How Long Gone 870. - Tom Freston
16 snips
Nov 14, 2025 
Tom Freston, co-founder of MTV and former CEO of Viacom, shares fascinating stories from his extensive career and travels. He recounts overland travel to the Middle East in the '70s and how it shaped his worldview. Tom discusses the rise and fall of cable TV, the impact of celebrity culture at MTV, and even his controversial meeting with Fidel Castro. He reflects on the evolution of media, creativity in the face of corporate pressures, and shares favorite moments from MTV's Unplugged series.
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Media Work For Global Education
- Tom runs an anti-poverty advocacy group (One Campaign) as board chair and helps secure foundation funding for educational media.
- He also works on TV projects in Afghanistan to create educational content for marginalized women.
Overland Trip That Shaped Him
- Tom Freston hitchhiked overland in the early 1970s and spent a year traveling with only two changes of clothes.
- He fell in love with Afghanistan's hospitality and landscape, describing it as stepping out of time.
Cable Built The Golden Media Monoculture
- The cable era (80s–90s) created a concentrated media monoculture that fueled big, creative TV businesses like MTV.
- The internet and social platforms after 2005 fragmented attention and started a long decline for cable's dominance.
