New Media Culture- Brief TV History

Question 1

John Logie Baird succeeded in demonstrating what?

Answer 1

the transmission of moving silhouette images in London in 1925, and of moving, monochromatic images in 1926

Question 2

Philo Farnsworth made the world’s first what in 1927?

Answer 2

working television system with electronic scanning of both the pickup and display devices.

Question 3

True or False: WRGB is the oldest television station

Answer 3

True (founded on January 13, 1928)

Question 4

Where and when was TV first seen by the general public?

Answer 4

In 1939, at the New York World’s Fair

Question 5

In the 1940’s there were 5 networks of radio stations, what were they?

Answer 5

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
Mutual Broadcasting System
Armed Forces American Forces Radio Service
American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Question 6

Who was the first station to start regualr programming?

Answer 6

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Question 7

What was the name of their popular show and who hosted it?

Answer 7

Texaco Star Theatre, and Milton Berle

Question 8

What kind of show was it?

Answer 8

a variety show of comedy and dramatic sketches with musical acts

Question 9

What did the FCC do (in the states) to slow the sudden rush of new stations? (think radio) When did they do this? when did it end?

Answer 9

They announced a “temporary” freeze on New TV stations in 1948. continued until 1952

Question 10

When did the CBC first begin broadcasting?

Answer 10

September 6, 1952 from its Montreal, Quebec station CBFT

Question 11

When was teh “Golden Age of TV”?

Answer 11

1948 to 1955

Question 12

what two ways are TV ratings measured?

Answer 12

1.Diaries kept by household members.

(or)

2.Set-top Boxes called Set Meters which constantly send back viewing information to the company.

Question 13

How is the information they gather using this system broken down?

Answer 13

1.Ratings Points- The number of people watching a particular show

(or)

2.Ratings Shares- The percentage of the TV viewing audience out there watching a show.

Question 14

So then how are the ratings themselves broken down?

Answer 14

by age, gender, and other demographics

Question 15

what is the most prized age range for Advertisers?

Answer 15

18-49

Question 16

What are Sweep periods?

Answer 16

4 months out of the year that are used for determining how much a show’s airtime is worth

Question 17

When are these Swwep Months?

Answer 17

February, May, July and November (roughly)

Question 18

TV show profitability is generally based on two major factors:

Answer 18

1. How much advertisers are willing to pay for commercial spots when it airs.
2. Cost of producing the show in the first place

Question 19

What did Movie studios do in order to replace the revenue they’d lost from the rise of TV?

Answer 19

rushed to produce new shows recycling the sets, costumes, minor actors, and crews from their Movies. (Westerns)

Question 20

In the early 1970s, the government brought in new rules to fight network power. The were:

Answer 20

1. In 1970, the Prime Time Access Rule said that the 7pm to 8pm slot could no longer be filled with network programming.
2. In 1975, the Justice Department put limits on the amount of in-house programming the Networks could produce, forcing them to buy content from outside sources. (ie The Movie Studios.)

Question 21

In the US, Cable TV had been limited in 1966, but in 1972 that limitation was struck down, allowing new Cable TV Companies to start to form. What staion took advantage of this and what did they do with it?

Answer 21

Home Box Office (HBO) to form the first national Pay-TV Network

Question 22

When did CNN Start Broadcasting?

Answer 22

June 1st, 1980

Question 23

When did MTV start broadcasting?

Answer 23

August 1st, 1981

Question 24

When did FOX become the 4th network (1-ABC, 2- CBS, 3-NBC) and what kind of shows did they produce?

Answer 24

Oct 9th, 1986, and Married…With Children, 21 Jump Street, the Tracey Ullman Show, and later The Simpsons