The Television History Book


Book Description

Traces the history of broadcasting and the infludence developments in broadcasting have had over our social, cultural and economic practices. Examining the broadcasting traditions of the UK and USA, 'The Television History Book' make connections between events and tendencies that both unite and differentiate these national broadcasting traditions.




History on Television


Book Description

This interdisciplinary study of history programming identifies and examines different genres employed by producers and tracks their commissioning, production, marketing and distribution histories. With comparative references to other European nations and North America, the authors focus on British history programming over the last two decades and analyse the relationship between the academy and media professionals. They outline and discuss often-competing discourses about how to 'do' history and the underlying assumptions about who watches history programmes. History on Television considers recent changes in the media landscape, which have affected to a great degree how history in general, and whose history in particular, appears onscreen.




The Columbia History of American Television


Book Description

Richly researched and engaging, The Columbia History of American Television tracks the growth of TV into a convergent technology, a global industry, a social catalyst, a viable art form, and a complex and dynamic reflection of the American mind and character. Renowned media historian Gary R. Edgerton follows the technological progress and increasing cultural relevance of television from its prehistory (before 1947) to the Network Era (1948-1975) and the Cable Era (1976-1994). He considers the remodeling of television's look and purpose during World War II; the gender, racial, and ethnic components of its early broadcasts and audiences; its transformation of postwar America; and its function in the political life of the country. In conclusion, Edgerton takes a discerning look at our current Digital Era and the new forms of instantaneous communication that continue to change America's social, political, and economic landscape.




The History of Television, 1880 to 1941


Book Description

No other technological innovation can be cited whose impact on the fabric of daily living has been as pervasive as that of television. A sole inventor does not exist; television came about through the remarkable interactions of several hundred scientists. Interviews with these scientists, extensive archival research worldwide, and rare photos make this book--and its following volume--the one definitive history and the only authoritative account. Herein are the early inventions, the first devices, early camera tubes, the mechanical era, the kinescope, the iconoscope, and more. There are very extensive references.




That's the Way It Is


Book Description

Ever since Newton Minow taught us sophisticates to bemoan the descent of television into a vast wasteland, the dyspeptic chorus of jeremiahs who insist that television news in particular has gone from gold to dross gets noisier and noisier. Charles Ponce de Leon says here, in effect, that this is misleading, if not simply fatuous. He argues in this well-paced, lively, readable book that TV news has changed in response to broader changes in the TV industry and American culture. It is pointless to bewail its decline. "That s the Way It Is "gives us the very first history of American television news, spanning more than six decades, from Camel News Caravan to Countdown with Keith Oberman and The Daily Show. Starting in the latter 1940s, television news featured a succession of broadcasters who became household names, even presences: Eric Sevareid, Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Peter Jennings, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and, with cable expansion, people like Glenn Beck, Jon Stewart, and Bill O Reilly. But behind the scenes, the parallel story is just as interesting, involving executives, producers, and journalists who were responsible for the field s most important innovations. Included with mainstream network news programs is an engaging treatment of news magazines like "60 Minutes" and "20/20, " as well as morning news shows like "Today" and "Good Morning America." Ponce de Leon gives ample attention to the establishment of cable networks (CNN, and the later competitors, Fox News and MSNBC), mixing in colorful anecdotes about the likes of Roger Ailes and Roone Arledge. Frothy features and other kinds of entertainment have been part and parcel of TV news from the start; viewer preferences have always played a role in the evolution of programming, although the disintegration of a national culture since the 1970s means that most of us no longer follow the news as a civic obligation. Throughout, Ponce de Leon places his history in a broader cultural context, emphasizing tensions between the public service mission of TV news and the quest for profitability and broad appeal."




Television


Book Description

This book presents a balanced, thorough history of television to 1940, considering the factors technical, financial and social which influenced and led to the establishment of many of the world's high-definition TV broadcasting services. This is a major book in the study of history of science, technology and media.




Milwaukee Television History


Book Description

"Milwaukee - not New York, Chicago or Los Angeleswas the scene of a number of television firsts: The Journal Company filed the very first application for a commercial TV license with the FCC in 1938. The first female program director and news director in a major market were both at Milwaukee stations. The city was a major battleground in the VHF vs. UHF war that began in the 1950s. The battle to put an educational TV station on the air was fought at the national, state and local levels by the Milwaukee Vocational School. WMVS-TV was the first educational TV station to run a regular schedule of colorcasts, and WMVT was the site of the first long-distance rest of a digital over-theair signal." "This detailed story of the rich history of the city's television stations since 1930 is told through facts, anecdotes, and quotations from the on-air talent, engineers, and managers who conceived, constructed, and put the stations on the air. Included are discussions of the many locally-produced shows - often done live - that once made up a large part of a station's broadcast day. Through these stories - some told here for the first time - and the book's extensive photographic images, the history of Milwaukee television comes alive again for the reader." "From the first early tests using mechanical scanning methods in the 1930s, through the first successful digital television tests, the politics, conflicts, triumphs, and failures of Milwaukee's television stations are described in fascinating detail." --Book Jacket.




Television History, the Peabody Archive, and Cultural Memory


Book Description

"Television History, The Peabody Archive, and Cultural Memory is the product of a multiyear collaboration between the Peabody Awards program and over a dozen media scholars with the intent to uncover, explore, and analyze historical television programming contained in the Peabody Awards archives at the University of Georgia. It is an intentional effort to look both wider and deeper than the well-known canon of U.S. broadcast history that dominates popular memory of the relationship of television to American society. The Peabody Archive is especially suited to this project because it is an archive of programming produced and submitted not just by the big networks in New York or Los Angeles, but by stations and media producers across the nation and, more recently, around the world. This project asks, how might these programs change our understanding of television's past, and impact the ways we think about television's present and future? What new questions can we ask and what new approaches should we take as a result of seeing and experiencing this programming? The contributions in this volume offer a dramatic range of approaches for how scholars can productively engage the archive's media and physical holdings to examine and reconsider television history"--




Television


Book Description

From its earliest beginnings, television was destined to become one of the great new forces at work in the twentieth century. This new edition (which includes six completely new chapters) greatly expands the original and unique historical coverage of this most influential cultural phenomenon. Written by a distinguished international team of specialists, the book describes the history of television from its technical conception in the nineteenth century right through to the bewildering multi-media developments of the present. Alongside this historical account, chapters provide important discussion of the central debates affecting television world-wide, from America, Canada, and Britain to Europe, Scandinavia, Japan, China, South Asia, the Arab world, Australia, Africa, and the Third World. All genres of programme making--news, sport, drama, comedy--are examined in the light of key questions: how viewing practices affect particular societies; how standards of taste and decency are arrived at; the influence of television of government power; the role of public service broadcasting; and the relationship of television to terrorism and violence. A thought-provoking Epilogue ponders the likely impact and influence of television in the coming years. This book is accessibly written and is a major exploration of the world's most dominant medium. QUOTES FROM THE FIRST EDITION `Those who wish to take a close look at the way television has affected the lives of people in other countries as well as their own will find all the information they need here . . . a work which will earn its keep in the reference libraries, but also merits a place on the bookshelves of individuals.' THES `For those desiring to fully understand the medium that has dominated the later twentieth century.' The Business of Film `What a terrific assembly of contributors to document an international story of television . . . so many outstanding features in this book . . . an important addition to documenting the global story of television in a single volume.' Journalism History




The History of Prime Time Television


Book Description

The History of Prime Time Television is a user-friendly textbook that chronicles television's unique history from the drawing board to the living room, and beyond. Organized chronologically, the book begins by briefly addressing the age of invention and the birth of radio. However, the primary focus of the text surrounds prime time programming, homing in on the series that defined their respective decade by reflecting changes in the culture, style and values of the time, and how some went on to become iconic representations of 20th and 21st century America. Each decade's historical importance, as well as all of the nuance and chronological markers connected to the story of television itself, is covered in a way that engages students and helps them retain what they are learning. Discussion questions geared to tap into the students' critical thinking follow every chapter. Topics include: Invention and Promotion - Television's Early Struggles How Serious Programming began with Comedy The Role of Television During Wartime Prime Time Television's Golden Age Civil Rights and Television Long-Form Television Television's Symbiotic Relationship to Sports The Birth and Growth of Cable Programming Reality Programming Students will also glean information about the impact of each decade's culture on television and learn about the transition from black and white to color programming, deregulation, censorship, and the future of television in the new millennium. The History of Prime Time Television includes fascinating information about the historical milestones that made television not just a form of entertainment, but a social mediator, a political force, and American's window into the human experience and condition. The book is ideal for courses in the areas of media history, entertainment history, and media communications.