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Man Behind One Of TV's Most Devastating Criticisms Has Died
You may never have heard of Newton Minnow, but chances are you've heard him quoted when it comes to the quality of television. The former U.S. FCC Chair paved the way for making UHF in TV sets mandatory and foresaw the coming of satellites, but it was his pronouncement about the boob tube in the 60s that has forever gone down in history.
It was Minnow who coined the phrase "Vast Wasteland" in referring to the quality of programming that made him famous long after he disappeared from public life.
He was 97 and I can only wonder if his opinion of TV changed over the years as the quality of shows got better. From this quote, it would appear the answer is no.
“In 1961, I worried that my children would not benefit much from television. But in 1991 I worry that my grandchildren will actually be harmed by it,” he said.
And the quote lives on to this day.
Newton Minow, ex-FCC chief who dubbed TV ‘wasteland,’ dies
- Peter the K
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Re: Man Behind One Of TV's Most Devastating Criticisms Has Died
I don't believe it was mentioned in the article but Sherwood Schwartz named the S.S. Minnow from Gilligan's Island after him.
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Re: Man Behind One Of TV's Most Devastating Criticisms Has Died
Peter the K wrote:
I don't believe it was mentioned in the article but Sherwood Schwartz named the S.S. Minnow from Gilligan's Island after him.
I've heard that and it's true. Another piece of Gilligan's Island trivia is the titular character's first name. He never officially had one, but they asked Bob Denver what it was and he said he thought it would be "Willy." (He's one of only a few TV characters that never had a first name. Another was Jack Klugman's coroner "Dr. Quincy," who was never addressed as anything else but that and "Quince." I do recall seeing one single episode where he slapped down a business card on the table that read "Dr. R. Quincy." But that's as close as it ever came.)
Speaking of Gilligan's Island, in case you ever wondered... (From Oct. 1964 TV Guide)
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Thread Starter- mace
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Re: Man Behind One Of TV's Most Devastating Criticisms Has Died
When I saw the name Newton Minow the first two things that popped into my mind were "Wasteland" and "Gilligan's Island"
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Re: Man Behind One Of TV's Most Devastating Criticisms Has Died
Sadly, his comments are truer today than they ever were.