Truth, Lies and Media”

July 20, 2009

To: Phil Mushnick

NY Post Television Columnist

From: Robert G. Rose

Phil,

As you may remember, I try to follow your column and typically enjoy your critique of the television industry, an industry I’m growing more and more embarrassed with being associated with.This past Sunday’s (July 19^th) article was no exception; you were dead on about the Michael Jackson opportunists (Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, etc.) and the rapid race to the bottom by the TV industry in general.

You left out one important fact, Rupert Murdoch (your employer and NY Post Owner) set a new low for the TV industry immediately upon arrival from Australia when launched the Fox Network with such gems as “Married With Children”, “In Living Color” and the “Tracy Ullman Show”, all dragging the broadcast TV industry to places it had never been before, namely, the bottom. Today, Fox Network continues this tradition of whatever sells, but now, unfortunately, it has lots of company.  

There are still some good shows out there but I rarely read about them in the NY Post (I did recently read a review on HBO’s “Hung” however).

As a matter of fact, the New York Post is the ONLY major market newspaper that never, EVER, not even ONCE gave our syndicated TV shows “American Latino TV” & “LatiNation” any coverage in over 7 seasons (Sundays @ 3PM on WWOR-My9) despite numerous accolades from other newspapers and awards for excellence in representing positive portrayals of U.S. Latinos on mainstream, English language TV.  

I stand corrected, that one time about a year ago; you mentioned one of our shows “LatiNation” when you somehow linked a segment of a young Latino artist who painted LEGAL graffiti art on tennis shoes as vandalism… must have been a slow TV news day.

Fact is, as you criticize the filth on TV, the NY Post encourages it and your parent company has done as much or more to contribute to it than any other media company.

If you really want to address and change the “race to the bottom” that is the TV industry, try recognizing good quality television programming like the many hours of programming on networks like PBS, The Travel Channel, Discovery and more (POV, Globe Trekker, No Reservations, etc.).

I suspect you don’t do this for the same reason TV has become a repository of our lowest societal values, it might not sell as well.  

I respect your writing and wit but I also see through the hypocrisy.