David Wertheimer loves digital media. Well, one would assume so.

Wertheimer is, after all, executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC. Prior to this gig he headed up Paramount's Digital Entertaiment division.

That said, it should be pretty clear why we jumped at the opportunity to interview him.

Or, rather, we jumped at the opportunity to assign Wertheimer to Intern Anastasia, who quizzed Wertheimer on the National Association of Broadcasters digital age conference, FCC community mandates, and the titular Tim Robbins' hypocritical ways.

And, yes, the duo dished about Gossip Girl, because it just felt right.

Anastasia Friscia: So, Tim Robbins made an interesting keynote speech at the NAB conference.

David Wertheimer: I didn’t hear that.

AF: Well, basically he said broadcasters are in an “abyss as an industry,” that they’re too obsessed with celebrity culture, that we have a “pornographic obsession with celebrity culture.” Would you agree with that?

DW: (Laughs) I’m not convinced that it’s the broadcasters that are the problem. I think that the broadcasters tend to cater to what is interesting to their audience. Look at the newsstands, and the magazines that sell at the supermarket—People, Us Weekly, Star—I think it’s pretty clear that Americans are very interested in the lives of celebrities. I think that overall the broadcast media does a good job of balancing important stuff with stuff that’s more base, or lighter.

What Tim Robbins ought to be thinking about is, “How do we change American culture so the audience isn’t interested in base, frivolous things?” That would be more interesting and useful than telling the media not to cover it.

It seems somewhat hypocritical and disingenuous that he’s using the platform that’s been given to him—because people appreciate celebrities—to tell them not to be so obsessed with celebrities. He and Susan Sarandon use that platform in great quantity to push their own agendas, and I don’t always agree with it, but hey, good for them.

I think someone who actually tried to turn the tide of celebrity obsession is Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway. He created what is akin to the Olympics of science by creating this robotic competition—he tried to change the way kids think about science and introduce them to scientific “all-stars.”

AF: You already sort of answered this, but Robbins also said that broadcasters should aim to make programming so that when people “turn their TVs and radios off at night, they possess strength and unity and compassion for those they disagree with.” Is that really the job of TV and radio programming?

DW: I think that’s the role of parenting, educators, spiritual leaders. My sense is that those are the people who should be responsible for teaching values and critical thinking and appreciating other people’s point of view.

Is it the role of media to tuck consumers into bed at night, with a warm and friendly kumbaya feeling? I’m not sure that’s the role of media. I think it’s the role of media to impart ideas and entertainment and to put consumers in a position where they can—with their eyes wide open—make decisions on their own accord. I don’t want world peace any less than Tim Robbins, but I think that you have to be realistic about what humans are, and what their brains are capable of, and then think, “What should the media do to help inform the populace?”

You know, Tim Robbins is pretty far left, and he accuses the media of being ultra right-wing. But people on the right accuse the media of being ultra left-wing. So I guess there’s a pretty wide range of opinion, if people can’t agree if the media is too far left or right.

AF: What do you think of the possible FCC community mandates?

DW: I haven’t heard of them.

AF: Well, they would require broadcasters to consult community advisory boards on programming, and possibly require them to carry a certain amount of local or public affairs programming. Do you have an opinion on that?

DW: It sounds like a worthy objective, but it goes back to, “What are people genuinely interested in?” I would love to know the ratings for, y’know, chamber of commerce meetings on public access channels. My guess is that not that many people are interested. I think having more of your government available to you as a citizen is a very good and worthy objective, but I think as a society we have to work towards a desire to get involved. I don’t think we’re there today, and I think asking communities and community leaders to get involved in more general programming is a risky idea.

AF: Recently, NBC Universal and Fox launched Hulu.com, and the creators of South Park launched SouthParkStudios.com. What else should broadcasters be doing to expand into new media?

DW: I think that broadcasters are in a great position to leverage the relationships and brand awareness they have with consumers, across multiple platforms. Viewing is fragmenting and you need to find ways to engage with your audiences. TV producers should be asking “What makes me unique? How can I create that greater 360-degree experience for consumers so they engage with the brand? How can I use all this media to keep them engaged in TV programming?”

AF: You said that viewing is fragmenting. How can Nielsen change its ratings to take into account online viewing?

DW: The problem is that, outside of TV, tracking consumers is very challenging. Even in TV, there’s a huge amount of viewing of CNN in airports, in hotel rooms, and traditionally there haven’t been good ways to capture that kind of viewing. It’s even worse online. Nielsen is trying to grapple with that now, and I think it’s important to have metrics that make sense across multiple platforms.

AF: My last question is about Gossip Girl, actually. New York magazine just called it the “Best Show Ever.” Would you agree?

DW: (Laughs) I don’t know, it’s a matter of opinion. I’ve watched the show and I find it entertaining. They’re appealing to what their consumers want. There’s a lot of sex and backstabbing; it’s a soap opera. It’s very much like the OC and 90210. I don’t know why New York would call it the Best Show Ever, probably to create controversy.

AF: I lie. One more question. Who on Gossip Girl has the best hair?

DW: I don’t know! It’s just so hard to choose, they’re all so beautifully coiffed.