The Late Great Newton Minow

Newton Minow, who served as the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (BCC) under President John F. Kennedy, died on May 6 2023 at the age of 97. He remains well-known for his speech before the National Association of Broadcasters on May 9 1961. Officially titled, "Television and the Public Interest," it would become known as "the Vast Wasteland" speech.

Newton Minow was born on January 7 1926 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During World War II he served in the United States Army. Following the war he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and then a Juris Doctor from  Northwestern University School of Law. He went to work for the law firm of  Mayer, Brown & Platt and then became a law clerk to Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson of the U.S. Supreme Court. He became an assistant counsel to Adlai Stevenson, Governor of Illinois, and was afterwards a partner in  law firm of Stevenson, Rifkind & Wirtz. It was in 1961 that President John F. Kennedy appointed Newton Minow as the Chairman of the FCC.

Newton Minow would have an enormous impact as the Chairman of the FCC. He supported passage of the All-Channel Receiver Act of 1962, which required all television manufacturers to include a UHF tuner on their sets. This made UHF television stations more viable. He was also influential with regards to satellite communications. He pushed through the licence for a test of Telstar that occurred in July 1962.He also campaigned for Congress to pass legislation related to communications satellites. While these achievements are arguably greater that the "Vast Wasteland" speech, Mr. Minow remains best known for that speech. Although the speech is remembered for the phrase "vast wasteland," it was not a condemnation of all television programming. Instead he was reminding broadcasters that they must serve the public interest and as a result they must do better. Indeed,  he cited a number of television shows he considered to be of quality, including Kraft Theatre and The Twilight Zone.

After serving as the Chairman of the FCC, Newton Minow would do further work in communications. He sat on the Board of Governors of National Educational Television and its successor the Public Broadcasting Service. From 1978 to 1980 he was Chairman of PBS. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Carnegie Corporation, a foundation founded by Andrew Carnegie "to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding" and one of PBS's chief sponsors.

Newton Minow later worked as senior counsel at Sidney Austin LLP. Later he served as Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Singapore.

Newton Minow also wrote books, including Inside the Presidential Debates: Their Improbable Past and Promising Future, and Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television, and the First Amendment.

Newton Minow would have an enormous impact, both as FCC Chairman and as a private individual. He was important in the passage of the All Receivers Act, which required all television sets to have UHF receivers. The requirement that all TV sets have UHF tuners would allow ABC to expand until it was finally competitive with NBC and CBS. It would also allow for the proliferation of independent television stations and public television stations. His support of thee Communications Satellite Act of 1962 and INTELSAT helped pave the way for communications satellites. As to his speech "Television and the Public Interest," it would lead to the networks airing more news coverage and educational content throughout the Sixties and Seventies. Newton Minow also supported public television. In the end Newton Minow may have had more impact than any other FCC Chairman. Indeed, he may have had more impact on television and communications than most of those who actually in the industry.