The claims made for television when it was a fledgling industry in the early 1950s have virtually all proven false. TV was to be the great entertainer-educator, an electronic marvel that would, over time, elevate viewers' tastes and sensibilities. As we now know, the need for entertainment dominates, and everything has been reduced to simple and slick images. Now the authors address this most pressing of social issues.

Ian I. Mitroff is Harold Quinton Distinguished Professor of Business Policy and Director for the Center for Crisis Management of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Southern California.
Warren Bennis is Distinguished Professor of Business Policy at the University of Southern California.