Ep 2. Newton Minow
Adding Sight To Sound: Newton Minow And The Broadcast Revolution
Microphone Used: Blue Yeti
Original Music: Dan Chmielinski
This episode recorded with the help of Mike Williams of LiveSide Media.
You could ask 100 Americans what they think is the most important part of our government and you’d probably get 100 different answers. The Supreme Court, the military, the FDA, the Constitution, Congress...these are a few that come to mind initially.
I’d bet money that no one would say the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
And if Newton Minow were in the room, I would lose.
“If you make a telephone call, use your computer, listen to the radio, or watch TV, you’re involved with the FCC. It reaches everyone’s life every single minute of every single day.”
What is the FCC anyway? It’s the independent U.S. government agency responsible for implementing and enforcing America’s communications law and regulations. This includes interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all 50 states, Washington DC, and U.S. territories. As you’ll learn in this episode, the FCC is a bipartisan agency that reports to Congress, not the President, which explains much of our main character’s success...more on that later.
In this episode, I talk with Newton Minow, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, chairman of PBS, advocate for public television, and so much more.
The first time he saw television, Mr. Minow realized it was the most important invention of our time.
“It used to be that children were influenced by three main forces: home, school, and church”. By the mid 1900s, a fourth great influence had taken the world by storm, and it was TV. As General David Sarnoff demonstrated at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, TV was like a periscope: you could have one in your home and see what was going on elsewhere in the world.
SURROUNDED BY INFLUENCE
So how did Minow end up the chairman of such an influential agency at age 34? It helps to have friends in high places.
This episode reads like a who’s who of American politics--nearly every person Newton Minow casally name drops has a highway, building, Presidential library, or non-profit organization named in his honor. He met the Kennedys and Shrivers through Adlai Stevenson (former governor of IL) and was recruited to the White House by Sargent Shriver after JFK was elected.
Surely some of his success can be attributed to being in the right place at the right time surrounded by the right people. But not all can be attributed to pure luck or privilege. Mr. Minow acknowledged and appreciated the collective wisdom of his social circle and leaned into those around him for advice and guidance. For example, one of the first steps he took after accepting the chairman position was to consult a friend from law school and convince him to return to the FCC. Together, they recruited a completely new staff and set out to reform the industry.
SETTING THE TONE
How do you prepare for a high-profile role with no job description and no instruction manual?
At the time Minow was appointed, the FCC was in tragic shape. President Eisenhower had been forced to fire the former chairman and the broadcasting industry was rife with corruption and scandal. The agency’s reputation in Congress had never been so low.
The grace in starting from rock bottom is that there’s only one direction to go: up.
Before accepting the job, Minow went to Washington to touch base with Congress and get the lay of the land. He cleared the air with Representatives and Senators who weren’t exactly thrilled about his appointment and refused to back down.
From Day 1, Newton Minow announced that there was a new sheriff in town, that standards were high, and that corruption--in the communications industry or in the government agency--would not be tolerated.
Once this message was received loud and clear, Mr. Minow and his team got to work. In his first hundred days as chairman of the FCC, he regulated both the broadcasting and telephone industries and passed a whopping three pieces of legislation, a success that he partially attributes to staying out of partisan politics.
STAYING HUMBLE
During his first day on the job, a senior government official asked Newton Minow if he knew what a communications satellite was. Newton replied no but “if you teach me, I’ll work on it.” Rather than denying his areas of weakness, he chose to see them as opportunities for growth and improvement. He did not attempt to overcompensate for shortcomings, but asked questions with sincerity and sought out expertise with humility.
Ultimately, this strategy paid off. He told President Kennedy that sending a communications satellite into space was more important than sending a man into space because satellites send ideas and ideas last longer than people. He testified in front of Congress 13 times before the legislation in question was passed. Thanks to his persistence, the first communications satellite went up in 1962, connecting the United States with the rest of the world.
GROUNDING WORK IN THE “WHY”
As he set the tone and expectations for his tenure as chairman, Newton Minow went back to the basics and reminded his staff why this work was so important. Broadcasters had been given a great gift: exclusive, monopoly use of a television channel--a direct line into the homes of millions of Americans. In exchange, they were to serve the public interest. They were accountable not to politicians or lobbyists or celebrities, but to the American people. With great power came great responsibility, and it was one that they were not living up to. This reminder of the “why” inspired a movement for educational programming, “all channel” equality, and public broadcasting.
MORE FROM THIS EPISODE
Take a listen for more about Newton Minow’s first hundred days, how radio changed the course of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and why PBS is the most trusted institution in America.
*some links in this post may be commissionable