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Chapter Summary| Commercial television, born into a fast-paced society, was forced into the role of an early bloomer. Within 60 years, it progressed from a 60-scan-line Felix the Cat to instantaneous worldwide communication.
In some ways, television technology seems to prove that necessity is the mother of invention, but in other ways it suggests that invention is the mother of necessity. Because the original mechanical scanning techniques might never have been adequate for a popular medium, the electronic techniques were necessary. On the other hand, matters such as lines of resolution and color were hotly debated by various industry groups, but only after the technology was approved did the need for its existence become evident. The invention of the videotape recorder altered TV production techniques in ways not previously envisioned. Similarly, LPTV was authorized without its range of possibilities being explored. The future for digital TV and interactivity is not yet determined.
Television's greatest boosters could not predict how quickly and thoroughly TV would be accepted by the American public. The medium's growth in terms of number of TV sets, programs, and advertising during the late 1940s and early 1950s was phenomenonal. Performers such as Milton Berle and Lucille Ball became instant celebrities. More reluctant “TV stars,” such as Senator Joseph McCarthy, found that TV could also create notoriety.
The elements of government that dealt with radio suddenly found a new medium featuring both sight and sound on their doorstep. Taking a cue from radio, the FCC imposed a freeze to work out technical allocations. The choice of UHF to resolve the channel shortage was not the most fortuitous decision, and it is one that still engenders government patchwork. Other controversial government actions included instituting prime-time access, influencing the family-hour concept, imposing the financial interest rule, deregulating, and implementing legislation requiring ratings and the V-chip.
Private business was also influential in TV from the birth of networks to the rash of takeovers and the creation of new networks in the 1980s and 1990s.
Different forms of programming have surfaced over the years. The early forms, taken from radio, were enhanced by movies as the TV industry and Hollywood developed closer ties. Programs' subject matter has become much more liberal over the years, and reality programming became popular.
Successful programs, such as Texaco Star Theater, I Love Lucy, Marty, Gunsmoke, All in the Family, Friends, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, depend on group efforts. Many individuals also made significant contributions, among them David Sarnoff, William Paley, “Pat” Weaver, Rupert Murdoch, and Michael Eisner.
Television survived dark moments, such as blacklisting and the quiz scandals. This medium was accused of inciting riot conditions during the 1968 Democratic convention and praised for unifying a nation during the Kennedy assassination. Its future will undoubtedly change, but commercial television—which took the country by storm in a historically short period—seems bound to continue.
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education