*broadcasting fit for the end of the century*

Ever since I was a kid, I have been an avid fan of science fiction. The movies and shows I loved to see were the ones that featured "the future". I especially got a kick out of how directors would portray "the future" (as they would see it) in terms of 1980, 1996, as well as 1999. Their ideas about the future are rather funny. In their conception, the future consisted of form-fitted, unisexed space suits, utopian ideals and a caste system à la Brave New World. And I won't even go there about the flying cars. But as 1999 vanished to bring about a new century, many shows (including on all three networks) documented the change with a lot of sound and fury--within and out of Times Square. My favorites of the Y2K-ization of television the last few weeks were The Steve Harvey Show, Dilbert and The Family Guy. All three of these shows deserve kudos for trying to play out the fears of a technological global paranoia turned bust.

It was also rather strange to see how the networks dispensed with formalities when it came to covering the millennial celebrations. ABC was dignified about the entire affair. They started broadcasting around 2 AM New Year's Eve morning and stopped around one on New Year's Day. They wrapped news, features, vintage footage and live performances as they captured major cities around the world. I really liked seeing how the camera displayed the awe-inspiring looks of the crowd. I also got a delight out of the different rituals and celebrations that took place as the new year came into being.

The most neat celebration was the one in Roswell, New Mexico. The entire city was bathed in an eerie green light as the Artist Formally Known as Prince's song "1999" played over the loudspeakers. And of course, the ball dropping in Times Square still held me with the same wonder and awe as I watched it. What was the most profound experience of the passage of the new Millennium was in Tuscon, Arizonia where visitors joined Native American tribes in a dance around a bonfire honoring not only Mother Earth, but of the new year. And in Indonesia, I loved how performers displayed traditional dances marking the arrival of the new century. These were the things that I remember and find my wonder in. Not the fireworks displays.

The newscasters were split between naughty and nice as they did their live shots from different places. Some of them--in the more notorious party sites--hid their drunkeness as they tried to maintain a sense of demeanor in front of viewers. Others wisely held on to bottled water while they had an empty cup of champange in their hand and spoke into the mike. And then, some newscasters made an effort to dress up. They tried to make the "shut-in" viewer feel as if they were part of a party. These attitudes contributed to the fact that such members of the audience were too pitiful for staying in and giving into Y2K fears. This added to the tone of a "I'm here, and you're not" sort of demeanor. Now, for the ABC newscasters, that wasn't much the case. Peter Jennings--which really surprised me--remained low key as he changed from costume to costume and talked with the other network reporters. He didn't carry such a haughty attitude as he went about the broadcast day. This aura paints the atmosphere of trying to transition into making the events which marked the 1900's mean something. This action also provided a pathway into the future of the media.

With the new year, there are a few things that are already apparent. All the news sets--from the local to the networks--have changed to suit this "new technological era". As the news anchors continue to report daily happenings, the sets behind them tend to reflect a web page--right down to the different segments depicted. Interviews--especially if they were conducted live--came from screens positioned on the side of the anchors (which is reflective of real video and Shockwave). This is far from Edward R. Murrow and the "Harvest of Shame".

Beyond the deployment of the news, television--in general-- is ridden with "dot-com" ads ad nauseum. Every corporation made the publicity around their web page more prominent than the product itself. It leads one to ask whether it was more important for the consumer to visit the web page instead of buying the product. And of course, who could forget that Nike ad where Y2K nightmares are played out to full fruition while a man does his daily jog?

The commercialization of Y2K visions aside, there's some down-to-earth aspects to place television into the 21^st century.

I anticipate that television--as a marker of recorded history--is going to be the centerpiece for the change in the new millennium. Here, this is where McLuhan's philosophies play out regarding "the global village". You know why? Because everyone experienced the beginning of the new century simultaneously. Emotions and memories were shared throughout the entire day as the events unfolded on screen. This alone makes television an important device to bring about global consciousness.

Television has to be one of the greatest inventions ever to come across the 20th century. The millennium coverage showed that it was the premiere site where history unfolded. Some of these important events are ones my generation (Gen X) barely know and that Gen Y(those born after 1982) have never witnessed. All the historical figures that I've read about in books or seen on television are clips within my head. I could never divorce the pictures of them in that fashion. Now that's kind of scary. Just think when it comes to the Web. How would Generation Y or their descendants picture history as it unfolds--especially when it is tailored to web sites?