point the researchpolicy nexus. The reason is that the commissions pronouncements on what constitutes indecency under its rules are inconsistent and confusing.
He served for two years at the federal communications commission and. Considering the medias enormous power to influence its audience, one would expect there to be responsibilities and obligations to be upheld by those in charge of these. Minow spoke of the vast wasteland that was the television programming of the day in his 1961 speech. Minow came to the fcc after an era of considerable scandal. In 1961, newton minow gave his famous speech in what he called the television age, when the governments role, as he saw it, was to. These results appear to support chairman minows vast wasteland and demonstrate a need for the fcc to regulate such content.
A second type of artistic argument is the speakers character, not only as established by his reputation, but also as conveyed in the speech itself. One unintended consequence of the fccs recent indecency decisions is to make that television wasteland even vaster. Fcc chairman newton minow famously said that television was not working in the public interest because its formula comedies about totally unbelievable. At milestone documents, we believe that engaging with historys original voices is exciting for students and liberating for instructors. Associate of broadcasters on 9 may 1961,1 newton n. Final pbs paper since newt minows vast wasteland speech.
Those speeches and writings have been edited for their enduring content. In 1961, newton minow coined the term vast wasteland for what he saw as televisions empty content and antiintellectualism. The childrens television act as a case in point wilcox, brian l. A series of speeches, beginning with the celebrated vast wasteland speech of 1961, triggered a na tional dialogue over the proper role of television in american society.
Newton norman newt minow born january 17, 1926 is an american attorney and former chair of the federal communications commission. Minow takes as given the overwhelming impact minow, 1978, p. The berkman center hosted an event marking the 50th anniversary of newton minows vast wasteland speech, which included a talk and conversation honoring the former fcc chairman. A rhetorical analysis of barack obamas sex on tv 4 speech to say that american culture today is influenced, primarily, by the mass media that. Fifty years ago newton minow, in his first speech as fcc commissioner, called tv a vast wasteland. In may 1961, about five months prior to the appearance of vonneguts harrison bergeron, newton minow, then chairman of the federal communications commission, gave a memorable speech, entitled television and the public interest. Newton minow 1926 was appointed by president john kennedy as chairman of the federal communications. A rhetorical analysis of barack obamas sex on tv 4 speech to say that american culture today is influenced, primarily, by the mass media that we consume on a daily basis would be an understatement. Years before the 1961 speech in which fcc chairman newton minow would call television programming a vast wasteland, tom and betsy fret about the amount of. Thank you for this opportunity to meet with you today. A fulltext pdf of this document is available for free download from. In this speech, minow famously called television a vast wasteland. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.
Cronkite may be best remembered today for his deft handling of a number of highprofile events that occurred during his tenure, starting with the 1963 assassination of president john f. Teens exploring tvs vast wasteland view printerfriendly version pdf. However, he believed that television had the potential to provide meaningful content to viewers. Anticommons, white spaces, and the fallacy of spectrum. In the years since chairman minows speech, the fcc has become more active in cleaning up the vast wasteland via indecency regulation. In this speech the new chair of the federal communications commission indicted television for its lack of. The vast wasteland, reconsidered in 1961, newton minow gave his famous speech in what he called the television age, when the governments role, as he saw it, was to expand viewers choices, hoping that increased competition would lead to better programming in news, entertainment, and childrens education. Downright subversive thinking about the man in the gray. It also talked to some detail about newton minnows wasteland speech.
While still maintaining a law practice, minow is currently the honorary consul general of singapore in chicago. Television and the public interest was a speech given by federal communications commission fcc chairman newton n. I really dont know what to put, cause i really dont know why it was referred to as a wasteland. It goes into detail about newton minnow who was given the position to direct the fcc. While the official title to this course is advanced placement language and composition, it really should be. We all know that people would more often prefer to be entertained than stimulated or informed. As noted above, harrison bergeron seems to be based on a controversial 1961 speech by then federal communications commission chairman newton minow titled the vast wasteland, a reference to a supposed lack of quality in television programming. This had been a time of alcoholic commissioners and bribetaking, of padded expense accounts, influencepeddling, and collaboration with the businesses supposedly being regulated. In 1961 the fcc chairman, newton minnow, gave a scathing speech at the national association of broadcasters convention calling television a vast wasteland. In his first speech as us federal communications com mission fcc chairman, delivered to the national. The speech was minow s first major speech after he was appointed chairman of the fcc by president john f.
Coincidentally, harrison bergeron also alludes to the george burns and gracie allen. Any tipsclueshelp you can offer to help me apprehend this. Commission chairman newton minows may, 1961, speech in which he labeled television a vast wasteland. Mass communications television history television broadcasting policy analysis. I can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland. Complete text and audio of newton minow speech to the national association of broadcasters. In his famous vast wasteland address to the national association of broadcasters in may of 1961, newton minow, the chairman of the federal communications commission, spoke about the power of television to influence the taste, knowledge, and opinions of its viewers around the world. One being that the united states economy is still recovering from the financial crisis in 2008. Fcc chairman newton minow, before calling the state of television a vast wasteland alliteration assonance anaphora. Compare minows historical commentary about television to current commentaries and note how much or how little has changed. Minow gave his first public address as chairman of the federal communications commission fcc or commission. The essay is one of 24 by contributors including zoe baird, rep. Minow minow, a graduate of northwestern university school of law, began his career as an attorney after having served in world war ii. Minow is often remembered for describing television as a vast wasteland during the early days of broadcast regulation.
Newton minows 1961 speech by federal communications law journal. There is no point arguing against this notion as it is perfectly true that that television remains a vast wasteland. Earlier reports were published in the print edition of advertising age and in pdf format. Papers of a federal communications commission chairman from. Chairman newton minow once famously referred to television as a vast wasteland. Do you agree with newton minow s statement, on page 654 dhat tv was a vast wasteland. The speech was minows first major speech after he was appointed chairman. When newton minow made his nowfamous vast wasteland speech to the national association of broadcasters in 1961, he described television programming as a procession of game shows, violence, audienceparticipation shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence. On may 9, 1961, federal communications commission chairman newton n. Commission chairman newton minow lambasted network television honchos in a famous speech in which he derided their product as a vast wasteland. Investigate the controversy caused by federal communications commission chairman newton minows may, 1961, speech in which he labeled television a vast wasteland. Mar 30, 2015 years before the 1961 speech in which fcc chairman newton minow would call television programming a vast wasteland, tom and betsy fret about the amount of time their kids spend in front of.
Newton n minow papers of a federal communications commission. Minowexcerpt of television and the public interest a speech. Complete text and audio of newton minow speech to the. You will see a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable. Minow, the new chairman of the federal communications commission fcc or commission, gave what is probably the most famous speech ever delivered by the head of an american regulatory agency. It was 55 years agoon may 9, 1961that the thennew fcc chairman newton minow proclaimed television a vast wasteland. Harrison bergeron is set in the future, when constitutional amendments have made everyone equal. His speech referring to television as a vast wasteland is cited even as the speech has passed its 55th anniversary. This list of speeches includes those that have gained notability in english or in english translation.
The apology of socrates, platos version of the speech given by the philosopher socrates. Harrison bergeron likely draws upon a controversial 1961 speech by then federal communications commission chairman newton minow titled the vast wasteland, a reference to a supposed dearth of quality in television programming. Her response with colleagues from industry, research and philanthropy to that. Heres a clue to just how big a deal the idiot box was in the 60s. As you may know, newt minow was fcc chairman under jfk and gave the famous tv as a vast wasteland speech in 1961. Minow is most commonly remembered for his first major address to television executives at the national association of broadcasters convention in 1961. Since newt minows vast wasteland speech that was given on may 9, 1961, many things have changed. Cass sunstein and the late fred rogers, for a special issue, the vast wasteland revisited, commemorating newton minows 1961 vast wasteland speech to the national association of broadcasters. The fccs two democratic commissioners, michael copps and jonathan adelstein voted against the measure.
Newton minows vast wasteland speech anthony riddle, of the alliance for community media, joins us in the firehouse to talk about last weeks 32 vote. Macleans article, june 17, 1996 update april 24, 2001 full text and mp3 file may 9, 1961 museum of broadcast communications article on minow and the speech assessment of the speech by minow and 24 commentators for the federal communications law journal may 2003. Text version below transcribed directly from audio. Communications commission chairman newton minow voiced this concern to the leaders of the television industry. Amendment was properly analyzed by justice byron white in the. Responding to highly publicized instances of fleeting indecency on.
In that speech he referred to television as a vast wasteland and challenged industry leaders to seriously reflect on the quality of the nations most pervasive pastime. Revisiting the vast wasteland federal communications law journal. The expanding vista expounds on the minute details of the political change that was initiated with the television and j. In the speech, minow referred to american commercial television programming as a vast wasteland and advocated for programming in the public interest. Newton minow s 1961 speech by federal communications law journal.
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