Let's take a closer look at the subjects addressed in the Deseret Morning News editorial "Television needs a tune-up."
TV and the Internet are media in their infancy. Television is pretty much a one-way street, where programming is fed to the audience, although call-in-and-vote shows like "American Idol" seek to convince viewers that they are actually participating in an important process. The outcomes are of course meaningless to our everyday lives. Relentless hype, silliness and oversimplification of content prove that TV is still the medium of the lowest common denominator.
Foolish sitcom dads. Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. Tweaked-out/drunken idiots fleeing the cops, brought to you courtesy of the dashboard-cam live and direct on Network 23. Can we get real, please?
I confess that I watch some of it, too. For me, the newest episodes of "Law & Order" are appointment TV. A story with a moral or ethical question can make compelling viewing. There are guilty pleasures, too, like the way "CSI: Miami" makes the city soooo sexy with the color painted onto the split-screens. "Entourage." Reruns of "Hawaii Five-O." BBC America. We all need to zone out a bit now and then.
The Internet has a lot more going for it than television. Making content available on the user's terms is a winner. The Net is lots of things besides entertainment. It's the world's biggest library, encyclopedia, mall and conference call all in one. Hey, maybe we're on the road toward Marshall McLuhan's global village.
The News has called it exactly right about capitalism and choice but don't overlook the fact that most of what's out there is still just mass-market product. It's consistently low quality, and beyond identifying the user demographics it's never tailored to the individual needs. No wonder industry hates it when the status quo is upset — they want to know they can sell you something!
In their infancy, TV and the Net are still merely toys. We need a vision of these media as genuine tools available to all for education, artistic expression, enlightenment and liberation. This is the lesson both citizens and industry need to learn.
Rick Hepner is a 20-year veteran of the television industry who works as a business owner and consultant in Salt Lake City.