VM100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Paddy Chayefsky, Texaco Star Theatre, Philo Farnsworth
1 Jul 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
VM100!
Semester #1 Lecture #15
Prof. Michael Selig
Television!!!
-TV development financed by AM radio profits (finance, broadcasting)
-Radio networks develop in twenties to broadcast live quality programming- TV adds pictures
-Network structure decreases costs of show production- serving mass market, vertical
integration
-Most local productions broadcasted affiliated with networks, not owned by them
-Used to be 7-7-7 rule; no company could have more than 7 AM stations, 7 FM stations and 7
TV stations
Programming on Radio
1920s- Live music, variety
1930s- “Golden Age” of comedy, drama and variety
-TV networks derived from radio networks -CBS, ABC and NBC
-TV becomes national medium while radio becomes local and regional
-TV comedy, drama and variety from old network radio shows
-Everything on radio gradually transitions to television (Ex- Amos and Andy)
Recording Programming on Radio
-Before WWII
-On network, 10-15% of airtime was made of pre-recorded commercials, jingles etc
-On nonaffiliated stations, up to 80% is pre-recorded
-Expansion of radio stations without network affiliations through 40s-50s
The Development of Television Technology
-WWII causes freeze on TV development, everything is directed towards war effort
-Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworkin at RCA.
-The two fought for patent-rights- Farnsworth, independent inventor…but television
development stops during war and RCA ends up making $$ post-WWII.
1948-1952
-FCC and freeze on TV station licenses
-Overlapping signals in large market
-Industry fights over color TV, UHF (ultra high-frequency, which needs different antenna), and
educational licenses
-NBC is owned by RCA, vs. CBS
Expansion of the Home TV
1948- Less than 1% of homes had television
1952- 108 TV stations, 35% of homes with TV
1955- License issues freezes lifted, over 400 stations…cost comes down, so 65% of homes
with TV
Why?- By early 1952, regular network programming on TV started
-Radio networks lose sponsors (especially national sponsors) to TV, where products can be
seen
-Single sponsors most common in TV’s early years, in which production is dependent
Document Summary
Tv development nanced by am radio pro ts ( nance, broadcasting) Radio networks develop in twenties to broadcast live quality programming- tv adds pictures. Network structure decreases costs of show production- serving mass market, vertical integration. Most local productions broadcasted af liated with networks, not owned by them. Used to be 7-7-7 rule; no company could have more than 7 am stations, 7 fm stations and 7. 1930s- golden age of comedy, drama and variety. Tv networks derived from radio networks -cbs, abc and nbc. Tv becomes national medium while radio becomes local and regional. Tv comedy, drama and variety from old network radio shows. Everything on radio gradually transitions to television (ex- amos and andy) On network, 10-15% of airtime was made of pre-recorded commercials, jingles etc. On nonaf liated stations, up to 80% is pre-recorded. Expansion of radio stations without network af liations through 40s-50s. Wwii causes freeze on tv development, everything is directed towards war effort.
