It’s hard for kids to imagine live today without TV or television. You can always date yourself back to medieval times by mentioning that the TVs that you watched were 1) small 2) black and white not color 3) had tubes rather than transistors and broke down all the time and lastly that you had only 1, 2 , 3 or maybe 4 channels at most. Contrast that to today’s “100 channels with nothing on” the giant bid screen LCD or plasma TV and you sure get a comparison.
What is the history of television and TV broadcasting in the US?
First of all it can be stated that early TV and experiments in television like devices were conducted throughout the world in various places. Alternatively TV could be said to be “invented” in Britain, Scotland, Germany Russia or the United States. Still the major introduction of TV in a major way with regular television programming over networks and TV stations did not occur till 1946 after the end of the Second World War. Actual color TV broadcasting did not start until the 1950’s with widespread introduction some 10 years later overall. In 1954 the first all electronic color televisions sets were introduced at $ 1,000, which was generally 1/3, the price of a new mid range car.
Try to tell a youngster that you lived before the days of remotes and you got lots of exercise getting up to physically twist the dial and manually change the channel on the set. True there were only a handful of stations then so there was not that much choice
As such “channel hunting “or “channel surfing” was kept to a minimum. It could be said that these were the “golden years” of the television industry and television industry execs. Not only were there few channels for competition among TV networks and TV stations but as well many viewers were just too lazy to get off the couch and change the channel. In some cases it can be said that just like today with 4 year old computer geniuses it was often left to the youngsters to be the official channel changers as many adults were either unfamiliar or downright intimidated by the television set and its banks and rows of dials and controls.
Indeed the first version of the “remote control” was dubbed “Lazy Bones” as it seemed the ultimate in laziness not to have to get up off the couch or easy chair to physically change the channel on the set. However the first remote the “Lazy Bone” was not wireless – it ran with a cable across the room that was often tripped over by unseeing, thoughtless family and guests. The TV remote was well received and shortly better models that were used wireless ultrasound like today’s various electronic remote controls .Remotes were a major luxury upgrade in both cost and availability for TV model lines.
In the end it can be said that just like software use and needs often drives computer purchases the same could be said about the TV industry and its growth. It was the software of its day for the electronic device – the actual TV programs that sold television sets more than any technology improvement and advances. People bought TV whether it was to watch Milton Berle (Uncle L Miltie), I Love Lucy, the Ed Sullivan Show later on or amazingly a major driver of early TV sales was watching the professional wrestling matches at home. People liked the entertainment available “on the box” and found that they could only watch these shows at their friends or relatives so many times and “had to buy a set”.
Still it’s an amazing journey and a question to ask youngsters of “How Would You Live without T.V. ?”.
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