I sincerely hope TCI officials fired its public relations staff, as well as those who were involved in the decisions to yank some of the most popular channels from area cable systems.

It started with WGN, the Chicago-based station that broadcasts the Chicago Cubs baseball games. When TCI announced it would be dropping WGN from Iowa cable systems, the response was immediate and vocal. Cubs fans were not happy about the loss, a strange response considering how they generally have accepted the Cubs’ poor win-loss records.

TCI finally conceded on the WGN issue, and went after MTV and VH1 instead. These channels were removed from many cable systems throughout the country, although not in Ames. We can only assume TCI officials thought fans of these music channels would have the same stereotypical apathy that is attached to “Generation X” generally.

TCI, of course, was wrong.

The decision to remove MTV and VH1 can be viewed as a deliberate attempt to slight the interests of a specific subsection of the American public.

Why did TCI decide to remove the only two stations dedicated to modern popular music? TCI could have easily selected to drop two channels from the cable system that were substantially different from each other. Instead of dropping both MTV and VH1, TCI could have dropped MTV and TNN or VH1 and C-SPAN 2. I am by no means advocating the removal of these channels, but I provide them as examples.

TCI was substituting the interests of the young-adult generation with the interests of children. Cartoon Network and Animal Planet would have replaced MTV and VH1. While I strongly support the inclusion of educational and children’s channels, I cannot support the removal of the only channels geared toward a specific group.

But who was going to complain? Parents were happy to have MTV off the air so that their children wouldn’t be exposed to sometimes-inappropriate conduct. Meanwhile, MTV’s fans — the young-adult generation —were generally uninvolved when it came to political activity.

Yet MTV’s fans were not going to let their channel go without a fight. They protested, petitioned and rallied, and they won — at least in Des Moines. Waterloo might not be so lucky. While MTV and VH1 in Des Moines might have been saved, the debate between the younger generation and the older generation has raised a few issues upon which all communities might do well to reflect.

First, young adults and teenagers would do well to set priorities slightly more significant than saving their favorite television stations. The questionable existence of MTV in Des Moines seems to pale in comparison to issues such as domestic abuse. Having said that, I would also argue that those opposing MTV and its fans would do well to respect students and young adults whoinvolve themselves in issues at all.

It seems as though the general public complains that young people aren’t politically active and that they don’t take stands on issues.

Yet when they do, that same general public attempts to shut them down by belittling their causes. One letter to The Des Moines Register went so far as to attack MTV supporters’ appearances. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe the Constitution requires a dress code for someone to assert his rights to free speech or to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The criticism of MTV supporters is tinged with hypocrisy. Why is it any more substantial for people to rally in support of a baseball team than it is to rally for a form of musical entertainment? I fail to remember WGN supporters getting this much flak, and their cause was just as trivial compared to other issues.

Then there is the parenting issue. As soon as TCI announced that MTV would be replaced on the Des Moines cable system beginning March 1, parents started calling the local TCI office to complain about the indecent material to which their children might be exposed. I sympathize with parents’ concerns about the content of what is played on MTV. Some of the programming is inappropriate for specific age groups.

However, it is a parent’s duty to monitor what his or her child is watching. There are many young, independent adults who have the maturity to comprehend and handle MTV’s programming. They should not be deprived of a perfectly legal form of entertainment simply because a few parents had kids and now don’t want to accept the responsibility that comes with them. If parents aren’t willing to supervise their children, they shouldn’t have any.

TCI in Des Moines is offering to include MTV on its expanded basic lineup, as in Ames, and will offer parents a free device that will allow them to block MTV if they so choose. It is a compromise that recognizes both groups’ interests.

What the opponents of MTV fail to grasp is the station’s ability and attempts to educate young people about issues. After all, MTV has shown serious, informative programs on AIDS, drug use and gun control. MTV’s opponents must also overlook its substantial efforts to get young adults involved in the political process through its Rock the Vote campaign. TCI will surely have to address the issue of why the number of channels it offers is so limited as it seeks renewal of its franchises. I will admit to a lack of knowledge concerning cable systems’ carrying capabilities, but one would think that Ames’ cable system could outmatch the cable system from a small South Dakota town. Not so.

The boyfriend attends school in Brookings, S. D., which is about five miles south of Tim Buk Tu. Even though Brookings is smaller than Ames and even though cows outnumber people in the state, Brookings has no fewer than 55 channels. Included among them is not only MTV and the Cartoon Network, but the History Channel and Mind Extension University.

While MTV may have been restored to cities across the nation, the debate is far from over. If you have any extra cash on hand, I suggest you invest it in those new mini-satellite dish companies. I have a feeling that their stocks are soon to rise.

---

Theresa Wilson is a graduate student in political science at ISU from Dubuque. She is a second-year law student at Drake University.