Newton Norman Minow (January 17, 1926 – May 6, 2023) was an American attorney who served as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

While still maintaining a law practice, Minow served as the honorary consul general of Singapore in Chicago, beginning in 2001.

He was an attorney in private practice concerning telecommunications law and was active in many nonprofit, civic, and educational institutions.

Born to a Jewish family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1926, Minow served in World War II from 1944 to 1946 and attained the rank of a sergeant in the U.S.

[6][7] Reportedly, Robert F. Kennedy and Minow frequently talked at length about the increasing importance of television in the lives of their children when they worked together on the presidential campaign of Adlai E.

[8] Thereafter, it came as little surprise that after the election of John F. Kennedy Minow eagerly pursued the position of FCC chairman.

His phrase "vast wasteland" is remembered years after the speech in which he said: When television is good, nothing—not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers—nothing is better.

He still felt that news is the most important public service, but that television continued to fall short in that area.

Head Bids TV Men Reform 'Vast Wasteland'—Minow Charges Failure in Public Duty—Threatens to Use License Power".

[1] Minow said that his greatest contribution was persuading U. S. Congress to pass legislation clearing the way for communications satellites.

"[5] During his two years in office, it was estimated that, other than the president, Minow generated more column inches of news coverage than any other federal official.

He served out a tenure as the president of the Carnegie Corporation, a PBS sponsor, and the original funder of Sesame Street.

Even when he was FCC chairman, he worried about the increasing export of Hollywood programming overseas and the impact it would have on perceptions of the United States among citizens in other countries.

[25] According to Michelle Obama's book Becoming, Minow and his wife "busted" then Michelle Robinson and Barack Obama—both still associates at Sidley Austin—on their first date, greeting them "warmly" in the popcorn line at the Water Tower Place cinema, before the new couple saw Spike Lee's movie, Do The Right Thing.

Robinson and Obama had wanted to keep their relationship a secret from colleagues at the firm; Minow only "smiled" and "made no comment" at the fact they were together.

[26] Minow supported Republican Bruce Rauner in the 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election, despite his history in Democratic politics.

[27][28] Minow sat on the board of directors at Foote, Cone & Belding Communications Inc.; Tribune Co.; Manpower, Inc.;[29] AON Corp.; CBS, and the Sara Lee Corporation.

He served on numerous presidential commissions and was chairman of a special advisory committee to the Secretary of Defense on protecting civil liberties in the fight against terrorism.