Impact of popular culture and news media on society

Question 1

TV development 1930s:

Answer 1

• 1936 The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) begins the first regular commercial television broadcasts in NYC
• 1939 World Fair showcases TV to a wider audience

Question 2

TV development 1940s:

Answer 2

WW2- production of civilian televisions sets halted due to wartime resource allocations
1946- after the war, tv production resumes and limited commercial broadcasting restarts

Question 3

TV development 1950s:

Answer 3

• 1950 Korean War briefly disrupts TV production again
• golden age of TV, characterised by original live programming of dramas, comedies etc
  1954- colour television was introduced
  Mid 1950s- pre-recorded programming on film and videotape begins to replace live broadcasts

Question 4

TV development 1960s:

Answer 4

Emergence of new genres e.g show for targeted audiences such as cartoons for children, sitcoms for family and soap operas for women
News coverage- TV plays a vital role in shaping public opinion during the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam war etc

Question 5

TV development 1970:

Answer 5

PBS is established, providing non-commercial educational and cultural programming
Cable TV begins offering Additonal channelling and programming

Question 6

Cinema 1920:

Answer 6

1927- the Jazz Singer= first commercially successful film with synchronised sound
Key social impact films: 1920 The Birth of a Nation (controversial film, glorifying the KKK, sparking debates over race relations and censorship)

Question 7

Cinema 1930s:

Answer 7

• transitioned away from silent films
• Great Depression- impact on film content (themes of escapism, social commentary and economic hardship were central)
• 1930 Hays Code- enacted by Hollywood studios to self-censor films for morality concerns
• key film= 1939 Wizard of Oz- offering key theme of escapism and hope during the Depression
  WW2- films shifted to patriotism and national unity

Question 8

Cinema 1960s:

Answer 8

Hollywood New Wave- a movement of independent filmmakers challenging the studio system and exploring personal and gritty films
End of the Hays Code 1968 (increased creative freedom)
Focus on Civil Rights e.g 1962 ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ tackles racism and prejudice in the South of America
1970s led to the rise of blockbusters e.g Star Wars

Question 9

Radio and popular music: 1920s

Answer 9

Jazz explosion, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington e.g with radio broadcasts spreading its influence
‘Crooners emerge’- singers like Bing Crosby who use radio’s intimacy to cultivate a more sentimental style of popular singing
1930s - controversial music like jazz and the blues began to push boundaries with bolder themes

Question 10

Radio and popular music: 1950s and 60s

Answer 10

R&B- electric blues artists like Muddy Waters gain recognition, with their raw energy influencing a new generation of musicians
Rock’NRoll explodes e.g Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry - challenging the social norms and generational divides
1960s: The British Invasion e.g The Beatles, Rolling Stones- bringing British rock to the US
More experimental psychedelic music , in-line with the counterculture and hippie movement of the 1960s (e.g 1969 Woodstock Festival)

Question 11

Broadcast news and development: radio’s rise 1920s and 30s

Answer 11

‘Fireside chats’ - FDR uses radio broadcasts to directly connect with the public during the Great Depression, establishing a new intimacy between leaders and citizens
1937 Live coverage of the Hidenburg disaster (commerical airship crash in New Jersey killing 35 people)

Question 12

News: 1940s and 1950s

Answer 12

Edward Murrow, a CBS war correspondent whose vivid reports from London during the Blitz created a sense of urgency about the conflict overseas
Propaganda and news during the war effort
‘See it Now’ 1950s- Murrow’s TV news program which employed investigative reporting, including his famous takedown of Joseph McCarthy

Question 13

News 1960s:

Answer 13

Civil Rights movement: graphic coverage of protests and violence bring the struggle directly into the homes, swaying public opinion and making civil rights a national priority
Walter Cronkite (‘the most trusted man in America’ - CBS evening news during the decade, Vietnam war 1968 Mai Lai documentary

Question 14

News 1970s and 1980s:

Answer 14

Investigative reporting on Watergate by reporters like Woodward and Bernstein - exposing political corruption at the highest levels
Expansion of local news, highlighting issues of local attention
1980s ‘tabloidisation’ of the TV news- focus on sensationalism, crime and celebrity gossip erodes some of public trust in the traditional news sources