Many years ago in this column I extolled the virtues of a local cable access channel in Los Angeles, an endorsement which on the surface seemed a bit strange.
After all, it was a channel providing a forum for local oddballs, some of whom were spouting vitriol. And it was a channel that served as a haven for ads promoting such essential products as balding remedies, suspect weight-loss programs and get rich quick schemes.
Yet the station’s saving grace was it being the only outlet on which I was able to consistently view some of that era’s outstanding public service spots. That in and of itself was a sad commentary in that it was work deserving of much more exposure–not only for its creative merits but also because it helped to advance worthwhile causes of benefit to society at large.
Fast forward to today and that sad commentary is still the case as evidenced by a Kaiser Family Foundation study released last month (see POV column below). The research concluded that much of today’s public service fare runs during dawn-of-the-dead insomniac hours. So much for public interest obligations mandated by the Federal Communications Commission for stations to earn their licenses.
The main difference today from the time my original column ran is that we now have the Internet through which it’s possible to at least access notable PSAs. But the public has to seek out this work–and that’s not enough to get much needed messages to the masses, including spots that carry inspired, moving calls to action.
A prime case in point is the entry in this week’s “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery, the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust’s ‘Remember” a spot directed and conceived by Allen Weiss.
Among those starring in the spot is Weiss’ father Harry, a 78-year-old man who introduces himself as “89444,” the number the Nazis tattooed on him 65 years ago. Harry Weiss still has that tattoo on his arm, a reminder of his time spent at Nazi death camps in Landsberg, Dachau and Auschwitz.
Harry Weiss is one of three Holocaust survivors featured in this :30. One man was at a concentration camp in Bergen Belsen, another recalls the haunting sight of the crematory smokestacks “going twenty-four hours a day.”
Descendants of Nazi death camp survivors–including Harry Weiss’ two granddaughters (and Allen Weiss’ daughters)–urge us to “remember,” a word which then appears by itself on screen to finally be joined by a more complete message, which reads, “Remember 6,000,000” and then encourages us to attend a “Holocaust Commemoration” on Sunday, May 4, at the Jones Auditorium at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C.
The PSA is being distributed to stations in such markets as Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, with the hope that it will be aired to promote the May 4 event.
But it remains to be seen how much meaningful exposure “Remember” will receive. If the Kaiser Family Foundation study is correct in this case, there’s sadly the distinct possibility that stations won’t pick up the spot–or if they do, don’t count on primetime placement.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More