OBLIGATION TO FOSTER A WELL INFORMED CITIZENRY.

A MESSAGE THAT IS WITH US EVERY SINGLE DAY.

IN JOINING US, MINOW AND OF COURSE, FORMER CONTRIBUTOR, WTTW CHICAGO TONIGHT.

THE DIRECTOR OF THE FALL CENTER FOR JOURNALISM AND EXCELLENCE SOME .

FORMER CHICAGO TONIGHT HOST, PHIL.

AND CHRIS, A PARTNER AT WHERE MINOW WORKED FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS.

CHRIS IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

THANK YOU, ALL, FOR BEING WITH US TONIGHT.

YOU MENTIONED IN OUR ONLINE THAT YOU SAW HIM AT A DINNER PARTY HOSTED A WEEK AGO.

HOW DID HE SEEM BACK THEN?

>> FABULOUS.

SO, WE HAD HONORED JUDY WOODRUFF AND HE SAID I THINK AFTER THE LUNCHEON I SHOULD HOST A DINNER PARTY FOR HER, WHAT YOU THINK?

SURE.

AT HIS HOME, THERE WERE EIGHT OF US THERE, HE WAS DRESSED TO THE NINES.

AS HE ALWAYS WAS.

PERFECT POCKET SQUARE.

HE SAT US DOWN FOR DINNER AND SAID I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS -- [ INAUDIBLE ] AND HE GOES, YES, SIR.

HE LOOKED MARVELOUS.

HE WAS MARVELOUS.

>> EVEN AT 97 HE WAS ENGAGED AND AFFECT AND PASSIONATE.

>> SOME PEOPLE WOULD THINK IT'S NO TRAGEDY WHEN SOMEONE WHO IS 97-YEAR-OLD DIES BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, THIS WAS A PROFOUND LOSS.

HE WAS NOT ONLY ALL THEIR BUT NEWTON MINOW WAS A FOUNTAIN OF NEW IDEAS AND JUST AS WAS SAID, HE WANTED OUR DINNER PARTY TO HAVE -- SOME SUBSTANCE.

HE HAD A FRESHER MIND.

HE WENT INTO THAT ROOM AND IT INCLUDES A FORMER DEAN OF THE LAW SCHOOL.

HE WAS ENGAGED, HE WAS SPOT ON, HE WAS BRIGHT.

HE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE WORLD THAT HE WAS STILL ALOOF OF.

>> WE ALL EXPERIENCED THIS.

HE WOULD SEND HIS EMAILS.

HE WOULD TALK TO US IN PASSING.

HE REALLY RELISHED THE ROLE OF BEING A MENTOR TO SO MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING BARACK OBAMA.

TELL US HOW THAT RELATIONSHIP CAME TO BE.

>> WELL, BARACK WAS COMING TO OUR FIRM, HIS DAUGHTER, MARGARET, AND SHE PHONED UP SOMEONE AT THE FIRM, HER DAD AND SAID, YOU HAVE SOMEONE REMARKABLE COMING TO YOU THIS SUMMER , TAKEN UNDER YOUR WING A LITTLE BIT.

>> SO, HE DID.

A FAMOUS STORY ABOUT HIM GOING TO THE MOVIES AND SEEING BARACK AND MICHELLE OUT AT THE MOVIES TOGETHER.

>> MICHELLE WAS HIS ADVISER --'S MENTOR AT THE TIME.

>> SO INSTRUMENTAL IN THAT RELATIONSHIP.

HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN YOU COMING TO CHICAGO TONIGHT, WAS HE NOT?

>> HE WAS.

THE WEIRD THING THOUGH, I SAID THIS, WE GAVE OUR DISTINGUISHED MENTOR AWARD, THE FIRST EVER, AND I SAID, I WAS AT A DINNER ONCE AND I SAID, MINOW, HE'S MY MENTOR.

SOME OTHER POINTS -- VOICE GOES, HE'S MY MENTOR.

SUDDENLY THERE WAS HIS COMPETITION.

HE WAS EVERYBODY'S MENTOR.

SO MANY OF US CLAIMED HIM.

>> LISTEN, HE IS RIGHT.

RICHARD SAMUELS HAD A FACEBOOK POST.

HE SAID, NEWTON MINOW WAS MY MENTOR.

YOU YOURSELF HAS RECEIVED NOTES FROM HIM.

>> I REMEMBER I WAS DOING A REPORT AND I WALKED OUT OF THE STUDIO AND IN THE HALLWAYS NEWTON MINOW AND I FROZE AND HE SAID YOU'RE DOING A FINE JOB AND I SAID, WELL, MR. MINOW, THANK YOU.

I GUESS THAT MADE ME FEEL LEGITIMIZE THAT THE FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE FCC WOULD SAY THAT.

THIS SPEECH, THE VAST WASTELAND SPEECH, I KNOW IT IS MENTIONED ANYTIME WE TALK ABOUT NEWTON MINOW BUT WHAT WAS THE PRACTICAL IMPACT OF THAT SPEECH THAT HE GAVE?

>> I THINK YOU GOT PEOPLE TO REALIZE THE POTENTIAL FOR TV.

HE LOVED TO TELEVISION.

HE WANTED PEOPLE TO REALIZE AND USE IT IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.

NEWTON MINOW WAS A TV JUNKIE, I THINK THE LAST.

HE JUST THOUGHT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE.

HE REALLY TOOK THAT POST TO TASK.

>> LET ME SAY THIS, PEOPLE FORGET, I MEAN, I WAS A KID, THAT SPEECH HAD AN EXPLOSIVE IMPACT.

IT WAS LIKE DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN.

HE BASICALLY CALLED THEM OUT.

WHAT YOU ARE PUTTING ON THE AIR IS TRASH.

IT WAS ELECTRIFYING.

HE IS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY.

HE WAS WRITTEN UP IN THE TIMES, ALL THE NEWSPAPERS.

>> AND CARTOON SAID WHO IS THIS WHIPPERSNAPPER LECTURING ?

>> TELEVISION GOT BACK AT HIM HOW?

>> OH, GOD.

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND.

IT WAS A SLAP AT NEWTON MINOW THAT HE LOVED.

THEY MISSPELLED IT.

>> THE SS MINOW .

>> THE OTHER POINT MADE BY HIS DAUGHTERS, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FCC WAS -- WITH BROADCASTERS.

HERE COME SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY WANTS REFORM AND HAVE OVERSIGHT OVER THE INDUSTRY.

THE VIEWERS AND SUPPORTERS OF WTTW AND CHICAGO TONIGHT, WHAT SHOULD THEY KNOW ABOUT HOW NEWTON MINOW IMPACTED THE STATION?

>> HE INSPIRED US IN A REALLY LOW-KEY KIND OF WAY.

HE IS FAMOUS FOR TAKING PEOPLE OUT TO BREAKFAST OR LUNCH.

MANY BREAKFAST WITH HIM.

HE WOULD HAVE A SLIP OF PAPER WITH HIM.

HE NEVER WASTED PAPER.

I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE FOLLOWING THINGS.

ON THE SHOW, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER NIGHT, WHEN THE INTERVIEW WAS GOING ON, WHAT WAS THE SUBTEXT OF THAT?

I MEAN, HE SAW TV, HE'S A TRUTV, BUT HE LOVED IT.

HE LOVED WHAT HE CREATED AND HE DID NOT SEE HIMSELF AS THE CREATOR.

>> HE DID.

HE LOVED THIS PROGRAM.

IT CHANGED THE FORTUNES HERE.

>> LISTEN, I KNOW WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC TELEVISION AND THAT WAS PROFOUND, TO PUT IT MILDLY.

HE SAID HE REALLY WANTED TO BE REMEMBERED -- LAUNCHING THOSE COMMUNICATION SATELLITES.

BESIDES PUBLIC TELEVISION, THE BREADTH OF HIS EXPERIENCE IN DIFFERENT AREAS, HE WAS ONE OF THE CITIES GROWN-UPS.

THIS WAS A MAN WHO HAD RESPECT, HE HAD SEEN IT ALL, HE WAS AN ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT.

HE WOULD TELL HIS STORIES ABOUT HIS TIME.

HE WAS A GREAT STORYTELLER.

HE TELLS A STORY ABOUT BEING IN THE WHITE HOUSE WITH JOHN KENNEDY, JOHN KENNEDY GOT OUT OF THE SHOWER.

JOHN KENNEDY'S TO BE TALKING TO BROADCASTERS.

NEWTON MINOW'S BRIEFING HIM ON SOME OF THE ISSUES.

KENNEDY GOES OUT AND GETS HIS SPEECH.

IT'S COHERENT, ORIGINAL, AND BASED ON WHAT NEWTON MINOW SAID.

NEWTON MINOW SAID HE WAS FLABBERGASTED.

>> HE TOLD YOU HE FELT WITH KENNEDY THE FIRST TIME HE MET HIM IN 1960.

HE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH EVERY DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT.

WHAT WAS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRESIDENT?

>> PROBABLY EVERY PRESIDENT.

>> WE ARE NOT SURE ABOUT TRUMP.

BUT CAN I JUST -- HE WAS IN LOVE WITH SOMEBODY ELSE.

HE WAS IN LOVE WITH JOE MINOW.

BEFORE IT CLOSES INTERVIEW, THERE WASN'T A SPEECH THAT NEWTON MINOW DIDN'T GIVE THAT HE DIDN'T BRING UP JOE.

SHE WAS WITH HIM.

SHE WAS A PART OF HIM.

THEY RAISED AN UNBELIEVABLE DAUGHTER.

I CHOKE UP WHEN I SAY IT.

SHE WAS HIS ABIDING, GUIDING LIGHT.

SHE COULD SIT HIM, YOU KNOW, NEWTON MINOW, SHE HAD A SENSE OF HUMOR.

>> HE WOULD ALWAYS JOKINGLY REFERRED TO HER AS MY CURRENT WIFE.

THEY WERE MARRIED MORE THAN 70 YEARS.

>> I BELIEVE IN MY HEART HE HAD TO LOVES.

NUMBER ONE, JOSEPHINE AND HIS FAMILY, NUMBER TWO, DEMOCRACY AND THE INSTITUTIONS THAT SUPPORT DEMOCRACY.

CONGRESS, THE PRESIDENCY, THE SUPREME COURT, AND ALL OF THE INSTITUTIONS LIKE THE AIRWAVES, LIKE FREEDOM OF SPEECH THAT SUPPORT A STRONG DEMOCRACY.

>> I THINK THAT DROVE A LOT OF WHAT HE DID.

THINK ABOUT HIS PRIVATE LIFE AND LAW.

HE WAS KNOWN AS A PROPONENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS.

HE WAS A PROPONENT OF EQUITY AND DIVERSITY.

TALK ABOUT THAT.

>> AND A BUSINESS LEADER AS WELL.

>> OUR LAW FIRM IS A THREE BILLION-DOLLAR ORGANIZATION.

I MEAN, HE REALLY WAS A RENAISSANCE MAN.

LAWYERS THESE DAYS PRACTICE IN ONE AREA OR ANOTHER, HE DID A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING.

WEATHER WAS BOARDROOMS ARE REGULATORY, HE REALLY HAD A PROFOUND EFFECT ON