Mechanical and Mechanical and ElectronicElectronic

In the early days of television there were two experimental paths: Mechanical and Electronic.

Inventors were either experimenting with mechanical disks or cathode ray tubes.

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Key Figures/Events:Key Figures/Events:

Mechanical Scanning

Paul Nipkow, Germany, 1884Charles Jenkins, Radiovision: 1923; 1925First TV Station, 1928John Logie Baird, British,1925

Electronic Scanning

Philo T Farnsworth, 1922 Allen Dumont CRT, 1930s RCA and David Sarnoff, 1932German Olympics, 1936 New York World's Fair, 1939 John Logie Baird

Mechanical ScanningMechanical ScanningThe beginnings of mechanical television can be traced to the invention

of a scanning disk patented by Paul Gottlieb Nipkow in 1884

Paul Gottlieb Nipkow

Mechanical Scanning Paul Nipkow, Germany, 1884The device consisted of a disc with a spiral of holes. As the disc spins, the eye of the viewer blurs the points together to re-create a full picture.

7Paul Nipkow and his Mechanical Scanning Device

Mechanical Scanning Paul Nipkow, Germany, 1884

Although it’s not known if he ever built the device, the idea became the basis for many early television systems.

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Both Charles Jenkins and John Logie Baird demonstrated the mechanical transmission of

images over wire circuits

CharlesJenkins

Charles Francis Jenkins claimed to have transmitted the earliest moving images in 1923 using what he called Radiovision. In 1925 he publicly

demonstrated synchronized transmission of pictures and sound.

Charles Jenkins Mechanical ScanningCharles Jenkins Mechanical Scanning

First Television Station: Jenkin’s W3XK 1928First Television Station: Jenkin’s W3XK 1928

Ad for Jenkin’s Radiovisor and

Television Receiver kits.

Equipment based on Nipkow’s mechanical

disc principle.

John Logie Baird, Scottish inventor, first transmissions of simple face shapes in 1924 using mechanical television. March 25, 1925, Baird

demonstrated "television" at London department store Selfridges. Only silhouettes were visible.

John Logie Baird – Mechanical Scanning

Group gathered to watch the first broadcast.

John Logie Baird with his Televisor 1925 John Logie Baird with his Televisor 1925

The Baird tin box televisor, 1930.

From 1929 to 1935, the BBC used Baird’s system until it was replaced by electronic systems.

Although mechanical scanning was not the winning system, Baird continued to make developments in the field demonstrating colour television in 1939 using a cathode ray tube.

Electronic ScanningElectronic Scanning

Philo T Farnsworth

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  Electronic Scanning

Philo Farnsworth,

1927

Television was first successfully demonstrated in San Francisco in 1927 by

Philo Farnsworth, a 21-year-old inventor using Allen Dumont's cathode

ray tube

Philo T FarnsworthPhilo T Farnsworth

As a young boy, living on a farm, Philo came up with the idea of electronically scanning images for transmission. He shared the idea with his high school teacher at Rigby High.

Farnsworth’s conceptual sketch, 1922. Philo T. Farnsworth Archives.Rigby High School, Rigby, Idaho

Farnsworth moved to California to work on an electronic television system and in 1927 his "Image Dissector" transmitted the first electronic television image to a screen.

He spent years arguing over patent rights with David Sarnoff and engineer Vladimir Zworykin of RCA but In 1934 the U.S. Patent Office sided with him. In 1939 Farnsworth sold his patents to RCA.

San Francisco, California

Long Distance TV Transmission

Transmission of image and audio of Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce

Audio: “Today we have, in a sense, the transmission of sight for the first time in the world’s history,” Hoover said. “Human genius has now destroyed the impediment of distance in a new respect, and in a manner hitherto unknown.”

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1927 AT&T introduced long distance TV with an image of Herbert Hoover,

US Secretary of Commerce

Image was sent from Washington to New York

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Electrical engineer Vladimir Zworykin holding his iconoscope television

camera tube

Electronic Scanning: Iconoscope In 1928 RCA and Westinghouse merged research operations and invented the iconoscope electronic scanning tube:

The first practical video camera tube used in early TV cameras.

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Electronic Scanning:

NBC: Felix the Cat

The first transmission on NBC was a cartoon drawing (60 line) of Felix the Cat

Felix the Cat first NBC transmission

Everyday Science and Mechanics 1932

On the Cathode Ray Tube

“Television receivers of tomorrow will employ this newest scanning device, which “paints” the image on a fluorescent screen with a beam of electrons moving at incredible speed.”

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Electronic Scanning

RCA and David Sarnoff, 1932

David Sarnoff, president of RCA, decided to invest more in the new medium that he called "television”

1930 resolution was 60 lines

30Television Camera Used During 1936 German Olympics

31 Television introduced to world at New York World’s Fair 1939

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W2XBS NBC, 1939

Experimental NBC station, W2XBS aired first televised major league baseball game Aug 26, 1939

Only 400 sets could receive signal

Commercial operations withheld until standards developed. The FCC allowed full commercial telecasting to begin on July 1, 1941

Ist BroadcastMajor League Baseball Game, 1939

Ad for the first televised Major League Baseball Game

Camera broadcasting the game between the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers, 1939

Photo -Museum of City of New York

First commercial was for Bulova watches and ran during a baseball game in 1941

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Historical Perspective: 1940s

After the FCC Regulation’s in 1941, the television stations broadcast for only a few hours in the evening

Basically they recreated radio shows, news, and sports.

6 months after commercial broadcasting began, the US entered World War II and production of television equipment stopped and most TV stations were shut down.

Only a few experimental stations stayed on the air during the war with only a few hours of broadcasting.

In 1946 after the war the three networks-CBS, NBC, ABC began serious broadcasting.

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Historical Perspective 1950s

"Golden Age" Network service in 1948 was to midwest and east coast and then to west coast in 1951

Dominance of Medium Comedies, Game Show Scandals and Blacklisting

Radio and Movies were threatened by TV

Advertisers sponsored programs and controlled how their ads were inserted

"Golden Age"

The I Love Lucy Show mirrored the stereotypical view of women in the 50s. In the show Ricky was the breadwinner, and Lucy the housewife. In real life Lucille Ball was a full partner in the writing and production.

50s Family Values

I Love Lucy was the first scripted television program to be shot on 35 mm film in front of a live studio audience. The show changed TV forever when they began videotaping bringing a world of re-runs!

Advertisers sponsored programs and controlled how their ads were inserted.

Smoking was normal

Philip Morris and I Love Lucy

1950s1950s

Hey Kids, What Time is Hey Kids, What Time is it?it?

Howdy Doody TimeHowdy Doody Time

Between 1947-1960 Howdy Doody Time ruled on NBC for kids running

5 days a week.

A 1955 catalogue had 24 pages of products licensed by the show including the puppet, toys and

clothing, plus tie-ins with cereals and other food products.

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1950s News was sponsored!

John Cameron Swayze

anchored 15 minute

Camel News Caravan

Swayze's contract required that a cigarette always be burning on camera, whether Swayze was

smoking it or not

1950s News was sponsored!

John Cameron Swayze

anchored 15 minute

Camel News Caravan

Swayze's contract required that a cigarette always be burning on camera, whether Swayze was

smoking it or not

The era of HUAC: The House Committee on Un-American

Activities and Hollywood Blacklisting

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1950s: The Newsman vs. the Commie Hunter

Joseph McCarthy HUACEdward R Murrow

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1950s         Edward R Murrow, News

Anchor

Murrow’s show See it Now focused on controversial issues.

He took on Senator Joseph McCarthy leading to a public backlash against McCarthy resulting in the senator’s

censure.

Lobby of CBS building has plaque "He set standards of excellence that

remain unsurpassed."

25-year career,+ 5000 broadcasts; invented the traditions of television

news.

Edward R Murrow

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In the 1950s there were over 22 Game Shows on the Air

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1950s Game Shows Scandals

Twenty One a Quiz show based on the blackjack made a pop

phenomenon of professor Charles Van Doren.

     

Charles Van Doren

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Twenty One and Game Show Scandals

The trouble was that the game show had made the handsome Van Doren a winner. In 1958 disgruntled former contestants reported that the games were rigged and contestants coached. Winners had been supplied answers in advance and the high-drama match-ups were choreographed.

Congressional hearings followed but there had been no laws; laws were created to prohibit fixing games. Networks and sponsors acknowledged the public's distaste and kept game shows off the air for a period of time. The quiz show scandals made the networks forever leery of "single sponsorship."

     

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1950s Game Shows

Queen For A Day

How weird could this be?

Hosted by Jack Bailey from 1956-1962 on NBC,

Queen For a Day saw poor bedraggled women telling their tales of woe.

The winner - the most pathetic - got prizes. Just what some woman who had lost everything needed- a refrigerator.

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1960s 90% of North Americans had television

Defining moments captured on TV:Kennedy Nixon DebateMartin Luther King –I have a DreamAssassination of JFKOswald shot by Jack RubyThe Beatles on Ed SullivanColour TelevisionCounter Culture- Smothers BrothersVietnam war on the living room TVUS lands on Moon

Cable and Video IntroducedViolence and Inanity CriticizedNews Coverage Praised Satellites Employed        

     

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1960s Changing Politics

1960 in Kennedy –Nixon Debate First televised debate

Those listening on radio preferred Nixon, but those watching on television

preferred the young attractive Kennedy compared to the sweaty, pale looking

Nixon.

Recognition of the Importance of TV and “image”

             

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Rod Serling always smoking1960s Science Fiction on Television

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1960s Comedy

Laugh in

"One ringy-dingy...two ringy-dingies..." "Sock it to me!"

Popular Culture Memes

“You bet your sweet bippy!”

"Here come de judge!"

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1964 Political Ad Controversy

Lyndon Johnson runs Daisy ad in 1964 striking fears in minds of voters.

A little girl picks the petals of a daisy counting each petal. When she reaches "nine", a male voice counts down a missile launch. On reaching zero blackness is by replaced by a nuclear mushroom explosion. followed by the words,"These are the stakes. To make a world in which all of God's children can live, or to go into the dark. We must either love each other, or we must die” Vote Lyndon Johnson on November 3rd.

The ad ran once during a Monday Night Movie.

Johnson won with a landslide.

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Late 1960s

Smothers Brothers

By the late 60’s political comment was being

suppressed and caused cancellations of shows like Smothers Brothers which targeted racism,

Vietnam war and Nixon.

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  1970s Colour TV outselling Black & White           

FCC becomes more AggressiveSpin-Offs shows are Popular

Decline of the Western and Soap Opera BoomWar and protest still televised

1970 brought Sesame Street and the Kent State Massacre

TV content criticism continuesMore Government regulations

Cigarette commercials were banned A "Family Hour" established before 9 pm- it was repealed

1977 videotaped movies appear for home viewingPersonal video taping Beta vs VHS

Satellite and Cable

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 1980s

VCR allowed viewers to manage, organize and control the programs available to them.

Remote controls- Zipping and Zapping

"independent” TV and cable TV captured 40% of market

Sitcoms: The Cosby Show, Cheers, Family Ties, Roseanne, Alf, Married with Children

The infomercial became a popular ad medium

Energizer Bunny, 1984 Apple Ad, Where’s the Beef Wendy’s ad, California Raisins

Claymation AD

TV ads for political campaigns

24 Hour Cable News

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1980s --- CABLE!

CNN 24-hour cable news founded 1980

80s cost cutting in networks led to fewer journalists allowing Ted Turner's Cable News Network CCN to become

a prominent source for worldwide news

1985 Rupert Murdock bought half of 20th Century Fox and two years later

started Fox

Popular 1990 Shows

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1990s

Video REVOLUTION

Citizen Journalism

March 3 1991

Rodney King Beating Captured on Tape

Average citizen, George Holliday has captured the news and influenced events

Rodney King George Holliday

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1990s Video REVOLUTION

Citizen Journalism

March 3 1991

Rodney King Beating Captured on Tape

After the Trial - LA RIOTS

1990s/2000s

CABLE REVOLUTION

War is Sanitized

CNN brought the first Gulf War(1990-1991) live to the living rooms the world over. During the Gulf War (Desert Storm) Allied headquarters released videogame-like pictures of "smart bombs" destroying military installations

Sometimes broadcasts showed reporters live in their gas masks during a suspected chemical weapons attack (there were none) Arthur Kent became known as the Stud Scud

SMART BOMBS?

NO BLOOD shown

Peter Arnett of CNN

The Stud Scud - Arthur Kent

The CNN effect”It's usually thought of as the effect that continuous and instantaneous television may have on foreign policy

   

1990s/2000s

CABLE REVOLUTION

CNN Gulf War live to the living rooms the world over.

videogame-like pictures of "smart bombs”

“The CNN effect”

SMART BOMBS? SMART BOMBS? NO BLOOD shownNO BLOOD shown

World news events changed the way stories were covered- 2000 US election and Sept 11,2001

Reporters concerned with scooping others and reported events prematurely- networks depended on exit polls and all called Gore the winner, then the recanting began and called for Bush, then declared indecision weeks of confusion followed.

After 9/11 people were afraid to criticize government

2000s2000s

20042004

Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Superbowl led to the incident being used as a wedge to try to enact further speech restrictions by congress and FCC creating a "chilling effect" on what the media was allowed to show Conservative backlash

With 24- hour news networks, sensationalism reigns.

The sky is falling! Again and again.

Popular Shows in the 2000s- Rise of Cable Network Drama Series and Reality

Change: Multiple Screens-It’s not just cable and satellite anymore

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2010s and beyond 2010s and beyond

Where is the emphasis?Where is the emphasis?What is news? Infotainment?What is news? Infotainment?

Is there a future for television as we know it?Is there a future for television as we know it?Image Source: Business Insider

?Is it the