A Speech of Vast Importance

For a variety of reasons, I've recently been discussing with several people the famous "Vast Wasteland" speech by then-FCC Chariman Newton Minow, who had been appointed by President John Kennedy and who also was -- and remains -- father to my friend, the oft-mentioned here Nell Minow.

It occured to me that although people remarkably still know of the speech and its memborable line after over half a century, few people have actually heard any of it.  So, I figured that that would be A Good Thing and tracked down three minutes of it, including the famous passage.

So, here than from ​May 9, 1961 in an address to the National Association of Broadcasters in Washington, D.C., is a bit of Newton Minow. --

Also, I thought it would be interesting to hear some thoughts from Minow about the speech from a perspective of many decades.  He always has said that, to him, the point of the speech was not the "Vast Wasteland" line, but rather than of television broadcasting in the public interest.  So, here's another four minutes from the good fellow about it all --