Chapter 4

 Early television had limited options  There are many sources of television today ▪ What were the first “4” television networks  In an effort to expand “affiliates” were developed ▪ What is an affiliate & how do they work  What is CATV ▪ Explain why it was developed and how it worked

 Broadcast Television  Technically all broadcast television stations are local ▪ Signals from a station transmitter travel up to fifty miles ▪ unless picked up by cable, or satellite.  TV towers in the Bay Area ▪ Sutro Tower Rising from a hill between Twin Peaks & Mt. Sutro  Almost 1600 local stations operate across the United States: ▪ 1200 are commercial and 400 are public (PBS).  The 1600 stations are divided between ▪ VHF, or Very High Frequency, channel from 2 through 13. ▪ UHF, or Ultra High Frequency, channels 14 and up.

 Growth of Cable TV programming  Pay Cable ▪ Commercial Free Cable Channels ▪ HBO started in 1975 ▪ What was it’s first competitor? Who started it?  Basic Cable ▪ Satellite delivered programming ▪ Expanded the number of available channels ▪ What was the first Superstation? Others?  Narrowcast ▪ Most basic cable channels offered this

 Basic Cable  Channels in the least expensive program packages ▪ Such as MTV, CNN, etc. supplement ad revenue ▪ By charging cable $.20-$.50/mo ▪ Per subscriber that carries their signal  Today specialized basic cable ▪ Includes a number of the earliest basic cable channels

▪ What are some examples of Narrowcast stations?  Local Origination ▪ Programming usually developed by the cable system  Public Access ▪ What are public access channels?  Leases access ▪ Where businesses or individuals can buy time ▪ To present there message(s) ▪ What are some current examples of this?  Interactive cable ▪ Review in text book

 Growth between ▪ Brought in huge revenue for cable companies  Franchising ▪ Regulated by local governments ▪ Led to much of the growth ▪ Companies had to propose bids to get franchise  PEG Channels ▪ Cities requested cable companies to set aside channel ▪ For (public, education & government) access

 Competition for franchises intensified ▪ Takeovers & consolidation occurred  MSO’s (Multiple system operators) ▪ Bought small operations ▪ MSO’s merged with major companies  Other participants ▪ Advertisers ▪ Unions/Guilds ▪ Equipment manufacturers

 The Cable Industry  Today’s cable industry  Almost exclusively run by (MSO’s) ▪ Companies that own several local cable providers ▪ In different areas of the country. ▪ MSO’s generally owned by giant corporations ▪ Time-Warner, Comcast, etc.  Most cities require MSO’s to have access channels ▪ Open to the public on a first come, first served basis.

 Early satellites ▪ Had complicated technology ▪ Improvement by 1979 led to FCC license ruling ▪ No license for TVRO (reception only satellite)  DBS ▪ Direct broadcast satellite (what we see today) ▪ Approved in 1982 ▪ All interested parties failed to operate by 1985  Backyard Satellites ▪ Resulted from no license rule ▪ Led to signal scrambling in 1984 ▪ (Why would they want to scramble the signal)

 Satellite TV  Satellites were a big part of cable TV success. ▪ How can this be?  In the 70’s satellites became geostationary ▪ Parked 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 subscribers in almost 25% of television homes ▪ Making DBS a serious competitor with cable.

 Tape recorders ▪ Started big & expensive ▪ Introduced to TV stations in 1956  First home Videocassette recorder (VCR) ▪ Sony Betamax (1975) ▪ Cost $1300 (had to be bought with $1000 TV)  $2300 total to get one ▪ Competition Drove prices down ▪ Video Home System (VHS) from JVC

 Hollywood was convinced  The use of videocassette recorders (VCRs) ▪ Would ruin them  Disney and other channels  Fought legal battles to stop the sale of home VCRs  1983 Supreme court ruled  In Sony Betamax case  Video recording for private use ▪ Did not infringe copyright.

 Broadcast TV in the 80’s  Competition from cable ▪ Split audiences ▪ Reduced ad profits  Networks were subject to mergers/takeovers ▪ Capital cities bought ABC in 1985  Sold it to Disney 1oyrs later ▪ GE bought NBC (which later merged with Universal) ▪ CBS merged with Viacom in 1999 ▪ Rupert Murdoch started Fox network  20 th century Fox  6 metromedia stations

 Required new television sets  To contain V-chips ▪ Electronic device used to recognize and block programs ▪ With particular parental advisory rating   Removed restrictions  On many communications industries ▪ Allowing cable TV ▪ Long distance & local phone companies ▪ Information services & Internet service providers ▪ To merge at will

 AT&T operated as a monopoly  Until 1980 ▪ Justice department broke up the company ▪ 22 local phone companies became ▪ 7 (RBOC’s) regional Bell operating companies  Competition brought about ▪ POTS & PANS (pg 107) ▪ What is that?

 Telecom Act Led to Phone/Cable mergers  AT&T/TCI 1998 ▪ Idea to provided phone, cable and internet ▪ The idea failed  Deregulation of 1996 telecom act  Allowed Baby Bells (RBOC’s) ▪ To merge back together ▪ Some merged back with AT&T ▪ Others became Verizon  Began offering all 3 services – cable did the same to compete

 Digital video discs (DVDs)  Reached the market in 1996 ▪ Hollywood had initial concerns of DVD’s ▪ Because they were so easily copied  Embraced heavily by consumers ▪ Stand alone & computer players ▪ Led to Hollywood acceptance  Netflix & Blockbuster adapt to DVD’s ▪ Eventually offer online video ▪ VHS fades

 TiVo – Brand name of DVR  Digital video recorders (DVRs), ▪ Specialized computers with oversized hard discs ▪ Video signals are saved for later playback ▪ Introduced in ▪ Allowed time shifting of programs  Technology was easy to duplicate ▪ Service providers created their own DVR’s

 Modern Era of TV ▪ Brought new programming  Reality TV ▪ Became more popular in 2000 ▪ From CBS broadcast of Survivor  Game Shows ▪ New game shows or revived game shows ▪ Gained popularity over last decade ▪ What are some current popular reality & game shows

 Other types of programming  Home Shopping ▪ Allowing people to shop from home  Infomercials ▪ Paid programs for products/services  Old Genres ▪ Sitcoms, Drama  Pay-per-view  Video on demand

 Television networks & program suppliers  Experimenting with ways to offer programming ▪ Downloadable to ▪ Computers, phones & 0ther digital media.  Experts believe video on demand (VOD)  Through downloads will be the wave of the future.  The cultural effects of the VCR were many ▪ Time shifting, Zapping

 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 ▪ Earlier on a network & need 100 episodes before being offered in syndication ▪ strip programming-showing a program in the same time slot 5 days a week.  “Jeopardy” & “Oprah” are profitable in original syndication, ▪ Which is sale of new programs that were not previously on a network.

 What is the difference between  Digital TV & HDTV?  Why did people need converter boxes?

 Broadcast TV networks compete with newer technologies, ▪ Including cable, satellite, on-demand video, video games, and Internet.  The broadcast television industry ▪ Switched to digital, high-def television (HDTV) ▪ HDTV can be analog or digital ▪ Digital TV can be standard or high def  Digital TV ▪ Signal allows for secondary channels ▪ In addition to Primary Channel ▪ 4-1, 4-2, 4-4, etc  What is 4DTV What is 4DTV

 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.

 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?

 For Wednesday  With partner(s) you will develop a television network  To place on broadcast, cable, online  Things to consider ▪ Programming ▪ Target Audience ▪ How will you reach them ▪ How will you generate revenue ▪ Will it be a pay network (Pay Cable)