Chapter 3 Early Television Early Experiments Early television

Chapter 3 Early Television

Early Experiments Early television was very different than today Mechanical scanning – 1 st TV’s Electronic scanning – Adopted system ▪ How modern television received its start ▪ (Breaking images into tiny points of light for transmission over radio waves), ▪ Video ▪ Additional TV History

Early Experiments 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.

A Brief History of Television Development of Technical Standards Manufacturers wanted the profits if their patents became the broadcast standard. ▪ Some wanted black & white technology ▪ Others worked on color & wanted to wait for it to be perfected. Other patents involved lines of resolution/pixels, That make up the picture image. 60 lines, then 441 lines In 1941, government & industry agreed on television standard ▪ Black and white pictures with 525 lines of resolution ▪ Recommended by (NTSC) ▪ National Television System Committee What is the line resolution for HD TV

Emergence of Broadcast TV With color being debated In 1947 FCC felt color would be hardship on consumers ▪ They would have to buy a news set Television emerged as a mass medium in 1948 ▪ Stations, sets & audience increases 4000+ % ▪ Advertisers took notice Networks ▪ TV networks existed prior to 1948 ▪ As offshoots of radio ▪ NBC, CBS, ABC…. . & Du. Mont (for a while)

A Brief History of Television 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 ▪ 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.

The Freeze Television was growing rapidly In Fall 1948 FCC imposed a Freeze ▪ To stop interference between stations ▪ Freeze lasted 4 years ▪ Ended with FCC assigning channels to different areas of U. S. ▪ FCC realized 12 stations weren’t enough UHF began What is UHF

The Freeze Enter Cable television began in the 1950 s 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 1970 s ▪ When it began to offer additional signals from distant stations, a service called importation.

Early TV Programming I Love Lucy Introduced process of prerecording films ▪ Then broadcasting them later ▪ Other shows aired live Television Newscasts – Video Developed slowly in the 1950’s ▪ Early newscasts lacked footage ▪ Due to expense of crews/equipment ▪ Deals with newsreel companies provided early footage

Early TV Programming 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.

The Live Era 1950’s programming ▪ Predominately live Several programs jumped to film ▪ To help increase potential revenue through foreign broadcast systems ▪ New formats were introduced during this time ▪ Spectaculars – shows outside of the regular schedule ▪ Today & tonight shows – Hosted interview based shows ▪ Concept of network control developed Instead of advertiser control ▪ Advertisers bought slots of time

Color TV Approval 1950 - Color TV was deemed superior ▪ FCC accepted the CBS system RCA fought the CBS system ▪ Refused to program in color ▪ Improved their own system ▪ One approval for their system by NTSC in 1954 ▪ CBS also accepted RCA system Color sets became cheaper, programming increased ▪ More consumers adopted ▪ By 1960, networks & most stations produced in color

Broadcast-Cable Clashes As cable became more sophisticated ▪ Wiring & connections improved ▪ Stations were imported from distant cities ▪ Broadcasters complained ▪ About audiences lost to imported stations ▪ Less revenue from decreased advertising values FCC applied non-intervention policy ▪ Left decision to courts ▪ It didn’t work

The Quiz Scandals Game shows became popular in the 1950’s ▪ $64, 000 questions was one of the best Twenty-One broke game show scandals wide open. ▪ Contestants in isolation booths were given a categories ▪ Charles Van Doren an English instructor at Columbia University about playing Twenty-One. Assistance was given to add "entertainment value" of the show. Led to amendment of Comm. Act ▪ Making it unlawful to help contestants

UHF & Cable TV Problems 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). Today’s cable systems carry hundreds of channels. ▪ List some of the biggest/best known cable channels © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

UHF & Cable TV Problems 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. ▪ Are there any other cable companies you can think of? © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Early Cable TV Programming Early Cable Programming Simply providing existing channels to remote areas ▪ Charging install & monthly fees ▪ Eventually provided some self produced basic programming ▪ Weather ▪ News Most municipalities require MSO’s to provide access channels ▪ Which are open to the general public on a first come, first served basis. ▪ Public Access Channels

Reflections of Upheaval Television News After WW II TV executives believed people would still rely on radio news, ▪ TV would be used as an entertainment medium. ▪ Edward Murrow at CBS believed otherwise. TV news had difficulty getting footage until deals were made with newsreel companies © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Reflections of Upheaval By the early 1950 s the television networks were maintaining film crews in important locations ▪ Relying on stringers (Freelancers) in other places. ▪ Film, however, remained expensive to process. TV still relied on newsreel-type footage until the 60’s ▪ News in places where film crews were not at wouldn’t be covered. By the mid 1970 s, videotape, which required no processing, ▪ Freed television news from its reliance on film. © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Reflections of Upheaval Coverage of Assassinations and Civil Unrest Kennedy assassination marked the beginning of a turbulent decade ▪ The 1968 assassinations of ▪ Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, ▪ A number of urban riots that were sparked by protests against racial discrimination and the Vietnam War. ▪ 1965 Watts Riots © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Reflections of Upheaval Coverage of Vietnam Eventually, in-depth on-the-scene TV reporting from the Vietnamese battlefield ▪ Began to include bloody footage of young soldiers being maimed and killed. This created a credibility gap between Govt attempts to manage the news and what the public believed to be true. ▪ Are you more likely to believe what you hear or what you see © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 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. © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 Television Changes Family Life 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.

Corporate Video Introduced in the 60’s & 70’s Included use of TV equipment by ▪ Corporations, educational institutions, Govt. , & non-profits ▪ Primarily used to train/teach ▪ Employees ▪ Students ▪ Businesses also developed (CCTV) ▪ Closed circuit TV – Wired & broadcast throughout a building Specialized college broadcasts ▪ Evolved into distance learning & teleconferencing

HBO’s Influence 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

HBO’s Influence 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.