Read an excerpt from "television and the public interest" and answer the question. the speech was delivered by newton n. minow,
chairman of the federal communications commission, to the nation’s television executives in 1961. [1] … but when television is bad, nothing is worse. 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. [2] 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. [3] is there one person in this room who claims that broadcasting can't do better? well a glance at next season's proposed programming can give us little heart. of 73 and 1/2 hours of prime evening time, the networks have tentatively scheduled 59 hours of categories of action-adventure, situation comedy, variety, quiz, and movies. is there one network president in this room who claims he can't do better? [4] the best estimates indicate that during the hours of 5 to 6 p.m. sixty percent of your audience is composed of children under twelve. and most young children today, believe it or not, spend as much time watching television as they do in the schoolroom. i repeat—let that sink in, ladies and gentlemen—most young children today spend as much time watching television as they do in the schoolroom. it used to be said that there were three great influences on a child: home, school, and church. today, there is
