Television: Reflecting & Affecting Society

Chapter OutlineHistoryIndustryControversies

David Sarnoff built one of the 1st stations in 1932, ▪ With transmitting facilities in the Empire State Building, and a

million dollars spent promoting the medium. FDR became the first president to appear on television ▪ He formally opened the 1939 World’s Fair in New York.

Early TV sets did not sell because ▪ They were very expensive, ▪ There wasn’t much programming,▪ There were no technical standards.

Development of Technical Standards Each manufacturer wanted to reap profits that would follow if

their patents became the broadcast standard.▪ Some wanted black and white technology to be the standard, ▪ Others were working on color and wanted government to wait for it to be

perfected. Other patents involved different lines of resolution or pixels,

that make up the picture image. In 1941, government and industry agreed on television standard▪ Black and white pictures with 525 lines of resolution ▪ Moving at a speed of 30 frames per second.

What is the line resolution for HD TV, UHD

The Rise of Network Television At first there were four television networks: ▪ NBC, CBS, ABC and Dumont, a network founded by TV manufacturer

Allen B. Dumont ▪ He got into production to increase demand for his sets.

Dumont lacked the radio relationships of the others and could not line up enough affiliates to be attractive to advertisers. ▪ Dumont folded in 1955. ▪ Its stations became the nucleus of Metromedia Television, ▪ which eventually became the Fox network.

Television’s Golden Age 1948 to 1958 was a time of good dramatic programming. Quality dramas were needed to attract wealthy, educated viewers

who could afford television sets. Network programming originated in New York City ▪ Producers had access to up-and-coming Broadway writers, actors, and

directors. Most television dramas were performed live ▪ Videotape recording had not been invented yet, ▪ Filming was too expensive.

Many critics point out that TV had more lowest common denominator content than quality shows.▪ The least sophisticated level of taste▪ “I Love Lucy,” “Father Knows Best” and “Ozzie and Harriet”▪ Featured women who were either humorously incompetent or subordinate to men

who made all important decisions.

Virtually all the playwrights, producers, actors, and directors of the live dramas were white. ▪ Minorities were systematically excluded from production jobs.

The 1980s success of the Cosby show ▪ Opened the door for more black oriented programming with black

production staffs.

▪ What are some non-white TV shows that you are familiar with ▪ Past or Present

The Entrance of the Movie Studios In 1954 Walt Disney was the first studio leader to associate his

name with a television program. ▪ Disney saw the possibilities of TV for promoting his Disneyland theme

park and his feature films,

▪ As well as generating income from the program itself.

Warner Brothers began producing the western “Cheyenne” for ABC in 1955▪ All the major film studios started producing television programming as

well as feature films.

Television Changes Family Life Television continued the social trends that radio had started: ▪ Bringing the family indoors to experience programming together,

▪ But actually interacting less in the time they spent together.

Families didn’t talk during prime-time programs; ▪ They talked among themselves and among outsiders about what they’d seen

on television the night before.

What are some shows that had a buzz after debut▪ What caused the buzz

Television Changes Family Life News magazines started in 1968 with “60 Minute

s.” Classic children’s shows included ▪ “Bozo the Clown,” “Romper Room,” & “Sesame Street.”

▪ What are some current children’s shows on TV

“Wide World of Sports” is a classic sports program.

Classic programs are regularly scheduled, long-running prime-time entertainment programs ▪ That changed what people talked about over coffee the

next day.

Television’s Economic Golden Age By 1966, the networks were broadcasting all their prime-time

shows in color ▪ People were rushing out to replace their old black-and-white sets.

Public television was established in 1967.▪ PBS

Television’s economic golden age is thought to have occurred ▪ From 1960 and 1980▪ When the big 3 networks had few competitors in the industry or outside it.

Independent stations began to compete a little, but the real challenger to network television was cable TV.

Enter Cable Cable television began in the 1950s as “Community Antenna

Television” (CATV). ▪ Designed to give hard-to-reach areas reception from broadcast TV

stations. The earliest CATV pioneers were appliance dealers who hoped

to sell TV sets. ▪ They would install a large antenna on a nearby hilltop▪ Amplify the local station signals that were received, ▪ Then distribute them to the community by means of a cable.

CATV became cable television in the 1970s ▪ When it began to offer additional signals from distant stations, a service

called importation.

One of the first FCC rules for cable ▪ Could not duplicate network programs on the same day that the network

aired them. Another important regulation known as must carry rules, ▪ Which said that cable systems had to carry all local televisions stations

within each system’s area of coverage. Cable’s big growth period was between 1970 and 1990 ▪ (10 percent of homes wired) to (60 percent of homes wired).

Time Inc.’s HBO was the first pay cable channel. Today’s cable systems carry hundreds of channels.▪ List some of the biggest/best known cable channels

Emerging Networks In 1985, _____WHO____formed the Fox network ▪ By purchasing 20th Century Fox studios ▪ And the Metromedia chain of independent TV stations.

Ten years later, with shows such as ▪ The Simpsons, In Living Color, Beverly Hills 90210, ▪ The broadcast rights to National Football League games, ▪ Fox was earning more money per program than CBS or ABC, and, quickly

catching NBC.

Adapting to New Technologies Broadcast television networks compete with newer

technologies, ▪ Including cable, satellite, on-demand video, video games, and Internet.

The broadcast television industry is preparing for its changeover to digital, high-definition television (HDTV)▪ Which promises pictures as clear and crisp as a Cineplex feature.

▪ Scanning lines are more than double the standard: 1125 lines instead of the 525 of conventional TV,

▪ Wider HDTV screen features high-quality digital sound, interactivity and various other advanced digital services.

Adapting to New Technologies Television networks and program suppliers are experimenting

with ways to offer programming ▪ Downloadable to computers, phones, and other digital media.

Experts believe that video on demand (VOD) ▪ Through these types of downloads will be the wave of the future.

The cultural effects of the VCR were many:▪ Time shifting, Zapping

Digital video discs (DVDs) ▪ Reached the market in 1996

Digital video recorders (DVRs), ▪ Specialized computers with oversized hard discs onto which video signals

are saved, were introduced in 1999.

The Cable Industry Today’s cable operations are run almost exclusively by

multiple system operators (MSOs), ▪ Which are companies that own several local cable service providers, in

different areas of the country. ▪ MSOs are generally owned by giant communications corporations like

Time-Warner or Comcast. Most municipalities require the MSO to provide access

channels ▪ Which are open to the general public on a first come, first served

basis.

Basic Cable Made up of channels that are supplied with the least expensive

program package the provider offers. ▪ These channels, like MTV and CNN, supplement ad revenue ▪ By charging the system operator for each subscriber that carries their

signal--usually 20 to 50 cents per subscriber, per month. Today specialized basic cable channels▪ Include earliest basic cable channels include ▪ ESPN, CNN, MTV, C-SPAN (Cable-Satellite Public Affair Network), the

Fishing Channel, the Home and Garden Network and more.

Basic Cable By 2007, the average cable subscriber received 96

channels ▪ But only actually watched 15 of them. ▪ How many channels do you watch?

Cable companies generally charge for “tiers” ▪ Packages of programming that include many channels that

individual subscribers don’t use. The cable industry has so far resisted legislators’ calls for

a “a la carte” pricing model ▪ That would allow people to receive only the channels they want.

Superstations The first superstation, a local station delivered to

cable systems via satellite, ▪ Created in 1976 when Ted Turner sent the signals of WTBS,

his Atlanta UHF station, for distribution throughout the country.

Turner raised advertising rates ▪ Turned what had been the lowest-rated station in Atlanta into

a financial success.

Premium Cable Premium cable channels such as Home Box Office (HBO),

Showtime, and Cinemax ▪ Provide programming to cable subscribers for an additional fee, above

what they pay for basic cable.

▪ A converter, or cable box, unscrambles the signals for premium cable.

Pay-per-view channels ▪ Allow customers to order recent feature films, sporting events, concerts, an

other special events on a set schedule.

▪ How many of you watch premium channels regularly▪ What type of programming do you watch

Satellite TV Satellites were an integral part of the success of cable

television, ▪ Originally used for point-to-point communications since the 1960s.

In the 1970s satellites were made geostationary, ▪ Parked 22,300 miles above one section of the earth’s surface.

Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) systems ▪ Deliver television programming to individual homes.

By 2007, satellite companies claimed to have subscribers in almost 25% of television homes

Making DBS a serious competitor with cable.

Broadcast Television Technically all broadcast television stations are local ▪ Signals that emanate from a station’s transmitter will only be seen up to

fifty miles from the transmission point unless picked up by cable, or satellite.

▪ Where are TV towers located in Los Angeles There are almost 1600 local TV stations across the United

States: ▪ 1200 are commercial and 400 are public (PBS).

Half of the 1600 stations are ▪ VHF, or Very High Frequency, channel from 2 through 13. ▪ UHF, or Ultra High Frequency, channels 14 and up.

Program Providers Networks provide programming to affiliates for large part of day. ▪ Program syndication is selling programs directly to stations, cable channels,

and online venues, not to the networks. Off-network programs ▪ Were earlier on a network and generally need a hundred episodes before

being offered in syndication ▪ Stations prefer strip programming / showing a program in the same time slot 5 times a week.

“Jeopardy,” and “Oprah” are highly profitable in original syndication, ▪ Which is sale of new programs that were not previously on a network.

Public Television The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 ▪ Created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) ▪ Which, in turn created the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), ▪ An organization made up of public stations that solicit donations from

corporations and viewers.

PBS acts like a network but differs greatly in that it does not produce programming, ▪ It helps member stations share programs.

Today’s PBS stations are owned by four groups.

The Ratings Rating Share A.C. Nielsen

To reach the greatest possible audience▪ Most TV programs designed to make limited intellectual and

aesthetic demands on viewers ▪ Critics are concerned that the quality of programming

damages viewers intellectually and emotionally. Most critics agree that TV entertainment is too violent What do you thing about this?▪ Particularly when the violence goes unpunished or when a

program ignores the real life consequences of violent acts. TV producers counter that pleasing the critics ▪ Would severely impede storytelling.

Research into TV indicates exposure to televised material ▪ Increases the acceptance of ethnic, racial, and sexual stereotypes.

Producers say stereotyping is important in because ▪ It allows writers to establish characters quickly and get on with the plot.

Critics agree that popular programming such as ▪ “Will and Grace” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” ▪ Have increased tolerance toward gays in the general public.

The FCC requires stations to air three hours of educational programming per week ▪ But critics insist that this is not enough.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 required that new television sets contain V-chips, ▪ Electronic device used to recognize and block programs with

particular parental advisory rating. Compulsive television viewers ▪ College students watch twice as much TV as other students.

Critics say too much time in front of the TV ▪ Keeps viewers from productively dealing with problems.

Defenders of television insist that TV is no more addicting than any other form of pleasurable activity.

Do you think Television is addictive?