Television: Reflecting & Affecting Society Chapter Outline  History  Industry  Controversies

 David Sarnoff built one of the 1 st 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 ▪ 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 Minutes.”  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 ▪ 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?