眼前是無盡的巨大荒原

近來接二連三聽到朋友們對電視媒體有諸多不滿：兩分鐘內重播五次監視器畫面、未經同意節錄網路文章影片，更別說相似度高的偶像劇、鄉土劇、綜藝節目。就像是美國也曾經歷過的「電視荒原」期。

60年代是美國媒體重要的轉捩點。甫上任美國聯邦傳播委員會(Federal Communications Commission, FCC)的紐頓・米諾，大刀闊斧改善單一的電視環境，傾力創造「更多元」的選擇，影響力延伸至今。縱使相隔50年，這一席話仍說出台灣人心中對媒體業的企盼。

【Before you start…】
WHO
Newton Norman Minow
紐頓．諾曼．米諾
1926年1月17-
美國律師，1961年被美國前總統甘迺迪指派為聯邦傳播委員會FCC成員之一，同時接任主席。

WHAT
米諾曾促使國會通過立法讓通訊衛星上到太空，也曾服務於國家教育頻道、卡內基基金會前主席，公共電視網PBS重要贊助人、芝麻街(Sesame Street)播出的牽線人。高齡90的他擁有自己的事務所，近期更獲得總統歐巴馬頒發2016年「總統自由勳章」。

HIGHLIGHT
1961年5月9日，米諾代表FCC在全美廣播事業聯盟(National Association of Broadcasters, NAB)的年會中發表對商業電視台的評論，強調電視媒體之於大眾的責任，將當代電視環境形容為「巨大荒原(vast wasteland)」。

【What people said about him…】
演講一結束，米諾接到甘迺迪總統的父親的電話，形容這個演講是「自甘迺迪總統就職演說後最棒的演講」，他請米諾持續下去，「如果有人找你麻煩就打給我」。

老牌廣告網站AdAge評論：「自他之後，再也沒有任何內閣官員能如此刺耳、卻又如此坦白地評論媒體產業。」

【Part 1: 1961年米諾的演講《Television and the Public Interest》精彩段落】
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 each of you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.
電視若好，再沒有更好的電影、雜誌或報紙。但是，電視若壞，傳播環境再也不能更壞。我邀請你們，在你的電視開始播送節目時，一整天，沒有書、沒有雜誌、沒有報紙，也沒有財務損益表等任何會打斷你的東西，就這麼靜靜坐在螢光幕前直至收播，你應該會同意，眼前是無盡的巨大荒原。

You will see a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And endlessly, commercials -- many screaming, cajoling, and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you'll see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, I only ask you to try it.
你將看到連續性的遊戲節目、千篇一律的戲劇，包含了不可思議的家庭、兇殺情節、混亂、虐待、謀殺、西方壞人、西方好人、私家偵探、幫派、更多的暴力、以及卡通。還有廣告—那些無止盡的喊叫、甜言蜜語的哄騙、或者冒犯。最重要的是，無聊。的確，你會看到一些你喜歡的東西，但機會很小，如果你認為我太誇張，我只要求你自己看看。

Is there one person in this room who claims that broadcasting can't do better? Well a glance at next season's proposed programming can give us little heart. Of 73 and one half hours of prime evening time, the networks have tentatively scheduled 59 hours of categories of action-adventure, situation comedy, variety, quiz, and movies. Is there one network president in this room who claims he can't do better? Well, is there at least one network president who believes that the other networks can do better? Gentlemen, your trust accounting with your beneficiaries is long overdue. Never have so few owed so much to so many.
在現場有任何人宣稱傳播公司不能做得更好嗎？我們來看看下一季度預備播送的內容是否能給我們一點信心。在72又2分之1小時的晚上黃金時段，電視網已經暫且排定了59小時的動作冒險、情境喜劇、綜藝節目、猜謎節目、電影（編按：此指娛樂類約佔了8成）。在場有哪位電視公司的總經理能斷言他們沒辦法做得更好？這樣好了，有沒有至少一人能相信自己的電視公司能做得更好？先生們，您們與受益人的信任會計早就已經過期了。從來沒有這麼少人能欠這麼多人，這麼多。

Why is so much of television so bad? I've heard many answers: demands of your advertisers; competition for ever higher ratings; the need always to attract a mass audience; the high cost of television programs; the insatiable appetite for programming material. These are some of the reasons. Unquestionably, these are tough problems not susceptible to easy answers. But I am not convinced that you have tried hard enough to solve them.
為什麼電視有這麼多不好的地方？我曾聽過許多答案：對廣告商的需求、為了更高的收視率、總是在渴求更廣大的閱聽眾、節目的高額支出、得寸進尺的節目內容…這些只是部分的理由。毫無疑問地，這些都是沒有簡單答案的難題，但我不相信你們已經盡最大力氣來解決。

【Part 2: The 6 principles】
演講中，米諾明確列出他作為FCC主席的六大原則：

First: The people own the air. For every hour that the people give you, you owe them something. I intend to see that your debt is paid with service.
1：人們擁有播送權。你擁有的每一分鐘都是觀眾借給你的，我期待看到你們用服務來償還。

Second: I think it would be foolish and wasteful for us to continue any worn-out wrangle over the problems of payola, rigged quiz shows and other mistakes of the past.
2：任何賄賂餽贈、作弊的節目、或其他過去犯的錯，都是愚蠢且浪費時間的。

Third: I believe in the free enterprise system.
3：我相信自由的企業制度。

Fourth: I will do all I can to help educational television.
4：我會盡我全力協助教育電視。

Fifth: I am unalterably opposed to governmental censorship. There will be no suppression of programming which does not meet with bureaucratic tastes.
5：我堅定地反對政府審查。此後將不會有電視台因與政府立場相悖而受到壓迫。

Sixth: I did not come to Washington to idly observe the squandering of the public's airwaves. I believe in the gravity of my own particular sector of the New Frontier. There will be times perhaps when you will consider that I take myself or my job too seriously. Frankly, I don't care if you do.
6：我不是來這裡浪費時間觀察你們的，我相信我擁有領導「新疆域」的引力。也許有時候你覺得我太認真看待這份工作，老實說，我不在乎你這麼想。

本文收錄於英語島English Island 2017年1月號
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