Mental Engineering
Encyclopedia
Mental Engineering is a public television series where show creator and host John Forde
leads a panel discussion featuring critic
al and humorous analysis of TV commercials. The show originated as a public-access television
cable TV program on the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network
in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1997.
in Boston and WNET
in New York City.
An episode
following Super Bowl XXXVI
in 2002 aired on public television stations capable of reaching 85% of the population of the United States
. Super Commercials: A Mental Engineering Special featured nationally-known TV personalities Aisha Tyler
and Lizz Winstead
along with guests from Minnesota
.
By the end of 2008 140 episodes had been produced.
called it "the most interesting weekly half hour of social commentary and criticism on television,"and PBS host Charlie Rose
featured Forde on the ‘Charlie Rose’ show.
non-profit life insurance
company that is now part of Thrivent Financial, and from PBS. Seeking broader funding, the show suspended production for 2003-2004, and returned to public TV in 2005.
.
The Gruen Transfer
, a similar program deconstructing advertisements, was launched by the Australian public television network in 2008. The show is currently being marketed by Fox Look under the name "The Big Sell".
John Forde
John Forde was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local clubs Ardnaree and Ballina Stephenites and was a member of the Mayo senior inter-county team from 1949 until 1955.-References:...
leads a panel discussion featuring critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
al and humorous analysis of TV commercials. The show originated as a public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV program on the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network
Saint Paul Neighborhood Network
Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, or SPNN is a non-profit community media center and cable television station located in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. Cable-casting on five channels, it reaches more than 52,000 cable households.- History :...
in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1997.
Notable guests
Nationally-known comedians and satirists frequently appear as panelists. Past guests include Al Franken, Lizz Winstead, Sam Simon, Greg Proops, Louis C.K., Paula Poundstone, Merrill Markoe, Naomi Klein, and Jeff Cesario.History
Mental Engineering is considered by some sources to be the first public-access television show to air nationally. By September 2001, the program was airing on stations covering 41% of the U.S., most notably by public TV outlets WGBHWGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
in Boston and WNET
WNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
in New York City.
An episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
following Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
in 2002 aired on public television stations capable of reaching 85% of the population of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Super Commercials: A Mental Engineering Special featured nationally-known TV personalities Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler
Aisha N. Tyler is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and author, known for her regular role as Andrea Marino in the first season of Ghost Whisperer and voicing Lana Kane in Archer, as well as her recurring roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Talk Soup, and on Friends as Charlie...
and Lizz Winstead
Lizz Winstead
Lizz Winstead is an American comedienne, radio and television personality, and blogger. A native of Minnesota, Winstead was co-creator of The Daily Show along with Madeleine Smithberg, and served as head writer....
along with guests from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
By the end of 2008 140 episodes had been produced.
Reviews and recognition
The series received rave reviews from several news outlets, including the New York Times, which called it "brilliant." Bill MoyersBill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
called it "the most interesting weekly half hour of social commentary and criticism on television,"and PBS host Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
featured Forde on the ‘Charlie Rose’ show.
Funding History
Early funding assistance came from the Lutheran Brotherhood, a fortune 500Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
non-profit life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
company that is now part of Thrivent Financial, and from PBS. Seeking broader funding, the show suspended production for 2003-2004, and returned to public TV in 2005.
Similar concepts
Two somewhat similar television shows aired on public TV stations in the 1960s: Public Broadcast Laboratory and Your Dollar's Worth, both sponsored by the Ford FoundationFord Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
.
The Gruen Transfer
The Gruen Transfer
The Gruen Transfer is an Australian television program focusing on advertising, which debuted on ABC1 on 28 May 2008 and has run for four seasons...
, a similar program deconstructing advertisements, was launched by the Australian public television network in 2008. The show is currently being marketed by Fox Look under the name "The Big Sell".