Newton Norman Minow (born January 17, 1926) is an American attorney and former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. His speech referring to television as a "Vast Wasteland" is cited even as the speech approaches its 50th anniversary. While still maintaining a law practice, Minow is currently the Honorary Consul General of Singapore in Chicago.^[1] Nickname: Location of Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Coordinates: , County Milwaukee Government  - Mayor Tom Barrett Area  - City  97 sq mi (251. ... Incorporated Village in 1869. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... The FCCs official seal. ... The Wasteland Speech was given by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Newton N. Minow on May 9, 1961: When television is good, nothing — not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers — nothing is better. ... Nickname: Motto: “Urbs in Horto” (Latin: “City in a Garden”), “I Will” Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country United States State Illinois Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ...

He has been active in Democratic party politics. Minow is an influential attorney in private practice concerning telecommunications law and is active in many non-profit, civic, and educational institutions. Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Telecommunication involves the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ...

Background and early law career

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1926, Minow served in World War II from 1944 to 1946 and attained the rank of a sergeant in the U.S. Army. He served in the China-Burma theater with the 835th Signal Service Battalion headquartered in New Delhi, India.^[2] After the war, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1949 from Northwestern University and a J.D. degree in 1950 from Northwestern University School of Law. It was possible in the period after the war for law students, who had not completed college, to be granted a bachelors degree after a certain period of study in law school. Nickname: Location of Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Coordinates: , County Milwaukee Government  - Mayor Tom Barrett Area  - City  97 sq mi (251. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Culture Tourist Attractions Delhi offers a multitude of interesting places and attractions to the visitor, so much so that it becomes difficult to decide from where to begin exploring the city. ... Northwestern University is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian research university located in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois. ... The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school in Chicago, Illinois. ...

After graduating from law school, Minow worked for the law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt (1950-1951 and 1953-1955) before becoming a law clerk to Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson of the U.S. Supreme Court (1951-1952). He later became assistant counsel to Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson (1952-1953), worked for Stevenson's two presidential campaigns (1952 and 1956), and then was a partner in the law firm, Stevenson, Rifkind & Wirtz from 1955-1961). Minow campaigned for President John F. Kennedy prior to the 1960 presidential election.^[3] In 1961 he was appointed by President Kennedy to be one of seven commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as well as its Chair.^[4][5] Frederick Moore Vinson (January 22, 1890 – September 8, 1953) served the United States in all three branches of government. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest judicial body in the... The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. ... Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician, noted for intellectual demeanor and advocacy of liberal causes in the Democratic party. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F. Kennedy, Kennedy, John Kennedy, Jack Kennedy, or JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of the United States. ...

Federal Communications Commission Chair

Reportedly, Robert F. Kennedy, brother of John F. Kennedy, and Minow frequently talked at length about the increasing importance of television in the lives of their children during the Kennedy presidential campaign. Thereafter, it came as little surprise that after the election Minow eagerly pursued the position of FCC Chair. Some observers nevertheless considered it unusual given his lack of experience with the media industry and with communication law.^[4] Robert Francis Bobby Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also called RFK, was one of two younger brothers of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and served as United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964. ...

Criticism and evaluation

Main article: Wasteland speech

Minow became one of the most well known and respected -- if sometimes controversial -- political figures of the early 1960s because of his criticism of commercial television. In a speech given to the National Association of Broadcasters convention on May 9, 1961, he was extremely critical of television broadcasters for not doing more, in Minow's view, to serve the public interest. His phrase, "vast wasteland", is remembered years after the speech after he said, The Wasteland Speech was given by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Newton N. Minow on May 9, 1961: When television is good, nothing — not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers — nothing is better. ... A critic (derived from the ancient Greek word krites meaning a judge) is a person who offers a value judgement or an interpretation. ... The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a US trade association that advocates on behalf of over 8,300 radio and television stations and networks before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and various judicial bodies. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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 you to sit down in front of your television set when 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.

While some applauded his "vast wasteland" assault on commercial television as a welcome criticism of excessive violence and frivolity, others criticized it as an elitist, snobbish attack on programming that many viewers enjoyed and as government interference with private enterprise. The S. S. Minnow of the 1964–1967 television show Gilligan's Island was sarcastically named for him to express displeasure with his assessment of the quality of television.^[6] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Elitism is the belief or attitude that the people who are considered to be the elite — a selected group of persons with outstanding personal abilities, wealth, specialised training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are the people whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously, or... A snob, guilty of snobbery or snobbism, is a person who imitates the manners, adopts the world-view and apes the lifestyle of a social class of people to which that person does not by right belong. ... Television series redirects here. ... see main article Gilligans Island Island Charter - Exotic Trip - Free Lunches The S. S. Minnow was a fictional charter boat on the TV series Gilligans Island. ... For the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) video game, see The Adventures of Gilligans Island. ... Sarcasm from Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmos), mockery, sarcasm is sneering, jesting, or mocking at a person, situation or thing. ...

Achievements at the Federal Communications Commission

Minow did foster two significant initiatives that altered the landscape of American television. The first was the All Channels Act (1961), which mandated UHF reception capability for all television sets sold in the U.S. This legislation sparked an increase in the number of television stations and helped launch non-profit educational television stations (now PBS) throughout the country. In the U.S., the All Channels Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1961, to allow the Federal Communications Commission to require that all television set manufacturers must include UHF tuners, so that new UHF-band TV stations (then channels 14 to 83) could be received by... Ultra high frequency (UHF) designates a range (band) of electromagnetic waves whose frequency is between 300 MHz and 3. ... Television set may refer to: Television, a device to display television programs Television studio, an installation in which television or video productions take place Set construction, theatrical scenery This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... A television station is a type of radio station that broadcasts both audio and video to television receivers in a particular area. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ...

Minow said his greatest contribution was persuading Congress to pass legislation clearing the way for communications satellites. Minow recounts "When I toured the space program with Kennedy, he was surprised to see me". Minow told Kennedy that "communications satellites will be much more important than sending man into space because they will send ideas into space. Ideas last longer than men."^[3]

During his two years in office, it was estimated that, other than the president, Minow generated more column-inches of news coverage than any other federal official. He also promoted what ultimately became the International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium (Intelsat). This organization controlled satellite communications for many years. Intelsat, Ltd. ... U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications using radio at microwave frequencies. ...

Newton Minow's papers from his tenure at the FCC are archived at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, an organization co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the Wisconsin Historical Society. ^{[7] [8]}

Subsequent communications work

He has been on the Board of Governors of the Public Broadcasting Service and its predecessor, National Educational Television serving from 1973-1980 and serving as its Chairman from 1978 to 1980. He is a recent past-president of the Carnegie Corporation, an influential PBS sponsor, and the original funder of Sesame Street. Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... The color NET logo was incorporated into a model building at the beginning and end of Mister Rogers Neighborhood from 1969 to 1970. ... The Carnegie Corporation was founded by the will of Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ...

He is the Walter Annenberg professor emeritus at Northwestern University, as well as the author of four books and numerous professional journal and magazine articles. Minow has supported and written about the Digital Promise Project, a project to fulfill the educational potentional of the internet.^[9][10] Walter H. Annenberg Walter H. Annenberg KBE (March 13, 1908 – October 1, 2002) was an American billionaire publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat. ... Northwestern University is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian research university located in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois. ...

Sidley Austin LLP

He is Senior Counsel in the Chicago headquartered law firm of Sidley Austin LLP (formerly Sidley and Austin prior to a merger with Brown and Wood), a large international law firm with multiple areas of expertise, including telecommunications related law. Between 1965 and 1991, he was a managing partner in the law firm before becoming Senior Counsel in 1991.^[11]

Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Singapore

Minow's early contact to Singapore and Singaporean officials was through his law work at Sidley Austin, which opened a Singapore office in 1982. Even when he was FCC Chair, he worried about the increasing export of Hollywood programming overseas and the impact it would have on perceptions of the United States among citizens in other countries.

He was appointed Honorary Consul General in 2001.^[2] His office processes consular and visa applications while some Singaporean honorary consuls refer such matters to another embassy or consular office.^[12]

Awards and corporate work

Minow has sat on the Board of Directors at Foote, Cone & Belding Communications Inc.; Tribune Co.; Manpower, Inc. ^[13]; AON Corp.; CBS, and Sara Lee Corporation. He has been Chairman of the Board at RAND corporation. He was trustee of the Chicago Orchestral Association as well as with the Mayo Foundation, which operates Mayo Clinic.^{[4] [14]} He is a life trustee of Northwestern University and the University of Notre Dame, where he was the first Jewish member of the board. He co-chaired the 1976 and 1980 presidential debates and is a vice-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates. He has served on numerous presidential commissions and was chairman of a special advisory committee to the Secretary of Defense on protecting civil liberties in the fight against terrorism. His book on the history of the Presidential debates is forthcoming from the University of Chicago press. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces. ... Main campus in downtown Rochester, Minnesota. ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a Roman Catholic institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana, immediately northeast of South Bend, Indiana, United States. ... John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debate in 1960 During presidential elections in the United States, it has become customary for the main candidates (almost always the candidates of the two main parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party) to engage in a debate. ... The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) was established in 1987 to ensure that debates, as a permanent part of every general election, provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense, concerned with the armed services and The Secretary is a member of the Presidents Cabinet. ... Terrorist redirects here. ... The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the U.S. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of texts covering...

Minow is the recipient of 12 honorary degrees. He was a recipient of the Peabody Award in 1961^[4] and the Woodrow Wilson Award for public service.^[2] An honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum, not to be confused with an honors degree) is an academic degree awarded to an individual as a decoration, rather than as the result of matriculating and studying for several years. ...

Personal life

His wife, Josephine Baskin Minow, serves on the boards of many community organizations, including the Chicago History Museum. He has three daughters, all trained as lawyers; Nell Minow, shareholder activist and movie critic; Martha L. Minow, Harvard law professor; and Mary, a library law expert. The Chicago History Museum (formerly known as the Chicago Historical Society) is a privately funded, independent institution devoted to collecting, interpreting, and presenting the rich multicultural history of Chicago. ... Nell Minow is a film reviewer and writer who writes and speaks frequently on film and media and corporate governance and investing. ... A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or company (including a corporation) that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. ... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ... Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... Julio Pérez Ferrero Library - Cúcuta, Colombia A modern-style library in Chambéry A library is a collection of information, sources, resources and services, organized for use, and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. ...

Books

• Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television, and the First Amendment ISBN 0-8090-1589-7
• Presidential Television ISBN 0-465-06274-1
• For Great Debates: A New Plan for Future Presidential TV Debates ISBN 0-87078-212-6
• A Digital Gift for the Nation (with Larry Grossman) ISBN 0-87078-466-8
• Equal Time: The Private Broadcaster and the Public Interest AISN B0007DZB86

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Museum of Broadcast Communications is located in Chicago, Illinois. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Newton N. Minow

• Text of the "Vast Wasteland" speech
• Spoken word recordings of Newton Minow
• American Lawyer "Lifetime Achievement" Award

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ...

Additional resources

• Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, Madison, Wisconsin