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|  | |  | | | Down the Tube: An Inside Account of the Failure of American Television | | | | | SKU:
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Usually ships in 1-2 business days | | Only 1 left in stock, order soon! | | | | | | In the beginning, television was filled with promise. Offering convenient entertainment and easy access to the latest news and information, it was a truly democratic medium that was supposed to enrich the lives of its citizens. Yet today, the airwaves are inundated by a flood of drivel that panders to the audience's most base interests.How did this happen? What went wrong? Down the Tube answers these questions. Explaining that the United States, almost alone among the nations of the world, surrendered virtually the entire command of its public airwaves into the hands of the commercial sector, it reveals that television's primary purpose has nothing to do with producing quality programs. Its main concern is to package and deliver identifiable demographic groups (e.g., women 18-49) to their advertisers. Written by insiders who have played on both sides of the programming game, Down the Tube is both a sweeping examination of the history of television and an important indictment of the mercenary mentality that taints the most influential and powerful medium in the world. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | William F. Baker | | Hardcover: | 332 pages | | Publisher: | Basic Books | | Publication Date: | 1998-04 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0465007228 | | Package Length: | 9.3 inches | | Package Width: | 6.3 inches | | Package Height: | 1.3 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.15 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 6 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 6 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Highly recommended. May 27, 1998
I am the CEO of a public television station, so I read the book with great interest and in an informed and critical frame of mind. I found it intelligent, analytical, and very felicitous in its combination of fact and philosophical judgment. It's a pleasure to read, and should be enjoyable and useful to anyone nterested in television, whether as a viewer or as a professional.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A Very Informative Read Aug 27, 2004
By Source
Personally I found this to be a great read, very informative. It really opened my eyes to aspects of the media industry with which I was completely unfamiliar. I totally understood Mr. Walker's points on the declining quality and motives behind mass media, and agreed with him whole heartedly. His references, which were plentiful, were a great help, as I found myself seeking out many of the sources from which he drew his information. Having spent a great many years in the media industry, Walker has seen much of its evolution, as well as its degeneration into many of the avarice-driven machinations so characteristic of its present-day form. As for the Kirkus Review of the book, I have to say I think they're a little too high up on that high-horse of theirs. This book was a fascinating read, very engaging; I pretty much read it from first to last page in a matter of days, I was so enthralled by it. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the workings of our contemporary media, how it got to where it is, and where it just might be going. AND, what it could be: Baker hasn't lost his idealism after so many years in the industry. Mr. Baker's style makes for an easy and engaging read, which is quite good when dealing with such complex subject matter.
 A good account, but not quite complete May 27, 2005
By Jeff Davidson
Exploring television's history, these authors suggest that the downfall of television programming is a result of both government regulation and deregulation. They offer hope that television will improve. This book offers historical perspective. I would like to have seen more on other First Amendment abuses.
Intelligent, insightful and interesting! Sep 19, 1998
If you are at all interested the history of television, and how it got to be the vast wasteland that it is, you need to read this book! It ultimately gives a glimmer of hope to those of us who think television is too far 'Down the Tube' to be redeemed.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
The lost world of Television. Mar 25, 1998
Down The Tube: An Inside of Account of the Failure of American Television was one of the most informative books I have ever read on the inside story of the so-called "Big Networks". Mr. Baker and Mr. Dessart's accounts of real stories behind the executives' desks, was insightful, enlightening, and downright honest. A powerful read for those knowing anything about the industry. A great learning tool for those who want to persue a career in this field. It is a story that needed to be told, and for those of us who miss "real" television, it is a must read. Maybe if we do as the authors suggest, someone up and coming in television's new age will listen...and turn around the dial...and bring back what audiences everywhere are looking for....entertainment!
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