Ex-FCC chief, public TV advocate Newton Minow dead at 97

Former Federal Communications Commission head Newton Minow, who famously described network TV as a “vast wasteland,” has died. Minow's daughter, Nell Minow, confirmed that her father died Saturday at home in Chicago, surrounded by loved ones. Although the Chicago attorney held his FCC post for just two years in the early 1960s, Minow left a lasting stamp on the industry — promoting public television and working to televise presidential campaign debates. He was 97.