tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post7812686355386069712..comments2024-03-27T22:27:16.556-04:00Comments on It's About TV: This week in TV Guide: March 12, 1960Mitchell Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-75335323767730465352018-03-14T14:30:34.817-04:002018-03-14T14:30:34.817-04:00I believe it was Newton that famously called telev...I believe it was Newton that famously called television, as it was back then, a "Vast Wasteland". If he could see the state that it's in today, what would Mr. Minow call THAT-a barron desert? Sure does make u think, don't it?Ken Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15658517406339380796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-79582779175114883442018-03-13T23:15:36.971-04:002018-03-13T23:15:36.971-04:00You can also watch THE RIFLEMAN on MeTV: a double-...You can also watch THE RIFLEMAN on MeTV: a double-run weekdays at 3:00/2:00.John Adkinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-18248947912731122272018-03-10T09:03:33.717-05:002018-03-10T09:03:33.717-05:00Back when TV Guide wasn't afraid to examine wh...Back when TV Guide wasn't afraid to examine what television's role should be and how much of the public trust was being served, it was really good. The following year they'd print an open letter to Newton Minow, the new head of the FCC, and challenge him on several areas of concern - and Minow wrote a lengthy response (which TV Guide also published) not only addressing each point, but challenging the magazine to use its status as a respected voice in the realm to help bring about needed changes. I'm not even going to begin scratching the surface on how unlikely any of that would be these days. If TV Guide gave any time to the FCC chairman, it would probably be something like "Ajit Pai's Tells Us His Five Favorite New Shows."<br /><br />Canham's article has echoes of Ed Murrow's famous 1958 RTNDA speech:<br />https://billdownscbs.blogspot.com/2014/08/1958-murrows-speech-before-rtnda.html<br /><br />Specifically, the perils of the moment they were in (echoing Murrow pointing out that a 75-minute delay in broadcasting a speech Eisenhower gave about the possibility of war between the US and the USSR or with China was about twice the time it would take an ICBM to reach the United States), as well as warning against everything becoming entertainment-based (echoing Murrow's plea for "a tiny tithe"). We disregarded those kinds of voices, and we're diminished for it...especially once news operations stopped being treated as prestigious loss-leaders serving the "public interest" function.<br /><br />Sometimes we'll catch episodes of "The Rifleman" on AMC. The father-son dynamic between Lucas and Mark McCain may have been corn, but it's still heartwarming.Jodie Peelerhttp://www.garrowayatlarge.comnoreply@blogger.com