TV History (Part II) 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Television in Canada No stations before 1952 100,000+ watching US TV Business complaints Business complaints --re: CBC/radio broadcasting; delayed TV 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Massey Commission (1949-51) Vincent Massey Federal Cultural Policy High Culture democracy critical-thinking citizens US mass culture Public broadcasting CBC-controlled High culture 3/12/2018 MIT2000
CBC: Broadcaster/Regulator 1952-58 Public-private model similar to radio 2 CBC stations (Tor, Mon) private affiliates Why? geography Demography US TV TV productions costs 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Rapid Growth 1960: 6 CBC stations 41 private stations TV signals in reach of 90% of population 1961: 83% homes w/ TV 6 hours daily viewing High cost of TV set One-station-per-city rule CBC is only network until 1961 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Cable TV Antennae/co-axial cable bring signals to home 1950s: rural areas 1964: 4% of homes Why Slow Growth? Phone Companies State/CRTC Regulation 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Cable TV: Growth Years Cabled households: Slower in US 1970 42% 1974 61% 1985 77% Slower in US Cable/network transmission allowed in early 1970s 3/12/2018 MIT2000
TV Viewing (1960) CBC: 48 hrs/week programming affiliates carry CBC service Popular US shows (Walt Disney, Leave it to Beaver) Don Messer, Hockey Night in Canada Time Regulator/ Dayparts daytime; after-school; primetime, 3/12/2018 MIT2000
CBC & Advertising (Rutherford) Early 1950s: limited role Growing reliance: by late 1950s half shows ad sponsored Advertising pays 41% of expenses Why? Program production TV set tax waning Few foreign sales 3/12/2018 MIT2000
TV Advertising (Rutherford) “‘Show window” in home ‘personalized’, ‘face-to-face’ selling Steady, not rapid, growth 12% of ad total (1971) national, not local hourly restrictions (12 min) high prod. & air-time costs Indirect to Direct (spot) ads 2. 3/12/2018 MIT2000
US TV Content & CDA Global US Celebrity Culture Higher Production Values US imports “I Love Lucy”; “Jackie Gleason” on CBC CDN shows predominate news, public affairs, sports 3/12/2018 MIT2000
CDN Content Regulations (1960) 55% broadcast time as CDN shows cheap CDN game shows Showdown, Party Game, Let’s Make a Deal, “Imports cost less and earn more” 1. 3/12/2018 MIT2000
CDN Content Regulations (recent) Today: 60% overall (50% 6-12PM) for Broadcast TV Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) & CanCon Specialty Channels Differ (e.g. MuchMusic) 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Broadcasting Act, 1968 Canadian Radio-Television Commission 1976- Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission regulatory agency -private/public broadcasting regulate cable TV stronger Canadian content rules ‘arms-length’ role from government 1976: Telecommunications Commission act expands CRTC's jurisdiction to include federally regulated common carriers. 3/12/2018 MIT2000
CRTC (Today) Regulate “all aspects” of CDN broadcasting system TV, cable distribution, AM/FM radio, pay/specialty TV; Direct-to-Home satellite ca. 3,300 broadcasters --Price Regulation (Cable Rates; Specialty Channel Rates) 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Objectives of Broadcast Regulation Technology (Spectrum) Access From “Quality” to CDN Content Domestic Production/ Cultural Industry 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Specialty TV (Pay, Pay-Per-View) Require cable/satellite not over-the-air transmission Subscription revenues (plus advertising) Narrowcasting market segmentation Life Magazine to “Men’s Health” magazine 3/12/2018 MIT2000
TSN, YTV, Much highly profitable 3/12/2018 MIT2000
MuchMusic (1984-) Wagman Sound recording industry Federal Cultural policy cultural nationalism to cultural industries Broadcasters (CHUM) Political Economy 3/12/2018 MIT2000
McLuhan/Medium Theory Oral Culture Literate/Print Culture Electronic Culture 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Oral Culture/McLuhan Ear culture/speech Closed society Interdependent Communal Circularity, Cyclical Balance of senses Time-bias 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Literate/Print Culture Eye over Ear Shared to separate experiences Introspective/abstract thinking 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Literate/Print Culture Circular to Linear Homogeneity/ Standardization 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Electronic Culture/ McLuhan Re-tribalization Radio/TV Secondary orality Sensory experiences Words (again) as events, not object from separate to shared spheres 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Electronic Culture/ McLuhan Less-hierarchical Participatory Decentralized Strong effect in West 3/12/2018 MIT2000
Electronic: Hot/Cool Radio: Hot TV: Cool Communication Style Hitler, FDR TV: Cool JFK, P. Trudeau Communication Style Hot: Passive audiences Cool: Active audiences 3/12/2018 MIT2000
CBC: “The World is a Global Village” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeDnPP6ntic Discuss: cell phone calling and texting 3/12/2018 MIT2000