Television
Outline of Topics
- Basic Themes
- History
- Organization of the Industry
- Basic TV Technology
- Cable TV
- Satellite TV
- Video Cassette Recorders
- Audience Measurement
- Programming
- Revenues
- TV Station Organization
- Ownership Issues
- Impact on Other Media
- Technology and the Future
Basic Themes
- Television is the most
popular medium in the U.S. for news and entertainment.
- Television is a powerful
advertising medium.
- Television has a strong
influence on people, other media, and culture. Short-term impacts are easier
to measure than long-term impacts.
TV’s Impact on Culture
- Has changed American
lifestyles
- Can rivet attention on
issues
- Fictional characters capture
public imagination
Introduction
- About 1,500 TV stations
operate in the United States.
- Three out of four are
commercial stations.
- More than half of the
commercial stations are affiliated with a network.
Introduction
- Commercial TV exists
primarily as an advertising medium.
- Because TV can deliver a
larger audience faster than any other medium, TV can charge the highest
rates for its advertising.
- A 30-second spot during a
network program costs and average of $120,000 and nearly $1 million during
the Super Bowl.
Television Technology: Beginnings
- Radio already set much of
the historical, economic, and social tone for TV.
- The first major
technological discovery to suggest that pictures could travel over
distance (via wires) was the Nipkow disk, and "electrical
telescope" patented by Paul Nipkow in Germany in 1884.
Television Technology:Beginnings
- In 1927, Secretary of
Commerce Herbert Hoover appeared on a 2-inch screen by a wire in an
experimental AT&T broadcast.
- David Sarnoff at RCA, which
had hired Vladimir Zworykin and signed a license agreement with Philo T.
Farnsworth, became the biggest promoter of television.
Television Technology: Beginnings
- Two researchers brought TV
into the electronic age.
- Zworykin was working for
Westinghouse when he developed an all electronic system to transfer a
visual image into an electrical signal.
- Farnsworth, working alone in
California, developed the cathode ray tube, which used an electronic
scanner to reproduce the electronic image.
Philo Farnsworth
Television Technology: Beginnings
- NBC’s commercial TV debut
was at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City.
- William Paley’s CBS and
experimenter Alen B. Dumont also were telecasting from New York in 1939.
- World War II put TV on
hold,but technological advances continued, including Zworykin’s image
orthicon tube, which produced a more realistic picture.
Television Technology: Beginnings
- NBC and CBS were the
original TV networks; ABC developed from the old Blue network of NBC in
1943.
Television Technology: Beginnings
- The F.C.C. authorizes the
RCA color system after a long battle with CBS
- The F.C.C. allocates channels
14-83 in the UHF spectrum to allow for more stations
Television Takes over Radio
- When the FCC resumed TV
licensing in 1945, ten TV stations on the air.
- Sarnoff and Paley used
radio profits to develop TV, foreseeing that TV would expand their
audiences and income.
Television Takes Over Radio
- In 1947, CBS and NBC
introduced 15 minute news programs.
- The first network news
reached only the East Coast because of a lack of the necessary coaxial
hookups to connect the whole country.
- When the 1952 political conventions
were broadcast, AT&T’s national hookups joined 108 stations across the
country.
Television Takes Over Radio
- Many of CBS’s radio
reporters moved to TV.
- Eventually, the networks
expanded their public affairs programming to include a variety of
programs.
- Murrow’s See It
Now
- The
Huntley-Brinkley Report
Television Takes Over Radio
- Most TV entertainment
programming, with the exception of the talk show and movies, was derived
from radio.
- Variety shows (Radio stars
jumping to TV included Milton Berle and Sid Caesar.)
- Advertising began to
cost more during prime time, 7-11p.m.
- Situation comedies
Television Takes Over Radio
- Drama
- Westerns
- Detective stories
- Movies
- After early
resistance, studios licensed or sold films for TV presentation. RKO was
first in 1957, selling 740 pre 1948 movies to TV for $25 million.
- Soap operas
Television Takes Over Radio
- Quiz shows
- The Revlon-sponsored
$64,000 Question and other quiz shows were found to be rigged to
enhance ratings.
- Before the 1958-1959
quiz show scandals 1/4 -1/3of network programming was produced by
advertisers and their agencies.
- By the 1960’s,
advertisers produced less than 3 percent of network programs.
Television Takes Over Radio
- Talk shows
- Sylvester
"Pat" Waever created formats original to TV in the Tonight and
Today shows.
TV Grows Up
- Newton Minow
- Named FCC chairman by
President Kennedy in 1961
- Believed ratings dominated
TV was a "vast wasteland" and warned broadcasters to live up to
their responsibilities to the public.
TV Grows Up
- In 1962, the Telstar
satellite was used for the fist trans-Atlantic broadcast.
- By 1965, all three networks
were broadcasting in color.
- TV news matured as it
broadcast major events.
TV Grows Up
- The protest movement of the
late 1960’s and early 1970’s spawned entertainment programs that
challenged the establishment.
- All in the Family
- M*A*S*H
"Golden" Ages of Television
- 1950-1960
- programming is new
- everything is live
- 1960-1980
- high profits for the big 3
networks since there is virtually no competition
TV Grows Up
- Kennedy was the nation’s
first TV president.
- His predecessors has
appeared on TV, but he instinctively knew how to use the medium.
- Kennedy used TV to deliver
his ultimatum during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and TV covered the after
math of Kennedy’s assassination for four days in November 1963.
TV Grows Up
- Anti-Vietnam War marchers
and the war itself appeared daily on television.
- When the Nixon
administration felt its Vietnam policy was being unfairly treated by the
press, Vice President Spiro Agnew in 1969 criticized the TV executives who
decided what was going to be on TV each night.
TV Grows Up
- In 1973, commercial and
public TV carried live coverage of the Watergate hearings.
- In 1974, Nixon announced
his resignation on television.
- In 1987, only CNN, the
first 24 hour TV news service, offered gavel to gavel coverage on the
Iran-Contra hearings.
Components of the TV Industry
- Exhibition - how video gets
into the home
- over-the-air broadcast
- cable TV
- satellite (DBS)
- VCRs
- Distribution - how programs
get to the exhibitor
- broadcast networks
- cable/satellite networks
- syndication companies
- Production - how programs
get produced
- broadcast networks
- Hollywood studios
- independent production
companies
Production Companies
Networks
CBS Caroline in the
City, Touched by an Angel
NBC Profiler, In the
House
ABC 20/20, Monday Night
Football
Independents
Carsey-Werner Cosby, Cybill
Aaron
Spelling Melrose Place, 7th Heaven
MTM Good News, Sparks
TV Divisions of Film Companies
Universal TimeCop, The Tom Show
Disney Home Improvement, Ellen
Warner
Brothers Suddenly Susan,
Veronica’s Closet
TV Delivery Systems
- Over-air stations
- Cable Systems
- Satellite direct
- Video Cassette Systems
Television Systems in the U.S.
- Commercial TV stations 1,190
- Non-commercial stations 360
- Low-Power TV stations 2000
- Cable TV systems 11,600
Daily Use of TV Sets in
U.S. Households, 1950-1996
Basic Broadcast TV Technology
- Transduction - variations
of primary colors are converted into electrical energy
- Modulation - the electrical
energy is encoded on a radio wave
- Transmision - the encoded
radio wave travels to your home
- Demodulation - the
electrical energy is removed from the carrier
- Transduction - electrical
energy is converted back into variations
Interlaced Scanning Process
- TV picture is made up of
525 lines
- The lines are sprayed
across sets in 1/30th of a second
Cable TV
Landmarks
- 1947: First CATV system
- 1975: HBO cable programs via
satellite
- 1976: Turner creates WTBS
superstation
- 1980: Turner puts CNN on
satellite
Cable TV System
The Curve of Adoption for Cable
Television in the U.S.
Growth of the U.S. Cable TV Industry
Cable TV System Revenues
- Monthly subscriptions
- premium "tiered"
services
- pay-per-view channels
- shopping network revenues
- local advertising
Largest Cable System Operators
System Millions
of
Subscribers
TCI, Inc. 14.4
Time Warner 12.3
U.S. West Media Group 5.2
Comcast
4.3
Cox Communications
3.3
Top Cable Services
Channel Millions
of Subscribers
ESPN 71
Nickelodean 67
WTBS 65
CNN 65
TNT 65
Telecommunications Act of 1996
- Cable rates deregulated
- Telephone companies may
offer cable services
- Cable companies can offer
telephone services
Satellite to Home
Direct Broadcast Satellites (DBS)
- 1980 - STC files with FCC
- 1982 - FCC allocates
frequencies and accepts applications
- 1980’s - a long list of
failed operation in U.S.
- mid 1990’s - digital reception
gives DBS a boost
Major DBS Companies
- DirecTV – owned by Hughes
Electronics
- Primestar – owned by Hughes
Electronics (January 1999)
- Dish Network – owned by
EchoStar Communications
The Videocassette Industry
- Production - same as TV
- Distribution
- major companies involved in
distribution are Disney, Fox, Paramount, and Columbia
- Retail
- convenience stores and
grocery stores
- videocassette chains -
Blockbuster Video
Channels Received vs. Channels Viewed
Audience Measurement
- By the late 1950’5, the
A.C. Nielsen Company dominated the TV ratings business.
- Audimeters and TV diaries
were used by Nielsen to provide ratings and shares.
Audience Measurement
- The rating is a percentage
of the total number of households with TV sets; they share and compare
audiences for one show with audiences for another.
- Concentrated ratings
periods for local stations took place during "sweeps" months.
Audience Measurement
- Today’s Nielsens deliver
specific information on demographics for advertisers to target consumers.
Measuring the Audience
Average Daily Per-Household Hours of
Television Use in the US
Nielsen Ratings
Public Television
- Public television
("educational television) has existed since since 1950’s
- Problem with public
television
- Few stations were able to
broadcast without commercials
- The stations that were able
to broadcast without the commercials carried low budget shows and little
national programming.
Public Television
- National Educational
Television (NET)
- Emerged in 1963 with a
corporate foundation and some governmental support.
- Purpose of NET:
- To provide
approximately 10 hours or public programming per week
Public Television
- In 1967 public television
progressed further.
- The Ford Foundation agreed
t pay for several hours of live evening programming
- The Carnegie Commission on
Educational Television proposed the creation of a public broadcasting
system.
Public Television
- The Public Broadcasting Act
(1967) set up the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS).
- Today, the CPB oversees
public TV and receives most of its funding from the federal government,
supplemented by local funding which is declining.
Public Television
- Criticism of public TV
- "Commercialization"
when corporate sponsors deliver ad-like massages before and after
programs
- Proposed solution
- Some members of
Congress urge "privatization" of public TV
Public TV
Funding
- Viewer contributions
- Corporate underwriting
- Foundation underwriting
- Federal money via
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Sources of Programming
- Network - 60%
- Syndicated - 30%
- Local - 10%
TV Networks
Dominant Over-Air Networks
- NBC: Offered first programs
in 1948
- Today owned by General
Electric
- CBS: Caught up to NBC in
1953
- Today owned by Westinghouse
- ABC: Emerged as serious
rival in 1960s
- Today owned by Disney
TV Networks
Recent Over-Air Networks
- Fox: Owned by Rupert Murdoch
Also owns 20th Century-Fox
- WB: Owned by Time Warner
Also owns Warner Brothers
- UPN: Owned by Viacom Also
owns Paramount
Network Produced Programs
- News and news-related
- Sports
- Some daytime soaps
- Some game shows
Network’s Share of Prime-Time
Audience
Production Companies
Networks
CBS Caroline in the
City, Touched by an Angel
NBC Profiler, In the
House
ABC 20/20, Monday Night
Football
Independents
Carsey-Werner Cosby, Cybill
Aaron
Spelling Melrose Place, 7th Heaven
MTM Good News, Sparks
TV Divisions of Film Companies
Universal TimeCop, The Tom Show
Disney Home Improvement, Ellen
Warner
Brothers Suddenly Susan,
Veronica’s Closet
Types of Syndicated Programs
- Old reruns (off-network)
- Films
- First-run
- Foreign
Samples of Syndicated Program Types
Off-Network: Home Improvement, The Cosby
Show, MASH, Rosanne, Married With Children, I Love Lucy, Cheers, Beverly Hills
90210
First-Run: Oprah Winfrey Show, Ricki Lake,
Entertainment Tonight, Star Trek: Next Generation, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune
Feature Films: nearly any movie once it leaves
theaters, PPV, pay cable, basic cable, network
Foreign: Benny Hill, Prime Suspect, Monty
Python
Revenues in Broadcast TV
- Networks
- national advertising
- Local Stations
- network compensation (if
affiliate)
- spot advertising
- local advertising
Share of TV Viewing & Advertising
Working in Television
- A typical TV station has
eight departments.
- Sales
- Programming
- Production
- Engineering
- Traffic
- Promotion
- Public affairs
- Administration
Top Five Owners of TV Stations
Company Number
of % of
Stations Coverage
News Corp./New World 22 35%
CBS 14 31%
NBC 16 25%
Disney/ABC 10 24%
Paxson Communications 19 19%
Network Ownership
·
NBC - General Electric
·
ABC - Disney
·
Fox - Murdoch’s News Corp.
·
CBS - Viacom/Paramount
·
WB - Time-Warner
·
UPN - Viacom/Paramount
TV Deregulation
in 2003
·
Cross-ownership of newspaper and broadcast station in same
market re-allowed
·
TV networks (and other companies) may buy more stations
nationally (45% audience) and locally
·
TV networks cannot own another TV network
Television’s Impact
on Other Media
- Books: TV takes time from
reading
- Newspapers: Newscasts hurt
PM papers
- Magazines: Lost ad dollars
to TV
- Records: Need TV airplay
- Movies: Attendance down
drastically
- Radio: Lost listeners to
TV, went to record formats
Technology and the Future
- New delivery systems will
offer more choices to consumers.
- Satellite Master Antenna
Systems (SMATV)
- Brings cable
programming to apartments, condos, and housing developments.
- High definition Television
(HDTV)
- Scans 1,125 lines,
as opposed to TV’s 525 lines, giving a wider, sharper picture.
Technology and the Future
- Direct Broadcast Satellites
(DBS)
- Makes a direct to
home satellite broadcast possible, currently with access to 70 channels
worldwide.
- Pay Per View
- Offers movie
producers ways to make money from TV, putting theaters in homes.
- Low Power Television (LPTV)
- Delivers programming
to rural areas.
Technology and the Future
- VCR’s
- Four out of five
households have a VCR.
- VCR’s will be 25
years old in 2001.
- Some experts envision the
future of television as a telepresence.
- Fiber optics could change
TV dramatically.
- Interactive video will
allow people to talk back to their TV seats.