a vast wasteland

 

------------------ [TIME magazine article, 2016] --------------- On May 9, 1961, Newton N. Minow stepped to the microphone in front of a meeting of the National Association of Broadcasters in Washington, D.C.  Minow had recently been named chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and this would be his first speech.

After telling those gathered that he had admiration and respect for the "honorable profession" of broadcasting, he cut to the theme of his remarks:  how television could uphold the public interest.  And it was clear he felt that goal was not yet being met:

     -------------------- " "  When television is good, nothing--not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers--nothing is better.

     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.

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.  [end / speech excerpt]

     The phrase with which he described television--a "vast wasteland"--would stick, cementing the speech in the annals of rhetoric.  (The person who came up with the phrase was journalist John Bartlow Martin.) --------------------------

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     And the person who repeated the phrase periodically was my dad.  Cartoons would be on, and he would be like, "Vast wasteland"...

     But when "Get Smart" was on, Dad would watch that and laugh, and forget all about wastelands....

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