Where to from here
There are great changes afoot. Things will never be the same. The possibilities of the Internet to deliver information will change the way we view TV news. Technology will bring us new channels - but not necessarily more content. What there is will be spread more thinly. It may be that Television as we currently know it may finally be superceded completely by new technology. In Wellington, New Zealand, they are already trying out a system where you decide what movie you want to see... dial in on the phone... and a few minutes later, it's pumped back through your cable system on to your TV set. No videos, no complications - and the charge - a minor one - appears on your telephone bill at the end of the month.
The days of the major network may well be numbered - at least in their present arrangement. One thing is for sure. The television shows of the 50's through to the 80's were unique and special. Those of us who saw them, were probably lucky to be in on the birth of the medium. But now... things will never be the same again.
And the eighties
The 80's audience may have fragmented, but, there were still some astonishing highlights. It took nine years to make Brideshead Revisited. The remarkable playwright Dennis Potter produced some of his most memorable work. US programmes like Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey and Goldern Girls showed it was possible to produce weekly drama and comedy that was well scripted, well acted, and well made. (Oh, and by the way, that also made a profit).
Such treasures will always be made, while there are still talented people working in the industry. They may just become harder to find.
