Television

     My deep concern is that our civilization, indeed our society will collapse because of its idiocy and lack of values. Our TV fare justifies this concern. There are some programs which escape this censure, notably C-Span and SCOLA. They are now threatened by takeovers of our TV cable stations by AT&T/TCI. While the Bay Area is our immediate problem, everyone in this country faces the same threat. Please do not dismiss this as just a local issue.
     Our local Cable Coop serves Palo Alto and the surrounding area. There has been an unseemly argument between the station, Palo Alto and Stanford University over financing it. In stepped AT&T/TCI with an offer seemingly too good to refuse.
     Our TV producer, Bill Van Orsdol, follows these complicated affairs more carefully than I do, and he was warned of the dangers, quoting an excellent report by the League of Women Voters. It points out that we would lose the best, albeit not the most popular channels.

Ronald Hilton - 12/8/99