A new video is making the rounds on YouTube proclaiming the death of Madison Avenue to the tune of Don McLean’s “American Pie” (sample lyric: “If you splurged on a TV spot,/ your brand could really gain a lot”). The thesis is that "mass" media like television are dead; the future is all about low-budget, viral messages expressed in 140 characters or less.
At the same time, Newsweek’s Lisa Guernsey writes of the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street, which may be TV’s most enduring series ever. As described in Michael Davis’ “Street Gang” (reviewed for The New York Times by my friend James Panero, who can tell you how to get to Sesame Street because, at age 6, he was there) Sesame Street’s impact has been profound.
The show’s producers borrowed audience research and creative techniques from the "Mad Men" era of television advertising, to great effect. Their success is a vivid reminder of the power of television to catalyze, or at least accelerate, the flow of ideas across a culture. Academic studies have shown Sesame Street improved a generation’s test scores and moved the bar for what children at the pre-school age were thought capable of learning. The series forged emotional bonds with its audience (who of a certain age doesn't remember Mr. Hooper’s passing?). And, the show’s openness to people of all colors, creeds and sexual orientations set the groundwork President Obama and gay marriage almost exactly a generation later.
Critics can point to Sesame Street’s recent ratings trajectory -- it now ranks 15th in the category -- as evidence of its obsolescence. Then again, there have been public television budget cuts over the years, which have forced the show to cut back on staff and production of new episodes significantly.
In fact, Oscar, Cookie Monster and the gang still matter. At least they do for my friend's two-year-old, Christopher, who has figured out how to navigate YouTube to find them.
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