Whenthetelevisionisgood,nothing—notthetheater,notthemagazines,ornewspapers—nothingisbetter.Butwhentelevisionisbad,nothingisworse.Iinviteyoutositdowninfrontofyourtelevisionsetwhenyourstationgoesontheairandstaytherewithoutabook,magazine,newspaper,oranythingelsetodistractyouandkeepyoureyesgluedtothatsetuntilthestationsignsoff.Icanassureyouthatyouwillobserveavastwasteland.Youwillseeaprocessionofgameshows,violence,audience-participationshows,formulacomediesabouttotallyunbelievablefamilies,bloodandthunder,Mayhem,moreviolence,sadism,murder,Westernbadmen,Westerngoodmen,privateeyes,Gangsters,stillmoreviolence,andcartoons.Andendlessly,commercialsthatstreamandcajoleandoffend.Andmostofall,boredom.True,youwillseeafewthingsyouwillenjoy.Buttheywillbevery,veryfew.AndifyouthinkIexaggerate,tryit. Istherenoroomontelevisiontoteach,toinform,touplift,tostretch,toenlargethecapacitiesofourchildren?Istherenoroomforprogramstodeepenthechildren’sunderstandingofchildreninotherlands?Istherenoroomforachildren’snewsshowexplainingsomethingabouttheworldforthemattheirlevelofunderstanding?Istherenoroomforreadingthegreatliteratureofthepast,teachingthemthegreattraditionsoffreedom?Therearesomefinechildren’sshows,buttheyaredrownedoutinthemassivedosesofcartoons,violence,andmoreviolence.Mustthesebeyourtrademarks?Searchyourconscienceandseewhetheryoucannotoffermoretoyouryoungbeneficiarieswhosefutureyouguardsomanyhourseachandeveryday. Therearemanypeopleinthisgreatcountry,andyoumustserveallofus.Youwillgetnoargumentfrommeifyousaythat,givenachoicebetweenaWesternandasymphony,morepeoplewillwatchtheWestern.IlikeWesternsandprivateeyes,too—butasteadydietforthewholecountryisobviouslynotinthepublicinterest.Weallknowthatpeoplewouldmoreoftenprefertobeentertainedthanstimulatedorinformed.Butyourobligationsarenotsatisfiedifyoulookonlytopopularityasatestofwhattobroadcast.Yonarenotonlyinshowbusiness:youarefreetocommunicateideasaswellastogiverelaxation.Youmustprovideawiderangeofchoices,morediversity,morealternatives.Itisnotenoughtocatertothenation’swhims—youmustalsoservethenation’sneeds.Thepeopleowntheair.Theyownitasmuchinprimeeveningtimeastheydoatsixo’clockinthemorning.Foreveryhourthatthepeoplegiveyou--youownthemsomething.Iintendtoseethatyourdebtispaidwithservice. Thestatementthat“thepeopleowntheair”impliesthat_____.
A.citizens have the right to insist on worthwhile television programs
B.television should be socialized to cater to the nation’s whims
C.the government may build above present structures
D.the people own nothing, for air is worthless
正确答案是A