It's grey and rainy today, so:
Nov. 7th, 2011 03:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
charloweenDistractions! One cute thing, and one thing that amuses me (and, I'm sure, amuses no one else):
1. Malvin and Cobbes. Awwwwww.
2. From a 1961 speech given by newly-appointed FCC chair, Newton N. Minow, to the National Association of Broadcasters:
It's amusing to think that this was a view of American television in 1961, not 1991 or 2001, or even 2011. It's also amusing to match your favourite shows to his descriptions ("blood and thunder"! <3), and to imagine new shows out of the combinations. A violent cartoon formula comedy about a murderous and yet unbelievable family of private eyes? I'm sure it's a pilot kicking around LA (and Paula Marshall is the voice of the neighbour-with-suspicions).
To be fair, Barnouw goes on to cite the broadcasters' reactions, which were predictably dismissive. However, Minow's bias did have policy implications for the FCC. /boring?
1. Malvin and Cobbes. Awwwwww.
2. From a 1961 speech given by newly-appointed FCC chair, Newton N. Minow, to the National Association of Broadcasters:
"...when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set while your station goes on the air and stay there without a book, magazine, newspaper, profit and loss sheet or rating book to distract you -- and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland. You will see a procession of game shows, violence, audience participation shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence [yes, again], sadism, murder, western badmen, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And endlessly, commercials -- many screaming, cajoling, and offending...."
(quoted in Erik Barnouw's Tube of Plenty (1990)).
(quoted in Erik Barnouw's Tube of Plenty (1990)).
It's amusing to think that this was a view of American television in 1961, not 1991 or 2001, or even 2011. It's also amusing to match your favourite shows to his descriptions ("blood and thunder"! <3), and to imagine new shows out of the combinations. A violent cartoon formula comedy about a murderous and yet unbelievable family of private eyes? I'm sure it's a pilot kicking around LA (and Paula Marshall is the voice of the neighbour-with-suspicions).
To be fair, Barnouw goes on to cite the broadcasters' reactions, which were predictably dismissive. However, Minow's bias did have policy implications for the FCC. /boring?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-12 01:00 am (UTC)I love the Malvin and Cobbes :D
Have you seen Pikathulhu?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-12 12:31 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-20 12:27 am (UTC)Also ... don't watch Supernatural season seven. Ever. I've watched a few episodes with Janine, and it's really, really WTF.