"Newark in Reality" and Other Fun TV Shows

The Seventies had some strange television, and I'm not talking about the original SNL episodes. Before Reagan pulled most of the teeth from the Federal Communications Commission, local TV stations were required to provide their audiences with so many hours a week of public service programming. The law held that in order to renew its license a broadcaster had to make a list of the major problems facing its community, and provide free programs aimed at addressing these. Needless to say, this stuff was rarely shown on prime time; typically you would catch it early Sunday mornings or late at night. Most was pretty low-budget, but occasionally you'd learn something or be amused. Above all else, it was supposed to show how deeply concerned the station executives were about poverty, failing schools and the like.

Probably the most extreme example of these programs was WOR TV's "Newark in Reality." Just that title was enough to make you want to switch the channel to a test pattern, for if there was one town that out-did NYC in terms of every major social problem, it was our sister city across the Hudson. WOR didn't need to look hard for significant problems to address in Newark; everything was going wrong back then - and this was before Sharp James took over. Each week a serious-looking host would interview some local offical who'd try and assure the half-dozen or so people in the audience that the City was doing its best to keep Newark from turning into a ghost town.

Not everything was so depressing. One show was devoted to careers, and offered employers the opportunity to broadcast free "help wanted" ads. Another billed itself as the "good news program," and highlighted people who actually did positive things.

Besides Reagan's "regulatory reform" two things largely did away with public service programming. The first was the rise of the informercial. Instead of paying for staff and studio time to produce a program, a station could simply play a half-hour commercial for anything from diet supplements to appliances, and collect a fee for it. The other was the advent of what some might call a form of infomercial - the televangelist. As part of their public service, broadcasters had been acustomed to giving free time to local religious groups, like the Board of Rabbis or Council of Churches, but folks like Jim and Tammy would pay to have their shows aired.