TELEVISION. What They Say About TV “A vast wasteland.” Newton Minow “In this country, television is used primarily as a narcotic to prepare people.

TELEVISION

What They Say About TV

“A vast wasteland.” Newton Minow

“In this country, television is used primarily as a narcotic to prepare people for the commercial.” Mark Frost

“[TV] trivializes everything. So there’s no more mystery, we’ve seen it all 50,000 times. And in order to make the boring interesting, everything is hyped.” David Chase

Before Television…

Radio begat TV Telegraph

Wireless Telegraph

Before Television…

1st Radio Broadcast

Before Television…

1920 –

1922 –

1923 –

Before Television…

1934 – Federal Communications Act Federal Communication Commission (FCC)

Before Television…

1935-50

1950s

Television

“The medium is the message” Marshall

McLuhan

Television

A medium where viewers make sense of it all

Performers in scale…

Television

Mix of 4 mediums:

A medium of personalities

History of Television

“Television”

Radio, TV share:

History of Television

1920s

History of Television

1927 – Philo T. Farnsworth

History of Television

1928

1932

1936

History of Television

History of Television

VHF

UHF

History of Television

1941 –

First sets:

History of Television

1946

1947 TV Sets

History of Television

1948

In most homes since mid 1950s

History of Television

1950s “Television Generation”

Advertising Revenue

Golden Ages

“Golden Age” I

“Golden Age” II

Affected all media

Color and Cable

1960s – color introduced

TV Statistics

On average:

1/3 of viewers zap

Television Ratings

Arbitron

Nielsen Media Research

Impact of Television TV has immediate emotional

impact on audience

Edutainment

McCarthyism

Kennedy Nixon Debate

1960 Presidential debates

Tobacco Advertising

1972

War Coverage

News coverage

War Coverage

1991

2003

News Programs

Gatekeeper

CNN

Typical newscast

Visual Design of News

What affects perception? “Live”, amateur footage

“If it bleeds, it leads.” Themes:

Fictional Programs

Programs moved from radio to TV

Fictional Programs

Fictional programs have:

Same experience as movies

Music Videos

Bridges sight and sound

Surrealism

Commercials

Primary function = generate response

Length

Commercials

Immediate involvement Microdrama

Elements for analysis:

But What?

We feel TV should be something more - something better no one is sure what, though

Next Time…

Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations: A Practical Experiment Chapter 6