Herb Schiller in top form provides a quick and quippy deconstruction of the wasteful excess of the NYTimes. The NYTimes sets the agenda of what to think about and gives us the standard around which to organize our lives. From the initial physical analysis of the massive heft and size of the paper, to a page-turning cruise of the excessive space given to advertising, his analysis hits the mark. Thumping all 8 pounds of the NY Sunday Times on the table he demonstrates that shear size of the NYTimes is a testament to the fact that the American economy “lives and runs on waste”. Meanwhile much of the waste in the NYTimes comes from the ads- 88 pages of ads for luxury goods, furs, high end liquor, resort wear, cars and jewelry, in the Times Sunday Magazine before even getting to a substantial article. This careful reading shows how the NYTimes sets the political agenda from foreign affairs to potential presidential candidates, aesthetic agenda in architecture, and through the NYT Book Review wields enormous influence in dictating what books are read and noticed: those distributed by the large publishers that advertise in the same pages. A particularly insightful look at how an article on nuclear energy in the USA neatly deflects the fact that American’s consume gross amounts of the world energy sources by suggesting that other nations would if they could. Includes a look at the travel and real estate sections as well. Schiller was an American media critic, sociologist, author, and scholar. He warned of two major trends in his prolific writings and speeches: the private takeover of public space and public institutions at home, and U.S. corporate domination of cultural life abroad, especially in the developing nations. His eight books and hundreds of articles in both scholarly and popular journals made him a key figure both in communication research and in the public debate over the role of the media in modern society.One of the first Paper Tiger Television shows… ever! This is one of the first 6 shows that started it all. Broadcast live on public access television in NYC 1981. Communications expert Herb Schiller dissects the New York Times newspaper of record in these classic PTTV episodes. Schiller is the perfect blend of level-headed professorial presentation of the facts and the irreverent media industry myth smashing, a balance that is the hallmark of Paper Tiger productions. A biting analysis of the New York Times’ cultural, political and economical hegemony in setting the agenda that shapes the news and culture industry. Shot in both black and white and color video. Do you know where your brains are? Schiller was an American media critic, sociologist, author, and scholar. He warned of two major trends in his prolific writings and speeches: the private takeover of public space and public institutions at home, and U.S. corporate domination of cultural life abroad, especially in the developing nations. His eight books and hundreds of articles in both scholarly and popular journals made him a key figure both in communication research and in the public debate over the role of the media in modern society.

1981   TRT: 28 minutes   #3