If television were a drug, one would have to have a prescription in order to have access to it. When the cable goes out, the visual consumer immediately goes into a withdrawal fit. Most adults have of a "Habit" of about four hours of TV per day. Conversations around the dinner table have been replaced by passive absorption of images constructed by multi-million dollar corporations which are feed to the visual consumer. These images a mostly transient and the viewer does not have an opportunity to re-examine and validate the perception. There is no chance to discuss exactly what was seen and said. Thus the visual consumer can never really be sure what has been implanted into one's "Gray Drive" (One's Brain).   Wan to make a quick $1000? Keep your eye out in your news paper for an ad that says something to the effect of, "Research Subjects Wanted." This is one way subjects for media surveys are recruited. If you get a diary for your television market along with a brand new dollar bill and are asked to send back the diary after you have completed it... don't. Instead find a trusted friend who is either in the TV business or knows someone who can be trusted to broker the blank diary. Marketing departments will pay up to a grand to get their hands on a mint diary.   The first purpose of Television stations is to make money. To do this the station has to be able to deliver an audience to the advertisers. The more viewers the more the station can charge.   Some humans are so habituated by the electronic icon, they will adjust their metabolic processes to the Telly. How often have we seen the naked ape wait until the commercial to "down load" or make a refrigerator run?   This once noble creature with an opposable thumb and credit card is being constantly imprinted by television to sit and stare at the flashing light. Perhaps the noble creature's old brain likens the situation to a very ancient communal fixation with a fire. The fire, to the early hominid was associated with comfort, food and safety.   Today the flickering image has a few snares in it. Did you ever notice those little logos at the bottom of the image area? Why are they there?   It came into frequent use when things first heated up in Iraq. CNN did not want other news entities stealing their footage. So CNN superimposed their logo over their footage in order to discourage the competition from running their footage. Or so they say. Today, during each news cast, one will see one, sometimes, two logos at the bottom of the screen. Why? It's called imprinting. Many times the visual consumer has no specific purpose to turn on the Telly other than to relax. ( Again if this were a drug, one would need a prescription). If the Telly has been successful in imprinting, the viewer will automatically punch up the channel which has been most successful in imprinting.   If it is the news hour, which is, not consistently around feeding time, or just prior to one's sleep interval, one will see a talking half-torso, perfectly illuminated, in tailored clothes, theatrical make-up, speaking in well modulated and perfectly structured sentences directly to the visual consumer.   Parents and Professors have little chance of imparting reality to those who seek information about community and global events. It's called packaging. The parents and professors can not compete with all the bells and whistles available to the networks.   In closing, I suggest it is about time, we very carefully assess the impact of television upon the family, community and global village.   "A mind is a terrible thing to be managed by commercial interests." Andersen   -30-