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Dominick:Dynamics of Mass Communication
Dynamics of Mass Communication: Media in the Digital Age, 7/e
Joseph R. Dominick
Television

Main Points

  • Electronic television developed during the 1930s. After World War II, it quickly grew in popularity and replaced radio as the main information and entertainment medium.
  • The three networks NBC, CBS, and ABC dominated early TV. Live drama, variety, and quiz and game shows were popular during the 1950s.
  • Television matured in the 1960s and its content became more professional. The public television network began in 1967. Cable TV grew slowly during this decade.
  • The 1970s saw TV programs criticized for excessive violence. The Prime-Time Access Rule helped companies that syndicated TV programs.
  • In the 1980s and 1990s, the three traditional TV nets lost viewers to cable and to VCRs. The Fox network became a major competitor.
  • The Telecommunications Act of 1996 had a significant impact on TV-station ownership and also introduced program content ratings. Rules for the eventual conversion to digital TV were announced in 1997.
  • Changing from analog to digital signals will mean better pictures and sound. Consumers will have to buy a new TV set or a converter to receive the new signals. TV stations may use the digital signal to broadcast high-definition television or several lower-definition programs.
  • TV is universal, dominant, and expensive. Its audience is currently fragmenting into smaller segments.
  • The broadcast TV industry consists of program suppliers, distributors, and local stations.
  • Big conglomerates own the major TV networks, and large group owners control most of the stations in large markets.
  • Public broadcasting relies less on tax revenues and more on private sources of funding.
  • Cable TV had reached maturity by the late 1990s and was facing problems associated with its rapid growth. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 permitted cable and phone companies to compete with one another.
  • The costs and revenues connected with a cable system are different from those of a broadcast station.
  • Home video is dominated by the major motion picture studios. Retailers are concerned about the eventual impact of direct broadcast satellite systems (DBS) on their business.
  • DBS systems grew more slowly than expected, but their overall impact on the industry has yet to be determined.
  • The Nielsen company compiles both network and local-station television ratings.








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