TELEVISION

Television had been in development since

the ’20s and there were experimental
broadcasts in the ’30s. TV was introduced
to the public at the 1939 New York World’s
Fair, but development stalled during WWII
 . David Sarnoff, the head of RCA, and William
Paley, the head of CBS, became instrumental in the
growth of the television industry.
 10 television stations were on the air in
1945. By the end of the decade, more than
half the population had access to television.
TV sets went on sale in 1946. A small black and white
set cost $200, a console $2500. The median income in
the United States was $3000. TV grew so fast and the
demand for station licenses was so great that the FCC
declared a freeze on new stations
 In 1953, the FCC (federal communication
commission) issued the Sixth Report and Order
which helped address the problems associated
with the tremendous growth of television
 A table of channel assignments
provided TV service to all parts of the
United States
The Commission set standards for
color television
242 channels were set aside for
noncommercial stations
 1950’S
The fifties became the golden age of
television. In the fifties, more TV sets (70
million) were sold than children born (40
million)
 In 1952 there were 108 TV stations. Ten
years later there were 541. Today there are
about 1,600 stations in the U.S
Early programming included news, sports, game
shows, sitcoms, children’s programming, variety
shows and dramas. Most programming was live.
Videotape was also introduced late in the decade
 Live programs were broadcast from
New York or filmed in California. They
could not be repeated and performed
again for west Coast
 GOLDEN AGE OF
TELEVISION
1950’s referred to as Golden Age of
television. Many shows aired during
the decade were extremely popular
 Programs like “Toast of the Town” and
“Studio one” were famous that time. but
the growing popularity of videotape put
an end to the live production
The first issue of TV Guide appeared April
3, 1953, at the cost of 15 cents.
 1960’S
The sixties brought significant changes to
the television landscape.
Television journalism came of age thanks
to several significant events in American
and broadcasting history
Networks expanded their nightly newscasts to 30
minutes in 1963.During November of that year
T.V journalism got praise for its professionalism
during the coverage of John F.Kandy incident
 FCC suspended its equal time requirement for
presidential and vice presidential candidates, paving
the way for the four televised “Great Debates”
between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy
Kennedy began televising his press
conferences.
 The networks covered Civil rights
movement and growing social unrest
among the country.
 The “space race” heated up and networks
routinely covered each launch.
Americans were presented nightly images of the escalating
war in Vietnam, student demonstrations against the war and
the increasingly violent civil rights movement
CBS anchor Walter Cronkite earned the title, “the most
trusted man in America.”
 Cable television enabled residents in
outlying geographical areas to receive
television signals and programming
 The Broadcasting Act of 1967 created the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which
channeled money into programming and station
development. Two years later, CPB created PBS
 Late in the decade, Vice President Spiro
Agnew used a series of speeches to accuse
the media of a “liberal” bias –a tag still
used today.
 1970’S
The era tested the impact of television
on public. Great debate was started
about television violence and
aggression society
 Broadcasting using satellite technology gave news
organizations the ability to go “live” from almost
anywhere in the world. President Richard Nixon’s
trip to China was televised live by all three networks
in 1972
 1980’S
The biggest trends in 1980’s and 1990’s were
the continuing erosion of big networks and
audiences, increased competition between
networks and cable television
CNN signed on the air on June 1, 1980. Other cable
networks soon followed. Cable networks began to
take a significant percentage of viewers and
advertising dollars from the dominate Big Three
networks.
Networks faced tough financial times and
significantly cut staff and news resources
to save money.
 Deregulation became the mode of
operation at the Federal Communications
Commission. Fox entered the fray as the
fourth “network
In 1989, Time, Inc. and Warner Communications merged to create
the world’s largest media and entertainment company. That set the
stage for more media mergers in the nineties. Disney bought
ABC/Cap Cities, Time-Warner purchased Turner Broadcasting
(and then later merged with AOL) and Westinghouse bought CBS
and then sold it to Viacom.
 1990’S
The FCC raised its ownership cap on radio stations from
12 to 18 to 20 and allowed duopolies. In 1999 the cap
was eliminated. Later in the decade the FCC removed
its cap on the number of TV stations an owner can own,
but instituted a cap on national audience reach.
 News programming became a constant presence and
programming source. Entertainment programmers
continued to push the envelope.
In 1996, the Telecommunications Act eliminated cable-
rate regulation and allowed telco-cable competition
NEW MILLENNIUM
New century brought fresh look for
Television industry. Digitalization
started all over the world. Different
types of channels being started.