RTV 3007 • Intro to Television

TELEVISION: THE EARLIEST DAYS

THE BOOM

• After World War 2, people saved money to buy TV sets.

• Improvements in picture quality

• Taverns rushed to acquire TV sets to show sports

• 1947 – Meet the Press

• 1948 - Democratic and GOP National Conventions televised

RADIO IS STILL IN CHARGE

• Stations still used radio to pay for TV programmin

• In 1947 ABC allowed pre-recorded material on radio. First disk jockeys by major network.

THE COLD WAR

• 1947 House Committee on Un-American Activities began investigating film industry workers with suspected ties to Communism.

• Public hearings underscored the propaganda potential of film.

• Studios fired suspected writers and actors ties. Beginning of Hollywood Blacklist.

• J. Edgar Hoover warns FCC not to issue broadcast licenses to parties with ties to Communism.

• FCC asked for proof. FBI said no, confidential sources.

• Birth of industry marked by “caution and cowardice.”

THE BLACKLIST

• Red Channels named dozens of TV and radio writers, actors, producers, directors, executives as Communist sympathizers.

• Shows began disappearing from TV and radio.

• Actors and actresses were suddenly dismissed from series.

• Blacklist management became part of the industry.

US VS. PARAMOUNT PICTURES 1948

• Movie studios could no longer own movie theaters• The US would no longer restrict imports of foreign films• US movie industry reinvented itself• Hollywood laid off hundreds of writers, directors, producers, actors• These Hollywood expats migrated to New York to try their hand at

television

HIT TV SHOWS IN 1949

• Texaco Star Theater with Milton Berle (Uncle Miltie)

• Toast of the Town with Ed Sullivan

• “Law and order” television was popular

• Law and order series were produced as formulaic episodes.

• Because of Cold War, bankers and businessmen could not be portrayed as bad guys on TV

• TV shows were live

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYAi3zA8p2A

FOLLOW THAT MAN 1949-1956

• Top-ranked TV show. Produced live.

• Could not gauge length of show. At the end of each episode a “search” scene where the star looked for clues. He would time this scene based on how much time was left

• Sponsored by Camel cigarettes.

• The bad guys could not smoke cigarettes.

• The show could not cover arson because fires might tie to cigarettes.

• No one could cough

• Doctors had to be shown in a positive manner

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZl5QV4pl9k

BIRTH OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING - 1950

• 1950 – Council on Educational Television is creted

• President Eisenhower appoints Freida Hennock, first woman to the FCC, who heads this commission.

• 1951 – Ford Foundation report showed that Americans witness more than 2970 acts or threats of violence on TV in one week

• In 1952 the FCC reserves some TV channels (both VHF and UHF) for educational TV

AMERICA LOVES LUCY 1951-TODAY

• First scripted TV show filmed instead of broadcast live.

• Filmed before a studio audience (no laugh track).

• Pioneered multi-camera technique.

• Produced in Hollywood. (Ended NYC’s hold on TV)

• Lucy & Desi were TV’s first “interracial couple”

• Top-rated TV show after 1 year

• January 19, 1953 – Lucy character has her baby on TV. Nearly 70% of all TV sets were tuned in to watch.

AMERICA LOVES LUCY 1951-TODAY

• Because Lucy & Desi owned the rights to the show, they became the first multi-millionaire TV stars.

• Since its initial broadcast in 1951, I Love Lucy has never stopped airing on TV.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Kcq1K-51M

TV IN 1952

• TV moves to pre-recorded content rather than live broadasts

• Political parties focus on TV over radio

• TV expands internationally – Europe, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba

• Eisenhower wins TV through scripted presentations: arrival of hero, speech, departure of hero

• Nixon’s Checkers speech. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqjwBDH-vhY

• Radio changes its format to compete with TV