Blog Post #4: EOTO 1- The History and Impact of Television

History 

Television is such a common aspect in our society today. There were an estimated 121 million TV homes in the U.S. for the 2020-2021 season and is extremely rare nowadays to walk into a house that does not have at least one television sitting somewhere in the house. However, an electronic television is not something that has even existed for a full century. The world's first electronic television was invented in 1927 by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, who was 21 years old at the time. Farnsworth at the time was looking for an invention that could capture moving images, transform those images into code, then move those images along radio waves to different devices. At this time, radio had existed for a couple of years, but it was still hard and not as easy to access breaking news and entertainment like it is today, but the television was meant to address that issue. Mechanical televisions had already existed in the early 1900s, but were not as accessible and used by individuals at the time. It did end up however serving as the building block for the idea to create an electronic television and by 1934, all TV's had been converted into an electronic system which then allowed for more technological advancements to be placed into a TV. 

The very first television broadcast would end up occurring less than a year after the electronic television had been made, in 1928 as W3XK became the first mechanical TV station. W3XK was actually created by one of the inventors of the mechanical television in Charles Francis Jenkins and their first ever broadcast aired on July 2nd, 1928. Television would continue to test out the waters during its first couple of years after the initial TV broadcast had been aired as the television set while created in 1928, was not made available to the public until 1938. Sports began being aired on TV in 1939 as the first broadcast of athletics was a college baseball game between the Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers. Sure it was not a Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird matchup, but the fact that an entire sports broadcast with a sport that requires a heavy variety of camera angels and equipment to produce was actually televised a little over 10 years after the first TV broadcast is extremely fascinating. Sports is one of the most consumed topics that is watched on television today with mega events like The Super Bowl and the Olympics drawing in millions and millions of viewers. It was another step in the right direction for TV as they were able to put a source of entertainment on the air for viewers to watch. Television then took a major leap in 1941, when the FCC authorized the addition of commercial broadcasting. NBC was the first channel to have a commercial and it lasted 10 seconds and made them $7.00. Later on in the year of 1941, Pearl Harbor occurred which led to the first major news story to be broken and covered on television.

Scenes from the first ever sports broadcast shown live on television 
which was a college baseball match that featured the Columbia Lions
and the Princeton Tigers on May 17, 1939

With the innovation of the television and television broadcasts still being relatively new at the time, further logistics and inventions were still in the works. The first remote control did not make its appearance until 1948 and it was called the Tele Zoom and it was not a remote that you could find in today's world. The sole purpose of the Tele Zoom was to "zoom in" to the picture. Even if you wanted to change channels or turn the TV both on and off, the Tele Zoom prohibited you from doing that. Most of us today may look back at that and think "why was the Tele Zoom even invented if it was only used to zoom in and not even for what a television remote should be mainly used for?" Well, think about it this way, inventors at this time were continuously trying to come up with unique ways to further enhance the quality and level of televisions and it took them to jump through a couple of hoops in order to get to where they wanted to be with the television. Getting a television to be made was already hard enough, getting a television broadcast to air was even harder, and then trying to get a TV set, commercials, and a full on remote incorporated into all of that, yeah that's not going to happen in solely the span of 6 months. Patience was key with the development of the television, but with the idea of promoting innovation at the time being such a critical factor, it motivated these creators and developers of television to continue finding more ways to better the television experience.

Unfortunately for the Television industry, they were heavily effected by both World War II as in April of 1942, the 5,000 television sets that were in operation at the time as well as the production of brand new television and broadcasting equipment was put on pause (no pun intended) until August of 1945. The three year hiatus caused for more detriment that a world that was already in such a horrendous spot at the time with ongoing violence occurring worldwide. However, fast forwarding to 1946, World War II was officially over and people were ready to see some quality television on their screens after they had been missing that for the past couple of years. The hiatus of television actually helped and allowed for more people to get on board with the technological advancement of television as in 1947, there were about 44,000 TV's and this number skyrocketed in just two years to an overall amount of 940,000 in 1949 and eventually 20 million in 1953. 

After World War II, there was a high demand for buying televisions 
by the general public which led to a drastic increase in the
amount of homes that had a television.

The concept of black and white television had been thought of as "old" when television came back to fruition in 1946 and if there was any time for the TV industry to go all in with a new invention it was now. People are always intrigued to witness a new invention but what separates whether that invention will continue to advance and be commonly used by a majority of society 10-15 years after its invented is whether or not the individuals behind that invention come up with intelligent methods on how to enhance the experience of the invention and make it more fresh and appealing to match the wants and needs of society at the time. 

Color television ended up coming to screens in 1946, an invention that actually had been in existence since 1925 as inventor Vladamir Zworykin came up with a conceptualized color TV system, however all the attempts to actually turn the system into a reality failed and it was not until the year of 1946 that color televisions were an actual thing. Because there had now been a decent amount of television stations in existence at this time, arguments began developing of which station was going to be the most superior and the national standard for color television. The two big stations going back and forth against one another were CBS and RCA. CBS was the first television company to create a color set, however there was a major drawback as it was a mechanical television that it was made one which therefore was not going to be compatible with white and black TV sets across America since there was difference between the mechanical and electronic televisions. Despite this, CBS was deemed as the national standard, but that only motivated RCA to keep pushing even harder to take the crown away from CBS and sure enough, in 1953, the FCC acknowledged that the RCA color system was better and RCA color sets began to be sold in 1954. Color TV programming would then begin in America in the year of 1966 which led to a drastic increase of color television sets in homes across the U.S.

Historic Moments for Television

Once the foundation of television was set, many historic moments in U.S. history were able to be broadcasted live on television and then covered elaborately. Moments like Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon debut on TV in 1969 with millions of American viewers watching it on network TV. In addition, some of the most notable channels in existence today like ESPN, MTV, and CNN would make their way onto the air. Listed below is a timeline of when these most popular networks made its debut on air

1979: ESPN makes its debut on cable and steadily becomes the premier network for coverage of sports and its success rate of its initial channel was so high that additional channels of the network were later on created such as ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN News, and even a streaming service called ESPN+

1980: CNN is created as a channel intended to broadcast news 24 hours a day

1980: MTV is created and becomes a very popular channel featuring many of the world's greatest artists performing live on television 

1983: Many public TV stations air a live open-heart surgery covered by KAET, Phoenix which is the world's first live telecast of an open-heart surgery

1987: Cable television passed the 50 percent barrier

1990: PBS launches PBS home video

Impact of Television

There is no doubt that the invention of the television and television broadcasts helped provide a larger sense of unity for individuals across the world, but with this invention also came some detrimental effects to our society as well. Let's first take a look at the positive effects of the television...

Positive Effects

The most obvious positive of having millions of television sets in homes nowadays is that it allows for our greater society to stay informed with the current and breaking news that is having a great effect on this world. Whether it's positive or negative, being able to turn on the television and instantly receive information on these topics creates a reliability that TV brings to people. It also helps that there are numerous channels that report on the same type of news such as natural disasters, an election, etc. as it provides a variety to society. However, there is a negative flaw that comes along with that which I will touch more on in the negative effects section of this blog. Furthermore, TV simply makes for quality entertainment and the invention of television allowed for historic moments in U.S. history like that first step of the moon, game winners in NBA playoff games, and musical performances to be shown live to millions of people across the world. Without having a system to capture all of that, it would be bring a much smaller viewership to those type of events. Professional sport organizations today rely heavily on meeting the average number of viewers that they project and want to have during the season. This is why television contracts are so important because these organizations want to make sure that they are partnering with a network that is capable of attracting viewers and promoting the product proficiently as well. This is the reason why ESPN is so popular and gets to carry many of the major U.S. sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB because they know how to market their product and broadcast and cover the events the right way. ESPN is also known for having some of the most well-known sports media personalities on their network like Stephen A. Smith and Mike Breen which attracts more viewers to their network. This is a very similar approach that a network like NBC for instance will take, when it comes to who they want serving as personalities or judges for their reality shows like America's Got Talent and the Voice. A stronger presentation of television leads to more viewers which leads to a larger profit for the network and as we all know, money is an important aspect in practically everyone's life. 

With that being said, television allows for more connection and unity across individuals from all around the world. Think about your favorite television show and how many times you have met someone who also loves that show just as much as you do. Typically it is a great way to begin a conversation and oftentimes it allows you to connect with that person you're talking to a lot easier because there is so much action in a television show revolving around its characters, setting, dialogue, and of course the main plot itself, that it creates for a jam-packed but extremely entertaining conversation. This is very common across reality shows like The Bachelor or The Masked Singer simply because as the seasons of these shows progress, viewers become more and more attached to a certain person part of the show that it creates widespread discussions of who's going to be the last one standing at the end of the season. A similar discussion can be made with fictional television shows like Stranger Things or Cobra Kai as these shows with a large following have a lot of hype around them especially when a new season is released. Fans from each respective show will come out and post on their social media of how excited they are to watch this season and will share their favorite moments from the new season which will typically lead to an enormous discussion being created on social media that will result in it trending on whatever platform it is getting discussed on. The increasing presence of social media allows for all of these television shows to be discussed a lot more and unlike the 1980s where social media was nonexistent, here in 2021 it is very easy to get access to watching a show on your television and even though shows like Stranger Things and Cobra Kai are Netflix Originals, they can still be watched on a television bringing the comfort to the viewer and gives them the same exact experience watching the show just as if they were watching it on a channel like ABC or FOX. 

Another prominent positive of why television is such a tremendous complement to our society is the fact that there can be lots of mental health benefits if one were to watch and grown attached to the right show. There are numerous facets in our world that lots of people use an escape from the real world. For some it may be video games and for others it may be listening to music, but for many it can simply be turning on the TV and watching their favorite television show. Think about many times you're thinking about what's on your to do list when you're watching TV. Probably not too many times, right? This is because television is meant to sooth your mind and especially if it's a sitcom of some sort that can make you laugh then that's even better! Laughing is good for the soul and a study from the University of Rochester was conducted and found that people are more energetic after watching nature scenes. For me personally, watching a television show allows me to get some quality laughs in and connect to another world. Especially if it's a fictional show, I am able to enter this whole new area and connect with the characters and plot of the show to make it feel like that I am actually there with them. In addition, if you're someone like me who loves to munch on their favorite snack and sip on their favorite drink while watching a show, then you really are relaxing while watching TV. Even if it's simply one 30 minute episode, watching television helps relax our brain, recharge, and relieve the stress and pressure that we may be facing during that time.

Listed below are a couple of more benefits to watching television...

• Allows you to get inspired
• You can learn other languages from watching television 
  
• Great thing to do for family bonding
• Allows you to get cultured if you are watching shows from a country or area that you do not live in
• Can be a great source of education, especially if you are watching a show like the Discovery Channel or the History Channel
• Fight temptation

Negative Effects

While there are many bright sides to watching television, there are some drawbacks that have caused the idea of watching television on a consistent basis stirring up some serious controversy on whether or not it is a valuable benefit for a human being... 

One of the most discussed cons of watching television is the violence that can be presented and inserted into the minds and bodies of human beings, specifically children. With TV parental guidelines going info effect back in 1997, the whole idea around the creation of that was to make it easier for parents to be aware of what programs would be suitable and not suitable for their children. The biggest fear of course, is that if a child watches a program they should not be watching, say a 8 year old watching a rated R horror movie, it can lead to them taking what they saw in the movie and replicating that in real life. Whether it's taking a knife in the kitchen and beginning to try and break and destroy everything with it or punching every object in sight, it is much easier for a child to become prone to committing these harmful actions if they were to watch an unsuitable program because their brain is still developing and they still have not conceptualized all of society's greater norms to be considered as close to or fully mature. In addition, another con that ties in with that idea of children picking up bad habits from television is the whole concept of consumerism. For instance, lots of ads are played on television and while some may be very appealing commercials for children like a cool new toy or pair of sneakers, there are many channels that will play alcohol commercials or ads for unhealthy restaurants that these children can get unintentionally exposed to which will not provide any benefits to them whatsoever. Moreover, it will put these wrong thoughts and habits into their arsenal which could severely harm their development. Part of a child being raised proficiently, is its parents/guardians to make sure they are developing properly and the risk of television putting a pause to that is a major reason why oftentimes children are restricted from watching certain channels or just watching TV all together.  

Lots of studies have also found a correlation that watching too much TV can have a detrimental effect on one's health and can lead to severe problems like obesity, sleep problems, and for students a decreased grade point average. A typical television show nowadays is approximately 41-42 minutes long with a half-hour show lasting for around 21-22 minutes. Especially if it is a series or a marathon that is constantly airing on TV, it can be very easy for someone to sit down on their couch, bed, or wherever and spend 3 or more straight hours watching that show. Add consuming 2 bags of chips and 3 cans of sprite to that and you're looking at an immense intake of calories that will now need to be burned as soon as possible. The problem is very few people are actually going to go to the gym and workout or go outside for a run after they have finished watching TV for several hours. Television instantly draws an individual to a lazy mode that they will not be able to get out for awhile and soon rather than later it can become an ongoing habit that will become extremely difficult for a person to break. Furthermore, making watching television a habit will most likely cause you to be distracted from completing your other tasks whether its schoolwork, chores, etc. This in return can decrease your ambition to actually go out and see the real world and you may get to the point where you prefer to stay inside and watch television instead of going outside to shoot some hoops with friends. Sitting down continuously for hours will make you more lazy at the end of the day and especially if you are watching television in a comfortable spot and are in the midst of watching a very good series, you will not feel the urge to be in any other location. I did mention earlier during the positives section that the beauty of certain TV shows is that you can connect to certain characters, but watching too much TV can make the television itself your best friend and not allow you to develop your social skills which is such an essential quality to have in order to live a more healthy and well-functioned life. 

Now going back even earlier in my blog, the first positive I mentioned about television is the fact that it allows to stay up to date with the latest news happening in the world especially with all these channels reporting on the same topics. However, a major drawback to that is that it can cause controversy with the ways channels are presenting this information to the general public. For example, an area like politics features there being different sides and viewpoints on a certain topic which can cause to some information being exaggerated or not reported on correctly because all of these different channels are trying to increase their reputation of being the one that provides the most up to date and reliable source of information. The media likes to try and brainwash viewers on certain occasions and watching too much of a certain channel can cause a person to become brainwashed by the content they are seeing. This is why it is so important to ensure that yourself and any of your closest family members and friends are watching the right kind of content on television. It can become so easy nowadays to get sucked into the wrong area and with the ongoing presence of social media today, trends and peer pressure can get into the minds of many individuals causing them to feel the urge to watch a certain show or follow a certain news channel when in reality that is not true. The experience of television should be made based on what you want it to be, but that is much easier said than done.

Listed below are a couple of more cons to watching television...

• Television often uses stereotypes and therefore can easily convey the wrong message to its viewers
• If watched too much, television can have a severe detriment and possibly ruin relationships with a romantic partner or friends if someone were to spend all of their free time watching TV instead of going to hang out and socialize with a friend/companion
• Traditional programming on television can cause for someone to become addicted to watching a certain show at a certain time (Example: Watching The Voice every Tuesday night at 8pm ET

Conclusion

To conclude, television has seen its fair share of achievements and setbacks through its development. When Philo Taylor Farnsworth created the first television way back in 1927, he definitely did not think it would end up becoming such a prominent facet of society like it is today. Television has not even existed for a full 100 years yet it has provided such an immense effect on the lives of human beings from all across the world. There's been a great amount of positives and negatives that it has brought, but ultimately it has served as an invention that has allowed us to advance as a society. Many people have careers thanks to the television whether its working behind the scenes as a director, producer, or writer and others have careers working in front of the scenes as an actor or host. Many of the world's largest moments are now able to be captured live on television bringing more attention to critical issues that are have an enormous effect on our society. Think back to last year in 2020. Once March hit, the COVID-19 pandemic had been taking full control of everyone's lives and television was right there to update everybody on the status of the pandemic. Fast forward to June of 2020 when the Black Lives Matter movement started, lots of media attention was given to that and numerous news stations were covering it on television. Not only did those channels showcase the coverage of the protests and such, but they also brought on numerous guest speakers to their channels to voice their opinions and/or share facts to the general public. 

Thanks to the advancement of technology, television is now able to produce more valuable content to its viewers, but as discussed earlier in the blog, the television had many modifications and upgrades made shortly after its creation in order for it to better appeal to society. Without those changes being made like the creation of DVR, the remote control, and HD-TV, the television may just have been another failed invention. However, television took a different turn and ended up meeting the needs of the general public and now you are very likely to find at least one television in any household you walk into nowadays. Although social media may be stealing some of television's thunder with breaking news and releasing content on their platforms with things like Instagram TV and YouTube originals, there is still a widespread of individuals turning on their television today that is making it a still prominent facet of our society. No matter how more advanced social media continues to get as time progresses, the television will always be here and a valuable item of our society. The television is here to stay forever and we should all be grateful for all the joyous wonders that this invention has brought to our lives and how it has allowed for our greater society to connect a lot more as a whole.