The story of the Viewers for Quality Television : from grassroots to prime time /

Swanson begins this personal account by describing her involvement in a letter-writing campaign to protest cancellation of Cagney & Lacey, a protest that sparked her interest in supporting "quality" TV. Swanson goes on to describe recruiting members for VQT, annual conventions, interviews, media blitzes, newsletters, and awards to writers, producers and actors of those shows her organization deemed "quality." By Swanson's calculations, more than 50,000 persons were involved over the 17-year life of VQT. Alas, Swanson admits that VQT was never able to save shows like China Beach, Northern Exposure, Designing Women, Picket Fences, etc., when they failed to attain the necessary audience share. Those involved in these shows gladly accepted VQT support, but they were helpless in changing the "bottom line" that determines the fate of all television shows. Swanson failed to realize that members of her organization were the folks who had already been discounted by the major networks—i.e., the folks who wanted PBS-type programming. Written in first-person, anecdotal style, this title relates a familiar story about most US television and the vast majority of its viewers—they sink to the lowest common denominator when it comes to programming. Those looking for scholarly insights will find nothing here. R. Cathcart emeritus, CUNY Queens College