COM 201: Media and Culture Chapter 5: Television I. Origins and Early Development of TV . prime-time: t!roug!out 1"#0s$ TV snat%!

ed radio&s national sponsors$ program ideas$ and its prime'time audien%es (. Early TV Te%!nology 1. )etting Te%!ni%al )tandards a. late 1"*0s$ +ational Television )ystems Committee ,+T)C-$ a group representing ma.or ele%troni%s firms$ /egan meeting to outline industry'0ide manufa%turing and te%!ni%al standards /. 1CC adopted a #2#'line image$ s%anned ele%troni%ally at *0 frames per se%ond ,fps-22t!is is still standard for all TV sets produ%ed in 3.). 2. 1iddling 04 1re5uen%ies and 1ree6ing TV 7i%enses a. VHF: very !ig! fre5uen%y /. UHF: ultra!ig! fre5uen%y *. Digital TV and End of nalog a. analog transmission: images are sent as %ontinuous signals t!roug! air0aves on spe%ifi% fre5uen%ies /. digital technology: %onverts images and te8t to %omputeri6ed signals C. )ponsors!ip and )%andal 9 TV :ro0s 3p 1. ;ise and 1all of )ponsors!ip a. /road%ast net0or<s /e%ame un!appy 04 %ontrol sponsors e8erted over program %ontent$ and t!ey too< steps to %!ange t!ings22diminis! role of sponsors 2. =ui6')!o0 )%andals )eal )ponsors!ip&s 1ate a. pressure on TV e8e%utives to rig programs and su/se5uent fraud effe%tively put an end to any role sponsors mig!t !ave !ad in %reating TV %ontent /. alt!oug! many meri%ans !ad /elieved in demo%rati% possi/ilities of TV$ t!is /elief 0as undermined /y sponsor and TV e8e%utives 0!o parti%ipated in fraud %. t!ey magnified separation /4n privileged fe0 and general pu/li%$ a division /4n !ig! and lo0 t!at 0ould affe%t print and visual %ulture for at least ne8t >0 yrs II. Ma.or ?rogramming Trends in TV ge . TV Info: Our Daily +e0s Culture 1. +(C +e0s 2. C() +e0s a. affiliate stations: independently o0ned stations t!at sign %ontra%ts 04 a net0or< and %arry its programs-22C() 0as first ne0s s!o0 videotaped for re/road%ast on t!ese stations *. (C +e0s >. Contemporary Trends in +et0or< and Ca/le +e0s a. TV newsmagazines: featured * stories per episode$ alternating !ard'!itting %ele/rities$ %ultural trends$ and assorted dignitaries (. TV Entertainment: Our Comi% and Dramati% Culture 1. kinescope: a film %amera re%orded a live TV s!o0 off a studio monitor

a. /efore days of videotape$ 0!en only 0ay to preserve a live /road%ast 0as t!roug! t!is te%!ni5ue /. poor 5uality@ most series saved in t!is 0ay !ave not survived 2. Televised Comedy: 1rom )<et%!es to )it%oms a. Sketch Comedy: vaudeo ,marriage of vaudeville and video-. <ey element in early vaudeville'li<e TV variety s!o0s. ;esurre%ted essentials of stage variety entertainment and played to noisy studio audien%es /. Situation Comedy: features a re%urring %ast. )tory esta/lis!es a situation$ %ompli%ates it$ develops in%reasing %onfusion among its %!ara%ters$ and t!en alleviates %ompli%ations %. Domestic Comedy: spin'off of sit%om form in 0!i%! %!ara%ters and settings are more important t!an %ompli%ated predi%aments. :reater emp!asis on %!ara%ter development t!an on reesta/lis!ing order t!at&s /een disrupted /y %onfusion. Main emp!asis is on !o0 %!ara%ters rea%t to one anot!er. 1amily and 0or<pla%e /onds are tested and strengt!ened /y end of s!o0 *. Televised Drama: nt!ologies vs. Episodes a. nthology Drama: /roug!t live dramati% t!eater to TV. Entertained and often %!allenged a more elite and 0ealt!ier audien%e. Offered ne0 teleplays$ %asts$ dire%tors$ 0riters$ and sets. (ased on original material i. eventually stopped /eing produ%ed /4% advertisers disli<ed t!em$ t!ey 0ere largely supported /y a more affluent audien%e$ t!ey 0ere e8pensive to produ%e$ and 0ere sometimes la/eled Apoliti%ally %ontroversialB /. !pisodic Series: /est suited for 0ee<ly grind of televised drama. Main %!ara%ters %ontinue from 0ee< to 0ee<$ sets and lo%ales remain same$ and te%!ni%al %re0s stay 04 program. )tory %on%epts are /road enoug! to a%%ommodate ne0 adventures ea%! 0ee<$ %reating an atmosp!ere in 0!i%! t!ere&re ongoing %!ara%ters 04 0!om vie0ers %an regularly identify i. 2 types: chapter shows ,employ self'%ontained stories t!at feature a pro/lem$ a series of %onfli%ts$ and a resolution- and serial programs ,open'ended episodi% s!o0s 9 most story lines %ontinue from episode to episode22%!eaper to produ%eii. stripped: s!o0n # days a 0ee< in almost any order$ not re5uiring vie0ers to 0at%! t!em on a daily /asis ,most reruns of older net0or< s!o0sIII. De%line of +et0or< Era . network era: period from late 1"#0s$ 0!en net0or<s gained %ontrol over TV&s %ontent$ to end of 1"C0s (. +e0 Te%!nologies ;edu%e +et0or< Control 1. independent station: not affiliated 04 a net0or< 2. "ideocassette recorders #VC$s%: ena/led vie0ers to tape're%ord TV programs and play t!em /a%< later on TV *. time shifting: o%%urs 0!en vie0ers tape s!o0s and 0at%! t!em later$ 0!en it&s more %onvenient >. &'lack 'o() technologies: su%! as DV; t!at ena/les users to find and re%ord spe%ifi% s!o0s and 0at%! t!em at a later time C. :ov&t ;egulations Temporarily ;estri%t +et0or< Control

1. infotainment: pa%<aged !uman'interest and %ele/rity stories in TV ne0s style$ during 0!i%! lo%al affiliates sold lu%rative regional ads 2. fin-syn: 1inan%ial Interest and )yndi%ation ;ules. Constituted most damaging atta%< against net0or< TV monopoly in 1CC !istory a. net0or<s !ad run t!eir o0n syndi%ation %ompanies$ !o0ever 1CC /anned net0or<s from reaping profits from program syndi%ation D. Emerging +et0or<s Target Dout! Mar<et IV. E%onomi%s of TV . ?rime'Time ?rodu%tion 1. ;is<y (usiness: Defi%it 1inan%ing and Independents a. deficit financing: produ%tion %ompany leases s!o0 to a net0or< for a li%ense fee t!at&s less t!an %ost of produ%tion. Eo0 programs are <ept on air /. rerun syndication: programs t!at stay in a net0or<&s lineup long enoug! to /uild up suffi%ient episodes are sold ,syndi%ated- to !undreds of TV stations in 3) and overseas. It&s <ey to erasing losses generated /y defi%it finan%ing 2. +et0or< Cost')aving )trategies (. ?rime'Time Dist&n 1. * + *s: restri%tions pla%ed /y 1CC on net0or<'o0ned'and'operated stations. +et0or<s and ot!er %ompanies limited to o0ning 12 total stations a. 1CC also mandated t!at an o0ner&s %om/ined TV stations %ould rea%! no more t!an 2#F of nation&s TV !ouse!olds in order to ensure more diversity in o0ners!ip C. )yndi%ation Geeps )!o0s :oing and :oingH 1. e"ergreens: popular old net0or< reruns a. less %on%ern 04 5uality of programs and more %on%erned 04 <eeping %osts lo0$ delivering vie0ers to advertisers$ and dra0ing !ig!er ratings t!an t!eir %ompetitors 2. Off'+et0or< and 1irst';un )yndi%ation a. fringe time: in%ludes programming immediately /efore evening&s prime'time s%!edule$ %alled early fringe$ and time follo0ing lo%al evening ne0s or net0or<&s late'nig!t tal< s!o0s$ %alled late fringe /. off-network syndication: older programs$ no longer running during net0or< prime time$ are made availa/le for reruns to lo%al stations$ %a/le operators$ online servi%es$ and foreign mar<ets %. first-run syndication: a se%ond type of syndi%ation used to fill fringe time. ny program t!at&s spe%ifi%ally produ%ed for sale into syndi%ation mar<ets *. Ey/rid )yndi%ation a. ne0er )tar Tre< programs are e8ample of a !y/rid form of first'run syndi%ation >. (arter v. Cas! Deals a. most finan%ing of TV syndi%ation is /ased on eit!er %as! or /arter D. Measuring TV /y ;atings and )!ares 1. rating: a statisti%al estimate e8pressed as a per%entage of !ouse!olds tuned to a program in lo%al4national mar<et /eing sampled 2. share: a statisti%al estimate of per%entage of !omes tuned to a program %ompared 04 t!ose a%tually using t!eir sets at time of a sample E. lternative Voi%es

1. alternative programming does e8ist V. ?u/li%$ TV$ and Demo%ra%y . mainstream allure of TV is /ot! its strengt!s and its 0ea<ness 1. ,I-: offers spe%ial moments ,inaugurations$ )uper (o0ls$ Olympi%s$ "411$ et%.- t!at /ring large !eterogeneous groups toget!er for %ommon e8perien%es of s!aring info$ %ele/rating triump!s$ and mourning our losses 2. ,'-: TV doesn&t easily e8plore4adapt to territory outside t!at %ommon ground. J!en it aims for great meri%an middle$ it %an mute points of vie0 t!at are at edges a. 0e need to support idea t!at many voi%es and vie0s s!ould !ave a pla%e in media mar<et and on s%reen