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history of tv > midterm > Flashcards

midterm Flashcards

1
Q

What is TV?

A
  • variety of entertainment programming watched on a device at home or on the go
  • broadcasted (historically)
  • for internet-mostly get through cable or wide-not air-so netflix shows not broadcast-doesn’t come through satellites
  • so “broadcast entertainment programming that you consume in a private setting” is a pretty good definition-but not perfect
  • serialized or episodic:with tv-either linking something episode to episode or installment to installment via a world (Powerpuff Girls) or format (SNL) or narrative (Gossip Girl) that’s consistent-builds (problematized by TV movies-but that’s not until later-so won’t talk about yet)
  • big shift since 50s
  • 3 networks then-all watching tv on those
  • now: streaming, on computers, watch movies on tv
  • TV no longer place for common cultural conversation-this has positive and negative consequneces
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2
Q

Serialized:

A

-refers to a character or world that exists in multiple episodes-but doesn’t have to follow overarching narrative

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3
Q

episodic:

A

-series of episodes-can have overarching narrative-doesn’t have to

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4
Q

TV no longer place for common cultural conversation-positive consequences

A
  • the 3 networks pretty similar-all getting similar info-so if you’re not a part of the group most accurately reflected by this news and programming, might not reflect your reality-so not for everyone
  • invent ways to have more options-more channels-more news sources-so if you’re from a special group you can find news that applies to you
  • so good that diversified
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5
Q

TV no longer place for common cultural conversation-negative consequences

A
  • but now, we’re all getting our news from very different sources-some tabloid news, a lot of our news is skewed, biased-it’s a viewpoint, someone else’s opinion
  • if you talk with a friend about an issue or event, both getting base info from different sources, not starting from same place
  • shapes culture in diff ways through what’s covered, shown
  • history reflected through absences and presences-in this course, esp. absences
  • is it important to have everyone watching the same thing at the same time live?
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6
Q

What makes TV diff from other mass media (like film)?

A
  • broadcasting of tv and radio
  • films are made by private companies and screened in private theaters-not as controlled by gov.
  • study of the forces that shaped the 20th century
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7
Q

study of the forces that shaped the 20th century

A
  • our generation has more in common with this 1890-1920 coming of age generation than the last few gen.s
  • populations shifting in both times
  • this is greeted with panic by a lot in society
  • when couple that with massive technological change, panic
  • lots of changes now-affects our daily lives and homes-so much to do with communication technology
  • people panic when it feels like the values they grew up with and thought they shared with everyone aren’t actually the values everyone has
  • disturbing radical politics on both sides around these times of great change
  • sense of panic and chaos
  • late 19th-early 20th century: happening then too with start of radio–start of mass culture
  • -people are super freaked out by all these changes-mass unprecedented changes-culture shift had some fears
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8
Q

mass culture

A
  • mass culture-didn’t exist 150 years ago
  • wasn’t constant buffet of entertainment choices
  • people starting to get mass popular culture with radio
  • only mass culture could find in cities-high culture they couldn’t afford-or only for men
  • but more forms in 1890s
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9
Q

1890s-1920s Population and culture Shifts

A
  • Immigration: foreign born population hits 14.5% by 1910
  • Migration to cities: 70% rural in 1890—> 50+% by 1920
  • shifting from working in the home to working in the factories-esp women, POC, immigrants-because need to produce and sell commercial goods on a mass scale
  • rise of the KKK-scared of immigrants-immigrant pop. at all time high-no caps on immigration for a little window-most would live in cities
  • new “nativist” groups-people who were explicitly trying to cultivate community among those born in US
  • working outside the home now-meeting people not like you-major shift in consciousness
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10
Q

Effects of Urban Population Shift

A
  • overcrowding, crime, poverty, disease
  • discrimination/diminished citizenship for racial and ethnic minorities
  • white panic
  • discrimination against Irish and Italian
  • rise of white nationalist movements-KKK, Am. First Party
  • on the other side-progressive attempts to redress through social change, assimilation
  • both sides trying to create this uniform set of values
  • felt very disjointed and un-unified
  • modernism: responding to this fracturing of society
  • progressives and conservatives could agree that some sort of national unity should be a goal working towards
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11
Q

Mass Media and Popular Entertainments

A
  • arose to serve masses in cities who now:
    • had some leisure time
    • had modest income to spend
    • wanted entertainment for whole family
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12
Q

Print Media: Penny Press (1838, Benjamin Day, NY Daily Sun)

A
  • makes papers affordable for people to actually purchase-not just for high class anymore
  • innovation of classified ad also makes this possible-advertising-newspapers monetized
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13
Q

Print Media: Telegraphy (1838, Morse)

A
  • > National News

- can convey info quickly

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14
Q

Print Media Proliferation:

A

2300 Daily Newspapers by 1915

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15
Q

Print Media: 20th Century Press Differentiation

A
  • yellow journalism (sensational crime, muckraking)
  • pictorial tabloids (pictures, gossip, scandal)
  • magazines (e.g. Harper’s)
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16
Q

Popular Entertainment: Modern Amusement Parks (mid-late 1800s)

A
  • some family friendly-not all-some adult-side shows

- not as safe

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17
Q

Popular Entertainments: Vaudeville (1860s-1930s)

A
  • circuit-travel country
  • variety show
  • a lot of this talent comes into radio and TV
  • ethnic acts that become a part of the first sitcoms-the ethnic and working class sitcoms
  • based on exaggerated stereotypes of diff groups of people-often portrayed by those people
  • stuck around until 30s
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18
Q

Popular Entertainments: Sheet Music (1800s)

A
  • had to buy sheet music and take it home and play it if wanted to hear music
  • could also hear it in music hall, vaudeville
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19
Q

before broadcasting starts:

A
  • broadcasting is one of the technologies that enables tv to exist
  • Progressive Era (after Industrial Revolution)
  • along with all these shifts in tech-for the first time in history, have people who are not rich that have a tiny amount of disposable income and some free time
  • and they’re all living in cities together
  • what is there to do? popular entertainment arises
  • mass entertainment beginning
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20
Q

Progressive Era

A

-in direct response to it-because urbanization happens then-people flock to cities for factory jobs-we can now product stuff at unprecedented rate-people are working really hard to make it-there are no laws or regulations yet dictating how people’s lives would be in this new factory working world-so people’s lives sucked-dark time but time of big change-accumulation of capital changing-capitalism took off-more money being made-but by a very few): get this term because during this time, laws passed to make the quality of life better for the people who had lost control of their lives–the politics of the period was dominated by reformers who wanted “progress” in various areas-progressive reformers/activists worked to improve the lives of workers, immigrants, rural people, women, and the poor-improve education and public health- also tried to reform people’s morals, through efforts like Prohibition-in this time, we get the 8 hour work day-legislation about food inspection-eventual regulation about employment-like minimum wage-so get lots of laws meant to help quality of life for those who were not super rich

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21
Q

popular entertainment

A
  • vaudeville
  • penny press
  • amusement parks
  • sheet music
  • a lot of people could read-some public education
  • nickelodeons-like a flipbooks, with real photographs
  • beginning of film
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22
Q

broadcasting

A
  • radio
  • broadcast tech-everyone on board-because could help us towards goal of unified american culture-common ground for people to relate on push people out of cultural bubbles-helps people learn english-unify dialects-give us all important news at one time (WWI)
  • radio is the first time the same info is being given to everyone at the same time-had never happened before-to whole country
  • informed citizens
  • terrifying too-could be used to communicate ideas to everyone that are not in keeping with someone’s ideology or politics
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23
Q

net neutrality and radio

A

idea that all the info on internet costs the same-internet companies can’t charge companies like Netflix more than smaller companies-internet service providers treat everyone the same-not really issue until last year-debate on whether we’d move to a tiered internet system

  • imagine the competition there-if not as funded-not big corporation-harder when differences between how fast 1 site can go and how fast another site can go-inhibit free transmission of ideas on the internet
  • this didn’t happen
  • a lot of this depends on president and who he appoints to FCC
  • same with radio-except limited bandwidth
  • who owns the radio waves, who is entitled to access to them?
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24
Q

Early Broadcasting: Amateur Operators

A
  • 1906-Ham Radio Operators begin broadcasting (Hugo Gernsback, Hiram Maxim, US)-through crystal set-low power set that use silicone based crystals to detect radio wave transmissions-pretty inexpensive-anyone could buy a set
  • this amateur industry boomed
  • not really united by anything but love of this early tech
  • some make some mischief
  • interrupt business’s waves
  • so organizations established to control radio waves-because saw potential conflicts between gov., corporations, and people
  • wanted to create uniform set of standards and guidelines that ham operators might follow so not viewed as this disorganized by of individuals-so could be seen as worthy of sharing airwaves with
  • -then some conferences about it-became more standardized, commercial
  • outcome: radio should serve the public’s best interests-foundational ideas in broadcast legislation in US-but never specifically defined what the public interest is-for specific legal reasons-has led to all sorts of different things throughout broadcast history-deliberately vague-open to a many interpretations-lets people in power control definitions-the gov. and corporations
  • gov. controlling licenses for who is allowed to use radio-finite amount of frequencies-will give them to powerful corporations-then the corporations produce the content-which “must serve public interest”-what does this mean?
  • this debate ends with world war 1
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25
Q

World War I Radio: Government Control

A
  • 1917-18: Federal monopoly on all radio technology
  • role of federal gov. in broadcasting
  • corporations and gov. sometimes conflict-but usually gov. is business friendly-helps them
  • debate on whether this control should continue after the war
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26
Q

Rationales for Continuing govt. control of broadcasting

A
  • nation’s defense interests
  • mass communication interests
  • use of public airwaves
  • british marconi poised to get alexander alternators-would have control over most US radio patents and transmission-alternators made it possible to transmit over long distances
  • US strongly encouraged GE to purchase controlling interest in american marconi-that would give them access to those patents and to the manufacture of radio
  • US gov. still had some control of their US patents after war
  • Britain ally in war, but could be threat later
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27
Q

Radio Corporations of America/RCA

1919-1986

A
  • 1919-GE forms RCA:
    • american owned
    • govt. seat on board of directors
    • patents pool: GE, AT&T, Westinghouse
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28
Q

functions of RCA

A
  • make sure tech for radio owned by Americans
  • GE had controlling interest in the company-but also included major corporations involved in radio research
  • American ownership maintained through rules-had to be owned by americans-board of directors had to be americans
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29
Q

RCA’s Patent Consolidation

A
  • ATT: Manufacture/sell transmitters, specialize in radiotelephony (sending voices and sound through wires like phone)
  • GE and Westinghouse: manufacture receivers
  • RCA: sell receivers, authorize 3rd party manufacture using ATT, GE, Westinghouse patents, Collect/distribute royalties for all, Operate maritime radio stations
  • all 4 can manufacture equipment for own use (radio stations)
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30
Q

1920-First Commercial Radio Broadcast

A
  • KDKA, Pittsburg, PA (Westinghouse)-their idea was to showcase tech would sell-showcase that you should buy a radio-a big part of their motivation
  • so want the signal to be clear, seem like it works really well
  • start to get debate between public use, company use, gov. use-airwaves filling up-hard to get clear signal
  • so big corporate interest in getting access to better radio waves
  • Soon followed by RCA, ATT, GE
  • who’s gonna decide which co.s can operate? gov.
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31
Q

Early 1920s: Crowded Airwaves

A
  • amateurs, entertainers, businesses (big businesses, schools, small businesses, religious groups, nonprofits)
  • 1922-Interstate Commerce Committee (ICC)
    • Class A and B station license
    • class b-just talk-no entertainment or info-have to stick with 200mh band-smaller
    • class a-entertainment and info-360mh band-but then that fills up too
    • begin to lobby gov. to create another class for big corp.s
  • pretty quickly gov. does it-400mh frequency-new class b-can’t play records or any recording-because someone can purchase that in the same format elsewhere-had to have live performances-kept poorer co.s out of his class-expensive to hire live music
  • 1923-National Assn. of Broadcasters forms
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32
Q

Profiting from Radio: Networks

A
  • 1923 Toll Broadcasting (AT&T)
    • Phone lines carry radio through wires (radiotelephony)
    • connect multiple stations—> network
  • they create the first radio network-have several stations-decide they’re only allowed to provide the service themselves and not to their competitors-this won’t stand for very long
    • creates sponsorship opportunities in terms of revenue
    • centralization of management-efficiency
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33
Q

Foundational Debates: Hoover Radio Conferences (1922-1925)

A
  • group of radio conferences
  • Ham v. Commercial Operators
  • Live v. Recorded Music (copyright and ASCAP)
  • A v. B Station Licenses
  • Wired (ATT) v. Shortwave (RCA)
  • Government “Public Interest” (ala BBC) v. Commercial Broadcaster Control
    • public interest: whatever the people want
    • but that’s not good definition-what want not always what’s best
    • what do we want radio to do?
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34
Q

Radio Act of 1927

A
  • Open Access rejected
    • quality of stations over quantity of stations
  • Radio would be:
    • govt. Regulated
    • commercial/private
    • operated in the “public interest”
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35
Q

Federal Radio Commission

A
  • established in 1926 to regulate licenses

- ”clear channels” assigned to “general Public Service” (commercial) stations

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36
Q

1925-1930:

A

17 Million Radios Sold

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37
Q

RCA’s National Broadcasting Company (1926-Present)

A
  • ATT forced to sell their tech to others
  • Red Network (1926)
  • Blue Network (1927)
    • former AT&T stations
    • -red network-premium network with best content-best sponsors-higher ad rates
  • blue network-frequencies and signals not quite as good-lower ad rates to smaller sponsors
  • Signed up Affiliates:
    • paid for running sponsored programs
    • Paid NBC to run own sustaining programming
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38
Q

National Broadcasting Company (1926-Present)

A
  • Network Benefits
    • stations share program content
    • centralized management
    • profit from affiliates
    • advertisers reach larger audience
  • so NBC is briefly its own monopoly on corporate broadcasting-but non-NBC people quickly mount response
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39
Q

Columbia Broadcasting Service/CBS (1927-present)

A
  • Paley’s Model:
    • give affiliated CBS programming or pay them to run it
    • IF they take whole schedule
    • charge advertisers more
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40
Q

Communications Act of 1934

A
  • Cements 1927 Act:
    • Private, ad-based, commercial network system
  • establishes FCC (Federal Communications Commission):
    • Grant/renew/suspend station licenses, levy fines
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41
Q

Depression Era Reforms

A
  • 1936-39-Investigation of monopoly
  • 1941-No company can own more than 1 chain
    • NBC forced to divest (sell off) Blue Chain
    • NBC Blue becomes ABC
  • risky during Depression-line up show and not sure if have sponsor
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42
Q

Production Shift; from network to sponsor control

A
  • Ad agencies provide program packages in exchange for
    • sponsor fee: 10-15% of show budget
    • networks fee: 15% of air time cost
    • bypassed network talent departments
  • commission on how much show is produced for-so ad agencies will make shows more expensive-so can profit from budget-but when purchase airtime from network also get 15% of that as their fee-benefiting twice
  • also use their own talent-allows Hollywood to become more involved with radio
  • unites the Radio industry and Hollywood as well as the advertising industry-makes radio very big business-because it’s viewed as a product that has to be sold, it gets a lot of structure from this
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43
Q

Radio as Product

A
  • commercial underpinnings shape radio to have
    • consistent scheduling
    • daytime/nighttime programming distinction
    • integrated advertising
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44
Q

Radio Programming:

A
  • Influences/sources of programming
    • Hollywood
    • Vaudeville
    • Swing and Jazz-lots of music programs
    • Print Media
  • Jack Benny-big radio star
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45
Q

Commercial Radio Formats and Genres

A
  • dramatic adaptations
    • Mercury theatre
  • Comedy series
    • The Rise of the Goldbergs (became just “The Goldbergs”)
  • Thriller Dramas
    • The Shadow
    • The Masked Avenger
    • The Lone Ranger
  • Quiz Shows
    • Quiz Kids
  • Sports
    • Live broadcast
  • Religious
    • Church of the Air
  • Daytime Soaps
    • Guiding Light
  • Daytime Talk
    • Martha Deane
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46
Q

Radio and American Culture: Unity

A
  • sense of uniform culture
  • this can be viewed positively and negatively
  • some logic about-this’ll be really great for people to help them learn English
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47
Q

The Early Television Industry and Live Production (Late 1940s-early 50s)

A
  • the Goldberg-sitcom-good example of how broadcast looked at the time
  • how did radio influence TV and how it’s run?
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48
Q

The Invention of TV-Technologies for TV

A
  • 1884-Nipkow Disk (Paul Nipkow)-Image scan
  • 1897-Cathode Ray Tube (Karl Braun)-TV display
  • 1906-Audion Tube (deForrest, et al)-Signal Amplification
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49
Q

The Invention of Television: Electronic TV

A
  • electronic TV-Image Dissector
  • 1927 Philo T Farnsworth, US
  • 1929 Vladimir Zvorykin, US
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50
Q

The Invention of Television: Research and Development

A
  • 1920s-30s
    • experimental, irregular broadcasting
    • RCA and CBS develop TV systems
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51
Q

The Invention of Television: Broadcasting Begins

A
  • 1939-NBC begins regular broadcasts with NY World’s Fair
  • 1941-2 hrs/day TV broadcasting in US
  • how many scans per line? up for debate
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52
Q

The Invention of Television: Standards

A
  • 1941-FCC adopts NTSC standards: 525 lines, 30 fps; vs. European PAL system: 625 line/25 fps
  • 1943-ABC Network (forms from 2nd NBC network)-becomes ABC Television
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53
Q

The Invention of Television: Debates

A
  • much smoother rollout than with radio-this time the companies are prepared
  • 1943-44: FCC TV hearings debate standards: RCA/NBC: TV Now (VHF, B/W)
  • CBS: Better TV Later (UHF/Color)
  • 1945-RCA/NBC Standards adopted
  • TVs extremely expensive at first
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54
Q

Television in the US

A
  • 1946-FCC Blue Book recommendations
    • set of recommendations that address public interest-both radio and TV-broadcast
    • progressive movement in gov. that wanted to address issue of broadcast being in public interest
    • vague standards
  • 1948-Regular Prime-Time Network Broadcasting in US
  • 1948-1952-“Freeze” on new station licenses
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55
Q

1946 FCC Blue Book Standards

A
  • “Public Service Responsibility of Broadcast Licenses” FCC (threatens) to consider 4 areas when renewing licenses:
    • balance of commercial vs. sustaining programs
    • provision for local/live programs
    • presence of public affairs programs
      • programming that would address residents and citizens-from civic associations and nonprofits, etc
    • elimination of advertising excesses
      • concern about commercial braodcasting-commercial interest taking control of airwaves
  • did these standards get enforced? NO
  • have some impact, but FCC never really got congressional approval for this
  • major corporations pushed back hard against these recommendations
  • communism and blacklist beginning-this debate about these forces invading Hollywood
  • idea of public interest-people did try to define-but commercial interests trumped the public interest here
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56
Q

FCC Freeze

A
  • 1948-52
  • FCC freeze on new station licenses
  • 1948-FCC realizes have to create some standards around TV-not gonna make the same mistakes as in radio-so FCC puts a freeze on all new stations
  • -so who is left? big players in radio that got tv licenses early
  • during freeze-FCC settles on VHF and black and white
  • part of reason radio has such a big influence on TV in this period-there was a 5 year span in which the big radio networks were the only ones with TV licenses-got to set a lot of the rules for what TV was going to be during that time
  • Hollywood is shut out
  • airwaves already filling up with signals by 1948
  • 50 in operation, 50 more issued licenses
  • big radio and tV powers concerned with competition,a airwaves filing up
  • FCC doesn’t know how to determine who gets licenses
  • so freeze on licenses-no new licenses issued
  • so TV doesn’t get to some areas of country as fast as others
  • TV stations able to grow infrastructure, cultivate audience, while everyone else is waiting to get licensed-sort of blocks everyone else in TV-the major networks succeed-and smaller ones try, like Dumont-but struggle
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57
Q

Early Programming:

A

-Window on the World (DuMont, 1949)-Variety
-capitalize on live-ness of TV-on basic appeals of TV
-whole variety format-mimicked vaudeville
-Captain Video and His Video Rangers
(DuMont, 1949)-Sci-Fi Serial
-continuing adventures of Captain Video
-serials-done with film and radio-short chapters or episodes-new one every week
-film very diff from tv-cuz go out in the world, watch with others, in theater-with TV, in home, coming from appliance, other stuff going on-utility function-you turn it on and stuff comes out-like faucet
-TV is different than film especially in terms of selling it and its sets
-Dumont-TV set manufacturer
-produced these
-like film, first things you see are things or places you can’t see at home-window on the world

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58
Q

Kinescope

A
  • Alternative to live TV:
    • this meant filming TV monitor during broadcast, developing, then re-broadcasting over the airwaves
    • poor quality image
    • 30 scans per second
    • 24 frames per second
    • so some real issues
    • can’t just broadcast that 24fps film in 30 scans per second TV-would flicker
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59
Q

Why not make shows on film?

A
  • difficult to transfer, requiring a film chain to coordinate TV scanning w/ 24fps film image
  • so could be broadcast with no flicker
  • but what’s benefit of owning networks if just broadcasting films from Hollywood?
  • need own stuff
  • that image is never gonna be as good quality as film anyways
  • don’t want big film companies messing with them
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60
Q

Early TV Production and “Liveness”

A
  • Video tape still years away
  • Live production only way to broadcast quality TV image
  • TV capitalizes on some of the same appeals radio has-more immediate, sense of liveness
  • perceived as main strength of TV over film
    • appeal to sense of immediacy, nation-connecting
  • served radio industry
    • only radio industry (not Hollywood) could produce live shows
    • similar appeal and programming
    • kept affiliates dependent
  • creating sense of liveness that only the networks can fulfill with their programming-can only get this from them
  • but very primitive compared to film
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61
Q

Early 3-camera live broadcast systems

A
  • bully cameras
  • no smooth zoom
  • changing angles meant switching cameras via control booth
  • few possible locations
  • open sets (for easy movement between0)
  • capscrew movements heavily choreographed using marks, rehearsals
  • frequent bloopers many shows take form of live stage show or play on liveness
  • led to feeling of theater
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62
Q

Radio Stars—> Television Stars

A
  • The FCC wouldn’t grant TV station licenses to companies under anti-trust litigation
  • Hollywood studios shut out of TV in its early stages
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63
Q

Milton Berle, Texaco Star Theatre (CBS, 1948-56)

A
  • radio adaptation, based in vaudeville performance
  • broad/slapstick
  • variety of guests
  • parody
  • featured Berle in costumes, drag
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64
Q

Gertrude Berg: The Goldbers (CBS, 1949-56)

A
  • adapted Catskills skit into The Rise of the Goldbergs (1929-1946) hit radio show
  • brought to TV in 1948
  • wo first lead actress-comedy Emmy
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65
Q

The Live Anthology Drama

A

-one stand-alone play/week
-writers, directors and actors from NY Theatre and Film
Designed for TV medium
-framed as redemptive (pf “bad” TV)
-based on theater
-some bad, some good

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66
Q

“Marty”, Philco Television Playhouse (CBS, 1953)

A
  • teleplay: Paddy Chayefsky
  • Cast: Rod Staiger, Nancy Marchand
  • adapted into feature film, best picture of 1955
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67
Q

Edward R Murrow-See It Now (CBS, 1951-1958)

A
  • started with Hear it Now-on radio
  • 1951-See it Now: in depth documentary coverage
  • 1953-Person to Person, celeb interviews
  • 1954-Murrow and Fred Friendly produce “A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy”
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68
Q

The Red Scare: 1950-56

A

-period of political oppression and anti-communist paranoia

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69
Q

House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

A
  • 1938 Senate committee created to uncover Nazi ties in US

- after war, turned to communists

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70
Q

The Red Scare and McCarthysim:

A
  • persecuting suspected communists

- named for Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wi)

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71
Q

HUAC and Hollywood: Friendly Witnesses

A
  • 197: HUAC interviewed 41 people from Hollywood
  • some testified as friendly witnesses, “named names” of communists in Hollywood
  • hollywood believed to be nest of communism
  • all the moguls felt attacked
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72
Q

The Hollywood Ten

A
  • HUAC also called 11 witnesses suspected/known to have been party members
  • Trumbo-probably most famous
  • labelled “unfriendly witnesses”-when refused to answer “are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”-thought unamerican to even be asked-1st amendment rights-can’t be persecuted just for having a belief
  • held in contempt of court
  • some Hollywood stars had come to support them-backed off after this
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73
Q

Waldorf Statement and Blacklist

A
  • Nov. 1947: 50 elite Hollywood execs issued Waldorf Statement: “We will not knowingly employ a communist…”
  • this began the blacklist
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74
Q

HUAC and Hollywood: the Blacklist

A
  • 1951-HUAC expanded list from 10 names into the 100s

- choice became: testify or lose career

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75
Q

Red Channels and Blacklisted Artists

A
  • 1951 Anti-Communist report published by right-wing journal
    • named 151 actors, writers, etc
  • all were blacklisted across film, radio, TV
  • some artists wrote under false names or “fronts”
  • some left the country
  • others never worked in radio, TV or film again
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76
Q

March, 1954-Murrow Takes on McCarthy (See it Now, 1954)

A
  • some of the HUAC hearings were televised-in their entirety
  • hear in clips
  • americans watched this unfold on TV
  • successful format-magazine news format-goal: examine new story but in way that would blow that story up larger for the american public-focus on some aspect of that and show it in detail-so people could get in depth details and see how it related to their lives
  • descendent of this: 60 minutes
  • after this broadcast, Mccarthy invited to rebutt what was said
  • Murrow’s stance powerful-credible-hastened end of Mccarthy-but what actually brought his reign of terror to close with Mccarthy-Army Hearings-he started accusing army of sheltering communists through taxes-public growing tired with Mccarthy
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77
Q

The Fairness Doctrine (1949-87)

A
  • FCC mandate that broadcasters present important public issues, but in a fair balanced, equitable way
    • airtime for controversial subjects
    • contrasting viewpoints
  • based on John Stuart Mill’s marketplace of ideas
  • equal time rule-similar but for political candidates only
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78
Q

The End of the Blacklist

A
  • late 50s, some blacklisted artists hired in TV
  • 1960, Otto Preminger publicly announced Dalton Trumbo wrote Exodus
  • Universal gave Trumbo screen credit for Spartacus
  • Trumbo had written under front during blacklist-30 screenplays, 17 were produced, 1 won an Oscar, but couldn’t accept because under fake name
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79
Q

Marty and the Aesthetics of Live TV

A
  • Redemptive
    • medium often repetitive, redundant, designed to aim ads at distracted viewers
    • anthologies as “quality tv” that don’t do the above
    • ex: “Marty”
  • kind of experimental-sense of realism (grounded in people’s actual circumstances-moving from style to substance-present events as actually are)-imperfection marks authenticity
  • Marty leads other networks to have their own drama hours
  • quality emotional realism
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80
Q

Queen for a day

A
  • reality show-people tell their sad story, one wins what they need and lavish vacation and items
    • answering sad everyday problems with dreams of consumption
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81
Q

Early to mid-1950s TV industry

A
  • center of production: NY
  • main technical format: live/kinescope
  • dominant program form: variety/anthology/sitcom
  • prime sitcom type: ethnic, working class
  • gender orientation: female-pitched primarily to women, families-TV is window on world and way to keep you in home-entertain woman in kitchen-women supposed to be always doing housework but appear to be doing nothing-picture of leisure
  • creative control: sponsor/ad agency
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82
Q

50s TV-the First Golden Age

A
  • focus on liveness, home theater aspects of medium
  • comes out of radio and advertising, not film industry in Hollywood
  • Variety shows, sketch comedy, news magazines, anthology dramas
  • ethnic working class sitcoms: The Goldbergs
  • women-centered sitcoms: I Love Lucy-shift from live production to telefilm production
  • ads reflect real and imagined consumer-idyllic-not reality
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83
Q

Mediating Post-War Values: WWII/Depression

A
  • collectivism
  • thriftiness
  • hard work
  • extended community
  • working class, immigrants in cities
  • old world/tradition
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84
Q

Mediating Post-War Values: Post-War Era

A
  • individualism
  • Consumption
  • Leisure
  • Nuclear Family
  • Middle-Class whites in suburbs
  • New World
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85
Q

Mediating Post-War Values

A
  • US gov. Had strong interest in getting people to buy stuff after war-have to continue growth and economic boom through commercial consumer products instead of military products-incentives, GI Bill-a big hurdle to get over are these “saving” conceptions from the Depression and WWII
  • big divide between older and younger generation
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86
Q

Sitcoms’ Roots in Radio

A
  • 1940s-Women help shape format and “sitcoms” begin to dominate broadcast
  • many early TV sitcoms adapted from radio-Lucille Ball had similar show on radio, Amos and Andy adapted from radio
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87
Q

Variety/Sketch vs Situation Comedy

A
  • variety/sketch: loosely organized string of gags linked by stand-up or variety host
  • situation comedy: recurring characters in humorous situation-situation stays the same but new event or topic or issue every episode that’s resolved on the end
  • The Honeymooners ep we’ll watch today-TV purchase
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88
Q

Ethnic Working Class Sitcoms

A
  • some of the most popular early sitcoms
  • getting the most out of your advertising dollar if you’re an ad person-want to make sure will get profits-so why all these shows about people who don’t have a lot of money in early tv? Showing everyone should live above their means, even if working class-teaching diverse immigrant communities that to be a good american means to consumer-bridging a gap between Depression era generation and post-war generation-the old world and the new
  • facilitate national unity
  • you might have these ideas about how you were going to live your life before, but that is not what america is now-that’s not new america
  • trying to deeply ingrain ideas of consumerism in american society-reverse frugality of Depression
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89
Q

19th Century Minstrel Tradition

A
  • performers in blackface lampooning, stereotypes of blackness
  • ->20th century Vaudeville, radio
  • african americans also performed in minstrel tradition
  • on radio, required to speak in dialect/thick accents (to mark as non-white)
  • The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show (CBS, 1951-3)
90
Q

The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show (CBS, 1951-3)

A
  • adaptation of Freeman Godsen and Charles Correll’s Radio show
  • actors told to match Godsen and Correll speech patterns
  • African Americans had mixed feelings about this show
  • NAACP protested radio show and TV show-TV show lost sponsorship-cancelled in 1953
  • one of first shows to star non-white actors
  • relies on deeply problematic racial stereotypes that don’t really come through in the other ethnic sitcoms-furthering these stereotypes
    • but still encourages consumption
    • but here they rely on cheating to get money
  • but still encouraging african american communities to live beyond their means-which is bad
    • but at least giving black performers jobs, exposure, representation
  • in article-one black man encouraged to watch by his parents because only tv program that showed black people
    • power of representation really important
    • but very problematic representation-NAACP eventually gets it taken off the air
91
Q

Ethnic Comedy Acts on Vaudeville

A
  • humor based on exaggerated stereotypes of national identities (e.g. German, Irish, Jewish)
  • some carried to radio.TV in variety, sitcoms
  • different on tv-parodying your own ethnicity to people not of that ethnicity-in vaudeville more to people of your group, can relate
  • The Marx Bros-vaudeville comedians
92
Q

Women-Centered Sitcoms

A
  • domestic sitcoms particularly popular
  • by 1954, sitcoms dominate prime time
    • 10/28 female leads
    • 15/28 with male-female duo
93
Q

TV takes mass audience from film

A
  • 1946: 90m/week movie attendance
  • 1954: 45mill./wk
  • 1962: 20mill./wk;
  • TV: 60+% penetration by 1954, 90+% by 1960
94
Q

Factors in consumer move to TV:

A
  • Postwar Americans told to buy cars, houses, and appliances to keep production up
  • Baby Boom/Suburbanization: Americans moved awat from cities into suburbs, Movie theatres were not as close by
  • easier and cheaper to stay home than to get a babysitter and drive to the city to see a film
95
Q

I Love Lucy and Telefilm Production

A
  • hollywood had stayed out of TV business (and been kept out)
  • but in the mid 50s this changed in part because of Lucille Ball
  • Ball’s film career was in Hollywood, didn’t fit with “live”, East Coast weekly broadcast practice
  • broadcasting from west coast was delayed/foggy
  • teamed with husband, bandleader Desi Arnaz
  • formed own production company (Desilu) to create one of the first filmed series
  • 80% owners
  • Ball and Arnaz hired German Cinematographer Karl Freund to adapt 3-camera process to 35mm film
  • telefilm production
    • soundstage, bleachers, mics and speakers
    • low contrast lighting (harsh overhead lights)
    • fully mobile cameras
  • did do it live for an audience-and recorded that-then broadcast it later-so had the live laughs
  • 4 person camera team: camera, assistant, grip,” cable man”
  • intercom system–>control booth, camera, electric
  • 4 days of rehearsals (2 with cameras)
  • Ball brought Jess Oppenheimer from her radio show to
    • produce shows
    • serve as head writer
    • Oppenheimer filtered all scripts through his voice
  • becomes model for sitcom production today-with showrunner
96
Q

Big picture

A
  • skipped Depression, WWII
  • In another transitional moment
  • move to suburbia-incentivized by the government
  • encouraged by laws to buy houses-get tax breaks on mortgages
  • Cold War-brought in red scare-blacklist-McCarthyism-paranoia-reinforcing idea that you’re looking out for you-individualistic-isolationist
  • emphasis on household instead of extended family
  • tv=window on the world-bring the world into you-since now moving away from cities, extended family
  • nuclear family
  • ”those were the days”-before the war-push back to women’s role in home from before the war-encouraged to stay at home
  • modern conveniences-machines to do all of the housework for you-dishwasher-but you no longer live with extended family, so housework not divided-so actually working more than before-even though products marketed to make life easier
  • perfect housewife
  • consumerism-keep consuming after the war to keep the economy afloat
  • live beyond your means-buy things can’t afford
  • TV major force in telling people, this is what you have to do to be a good american citizen in the postwar era
97
Q

VHF vs. UHF

A
  • every TV got VHF and only some got UHF-harder for UHF channels to get advertisers because knew wouldn’t reach anyone
  • VHF higher quality signal-but smaller spectrum-fewer channels could exist
98
Q

effects of Hollywood being shut out from TV

A
  • allows TV to become a pretty unique medium-first mass medium after film that involves moving images-would make a lot of sense for it to be born out of Hollywood-but that’s not what happens-it comes out of radio-because it comes out of the world of broadcasting-so it’s a new visual medium that will come up with its own aesthetics, visual language, storytelling devices, that’s going to be totally distinct from Hollywood, at least at first
  • shows completely supported by advertisers-and named sometimes-Texaco star theater-owned shows and pretty much in charge of content-that’s the point of TV-the storytelling comes as a secondary thing-it’s about selling ads-so there are things built into the stories about consumption
  • so as opposed to film, which comes out of storytelling idea, artistic, TV comes from advertising and consumerism-commercial purposes
  • film supported by ticket sales, TV is free-so money comes from ads
99
Q

american tv diff model than other countries-idea of public interest-effects

A
  • in other countries, that mandate means that TV ends up being completely controlled and produced by the government
  • gov. Has a bit of oversight, but minimal
  • corporations control content
  • decision made early that it’s gonna be ad-supported
100
Q

Spiegel article

A
  • TV with its content and advertising focused on housekeeping-placed women enjoying the tv but never with her family, always cooking and cleaning while enjoying tv
  • tv source of entertainment for women since they’re now trapped and isolated in single house suburbs-also keep the family happy while the woman is doing her domestic tasks-but can enjoy tv from kitchen while cooking
  • case has to be made that you’ll want a tv in your house-because a lot of anxieties came with this-about a mass media like this-what were some of those anxieties?
    • fear about kids-corrupt them
  • so a lot of ad campaigns about tvs and bringing it into your house
  • so we have to sell tv, and then tv has to sell everything else to you
101
Q

The Honeymooners

A
  • affiliated products with Captain video-product tie-ins
    • Alice wants TV to entertain her during long day
  • old world vs the new-husband vs wife/other couple-husband wants to be frugal, keep money-other guy buying more than he can afford-payment plan
    • don’t know where to put tv
102
Q

-other kinds of tv on the air besides sitcom

A
  • soaps starting-but take speed later
  • game shows
  • anthology dramas
  • news shows, tabloid shows
  • variety shows
  • sports
103
Q

anthology dramas

A
  • golden age of tv-first quality tv-more focused on narrative
  • but still sponsored
    • ex: Marty
  • a lot of networks headquartered in NY-so pulled from NY theater scene-rehearsed heavily before-then filmed live
    • wanted to explore what TV could be as a medium
  • theater available to the masses and not just elite now-because basically filmed theater
  • anthology and not normal series because stories aren’t connected to each other-not same characters-every single episode is totally different
  • anthologies today-Ryan Murphy-American Horror Story-American Crime Story-so different story every season instead of every episode
104
Q

news shows, tabloid shows

A

-ad sponsors don’t want to sponsor the news-or if do, skewed version of news that serves you-so idea of sponsored tv doesn’t really work with tv-so takes off as single advertiser structure deteriorates

105
Q

sports

A
  • important from beginning to tv
    - already existed-lots of people invested in
    - exciting way to use liveness inherent to tv
  • and filled big chunks of programming time-because that was a big issue in TV-there would be periods of time with nothing on on a certain channel
106
Q

Ch 1: how is history made-big picture stuff

A
  • a lot of history has to do with the reasons it’s being documented-even when is documented based on the way it was-could be biased-can never experience it as it was
  • history book written from the POV of those in power w/o any criticism or self awareness of that
  • even academics using documents created by those in power
  • people w/o power don’t have access to some way to save or put down things in writing-to get them in history
  • there’s always going to be some other story to the history you’ve read
107
Q

SMCR Model (David Berlo)

A

-communication: transmitting of messages from a sender to a receiver via a channel
sender->message->channel->receiver
prof->lecture->sound waves/PA->you

108
Q

Communication Mediation

A
  • unmediated: can be received using senses (e.g. talking face-to-face)
  • mediated: relies on some medium (e.g. talking on phone)
109
Q

Mass Media Communication

A
  • mass audience removed via time and/or space
    • technical and institutional
  • commodifies symbolic forms-using whatever the message is to generate profits-it’s a commercial medium
    - language/a word is a symbol for something else
110
Q

Mass Culture Theory

1930s, Frankfurt School, Adorno and Horkheimer

A
  • Mass culture as product/reflection of modernity
    • industrial revolution
    • mass production
    • labor/class conflicts
  • political economy
  • economic determinism
  • Commercial Mass Culture reflects/reproduces values of profit-driven system that supports it
  • Mass/Popular Culture as “Culture Industry”:
111
Q

political economy

A

-how politics and economics shape history, society, culture

112
Q

economic determinism

A

who owns the means of production, determines socio-cultural life

113
Q

Mass/Popular Culture as “Culture Industry”:

A
  • degradation of culture (LCD-lowest common denominator)
    • homogenization
    • political indoctrination
    • problems with this model?
      • assumes basic transmission model (will perceive this passively, have no role, will not be suspicious-also assumes message sent exactly as intended-context could be diff than intended context)
      • constructs all viewers as the same/passive (hypodermic effect)
  • problems: high/low culture divide
    • reflects classist assumptions
    • assigns value to “good media (art, ballet, opera) based on values of evaluators
114
Q

Decoding the Message

A
  • recipient isn’t passive
  • interaction is code system of signs (not transparent)
  • meaning for individual
  • meaning within culture
  • meaning in context of moment
115
Q

TV as “Bad Object”:Object Relations Theory

A
  • Melanie Klein
  • Infants view “objects” (a bottle, a hand) as all-good or all-bad
  • glorifying/demonizing tendency extends into adulthood
116
Q

Medium as Message (Marshall McLuhan)

A
  • medium embedded in message

- symbiotic relationship to medium influences how viewers perceive messages

117
Q

Cultural Studies Models

A

-put ideas of hegemony and individual agency in tension

118
Q

Encoding/Decoding

A

Stuart Hall, 1980

  • Circuit of Communication
  • Readings and Positioning
119
Q

Circuit of Communication

A
  • messages are encoded and must be decoded
  • texts are not closed (one fixed meaning)
  • social positioning leads to differing interpretations
  • may suppose a homogenous audience but audience doesn’t necessarily accept these identities
120
Q

Readings and Positioning

A
  • dominant reading: reader fully shares text’s code, accepts and reproduces the preferred reading
  • negotiated reading: reader partly shares text’s code, but sometimes resists and modifies it re: their own position, experiences
  • oppositional reading: the reader understands the preferred reading but rejects it
121
Q

The Feedback Loop

A

-readers often send feedback, which can shift or reinforce sender position

122
Q

Dangers of broadly applying this model

A
  • oversimplifies producers (subjective) and text (only 1 preferred meaning)
  • can reduce readers to types (resistant reader)
123
Q

Quiz Show (1994)

A
  • can fame buy being high class?
  • antisemitism
  • values: money, fame
  • status, reputation
  • very different values than generation before
  • tv-bad object-older, high status individuals look down on it
  • effect of changing the way TV was structured-not only at industrial level but the whole system-1 sponsor to multiple, buy ad times-networks spun whole thing-threw sponsors over bus-wanted power anyways but didn’t know how to finance it-this helped them
  • borrowed from other broadcasting systems
  • shows produced then advertising sold to go in commercial breaks during many diff sponsors
  • classical network system-moment where tv is like classical studio system in that things are codified into a way of operating-operate this way for about 20 years
  • Relationship between affiliates and networks big part of this
  • shows are going to be created and then sold rather than the other way around-so no product placement really
  • crime, westerns, news documentaries, soap operas, anthologies, Hollywood TV
124
Q

Quiz Shows and Scandal

A
  • 1956: 15 game shows in prime time
    • cheap, uncontroversial
  • types: high culture “educational” (The $64,000 question) to low-culture comedic (Do You Trust Your Wife?)
125
Q

Quiz Shows: Why such a big deal

A
  • high hopes for tv
  • anthologies and “quality” genres disappearing
  • networks displace blame onto sponsors
  • networks using this as way to get control back from sponsors
126
Q

Why so many documentaries after quiz show scandal? How is this related to the quiz show scandal?

A
  • To give credibility to tv again, helps their image-tv as bad object, menace to society-change this idea-provide programming in public service
  • get FCC off their back for a bit
  • quiz shows were educational beacon-that’s undercut-so have to come up with a way to say they’re doing something for the public good
127
Q

I Love Lucy and Telefilm Production

A
  • shot it on film
  • benefits of telefilm production:
    • picture/sound quality
    • multiple takes
    • sets/location options
    • post-editing
  • reruns and syndication-made them easier-live events had mistakes and lost liveness so no point in rebroadcasting
  • First big paradigm shift-mid 50s shift-includes telefilm production
128
Q

Paradigm Shift #1: Mid-50s to early 60s

A
  • movie studios enter tv business
  • big shifts in:
  • center of production
  • technical format
  • dominant format
  • sitcoms
  • gender orientation
  • creative control
  • sponsorship
129
Q

Paradigm Shift #1: Mid-50s to early 60s-center of production

A

shifts from NY—> Hollywood-lots of studios already there-less movies being made so studios happy to rent out lots

130
Q

Paradigm Shift #1: Mid-50s to early 60s-technical format

A

shifts from live/kinescope —> telefilm (The Goldbergs->I Love Lucy)

131
Q

Paradigm Shift #1: Mid-50s to early 60s-dominant format

A

variety/anthology (genres from radio)—>westerns/cop shows (genres from film)

132
Q

Paradigm Shift #1: Mid-50s to early 60s-sitcoms

A

ethnic, working-class—> white suburban, middle class (Father Knows Best)

133
Q

Paradigm Shift #1: Mid-50s to early 60s-gender orientation

A

female—>male centered (main characters, target audience)

134
Q

Paradigm Shift #1: Mid-50s to early 60s-creative control

A

-creative control: sponsor/ad agency—> network/studio/producer

135
Q

Paradigm shift #1: Mid-50s to early 60s-sponsorship

A

single sponsor —> magazine spots

136
Q

Magazine Sponsorship (Pat Weaver, NBC)

A
  • multiple sponsorship instead of single sponsor

- shifts scheduling and programming power to network

137
Q

syndication

A

tation can air whenever it wants, as many times as it wants

- stations retain all commercial time (no national sponsors)
- programming inexpensive-because production costs already paid off by original airing
138
Q

parent companies

A
  • networks, supplying content to affiliates
  • profit from giving national audiences to advertisers
  • fill 2/3 programming hours
  • rest of time filled with syndicated and locally produced shows
    • syndicated: game shows, movies, reruns, cheap dramatic series, talk
    • local: news, talk shows, children’s shows
139
Q

affiliates

A
  • local broadcasters owned by a company other than the network or its parent company
  • sign with network to get its programming
  • private, contractual agreement
  • required to air all net shows at designated times
140
Q

syndicator:

A

a company that makes programming available to whomever wants to purchase it

141
Q

first-run

A
  • First-run syndication refers to programming that is broadcast in the United States for the first time as a syndicated show
  • Baywatch
142
Q

off-network

A
  • originally aired on a network and now are syndicated off-network-sometimes cable channel-Friends and Seinfeld
  • Off-network syndication involves the licensing of a program that was originally run on network television or in some cases first-run syndication
143
Q

public broadcasting syndication

A

-a special type of syndication reserved for public and community TV stations (such as PBS affiliates).

144
Q

King World

A

(Syndicator/Producer)

  • formed in 1964 to distribute Little Rascals shorts to TV
  • produced/syndicated Oprah, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, etc.
  • syndicates Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy
  • bought by CBS
145
Q

Owned and Operated Stations:

A

local stations owned and operated by a network, typically in large markets

146
Q

As of March 2015:

A
  • NBC:
    • 11 O&Os
    • 222 affiliates
  • CBS
    • 16 O&Os
    • 222 affiliates
  • ABC
    • 8 O&Os
    • 238 affiliates
  • Fox
    • 17 O&Os
    • 177 Affiliates
  • Truly independent stations (not O&O or affiliate)
    • General Entertainment
    • Religious
    • Educational
  • many owned by same companies
  • fewer due to changing ownership rules
147
Q

Fear, The Family, and the Home

A
  • Fears
    • communism
    • unions
    • diversity of TS population
    • deviant sexual behavior
    • atomic bomb
    • women’s roles
148
Q

Changing Realities of the Late 50s-60s

A
  • High unemployment
  • “white flight”/resistance to minority home ownership
  • minorities/working class concentrated in cities
149
Q

suburbanization-gov. policies

A
  • govt. policy supports suburban development
  • 41,000 miles of limited-access highway (Federal Aid Highway Act)
  • GI Bill and Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
  • FHA: “a decent home…for every American”-really for middle class white families-removing women from paid labor force-building more housing
150
Q

homogeneity of suburbs:

A
  • average age: 31
    • few single, widowed, divorced, elderly
    • higher birth rate
    • 9% of women work (27% natl. avg.)
151
Q

suburbs completely excluded:

A
  • white, elderly working class
    • minority women and men of all classes
    • white single women
152
Q

Single-family suburban home designed to:

A
  • display class attributes
  • reinforce gender-specific functions
  • help status-conscious consumption
  • display housewife
  • display possessions as symbols of class
  • open floor plan but gendered spaces
  • paid for by father (fam. wage)
  • maintained by mother’s labor
153
Q

GI Bill

A

created to help veterans of World War II. It established hospitals, made low-interest mortgages available and granted stipends covering tuition and expenses for veterans attending college or trade schools

154
Q

FHA strategies for stability via homogeneity

A
  • Zoning (no multi-family, commercial buildings)
  • no housing for minorities
  • red-lining of mixed/minority neighborhoods
  • restrictive covenants
  • Result: racial, ethnic, class barriers, gender roles
155
Q

Consumer product industry: defining class

A
  • market research
  • lifestyle/personality image motivating choice for purchases (e.g.: “lazy” instant coffee use)
  • product design
    • more for leisure/display than solving problems
156
Q

Materialism and its Disconnects:

A
  • framed as virtue
  • disparity between working class reality and middle class aesthetic/values
  • encourages being things to assuage anxieties about class
157
Q

60s: Kennedy vs. Nixon

A

-first televised presidential election-on TV JFK seemed like winner, Nixon seemed better on radio-first time being a personality, attractive, good on tv was important

158
Q

shift to suburbs:

A
  • commercialization-encouragement to live beyond means
  • white flight
  • gov. Funding to building houses, incentives, subsidies
  • gender roles-women not working after WWII-men took jobs back
  • red lining, zoning
  • certain groups actively blocked from suburbs
  • only for white middle class heterosexual families
  • interstate highway program-to make it so you can’t even get to suburb w/o car
  • suburbanization and the idyllic home there masking a lot of anxieties during this time-civil rights movement, gender roles, way more children than ever before (baby boom)-might be delinquent-teenage delinquency becomes big concern-very much linked to tv-idea of teenagerhood didn’t exist prior to this-teens had access to cars, different views and music, tv, disposable income, leisure time (way more than other generations- a lot don’t work after school)
  • tv is villainized as contributor to these big problems
  • negotiation between content producers about trying to make money and trying to counteract the idea that tv is a bad object
159
Q

Father Knows Best

A
  • opening titles: very similar to other sitcoms
  • reflecting new suburban values
  • open floor plan
  • deep focus
  • focus on children-nuclear family
  • different humor-not really slapstick-more relatable, saccharine
  • father is no longer stupid buffoon with smart wife-now father is authoritative
  • open floor plan-mom in kitchen, cut off but still kids can hear her
  • teens almost delinquents but not scandalous
  • showcase stove, home
  • dad takes his hat off when comes in-iconography of patriarch
  • woman fully dressed for cooking-has her pearls on
  • leisure time for kids
  • girl reading gossip magazine-demonstrate gender roles at young age
  • this family is so wholesome their problems are above tv-not about the tv-about them not immediately obeying commands
  • family cohesion-children living up standards of their parents
  • want to be good citizens like parents in this episode
  • deep focus-can see everything in the background-background equally clear to foreground-depth of field-everything in image to be in focus and not just 1 thing-to show how your house is supposed to look-by passively showing all the commodities
  • dialogue: how to be good citizens-do civic duties-volunteer
  • here the wife can make jokes, a bit more of an equal-in Leave it to Beaver, wife is really just object
160
Q

Harlovich reading

A
  • TV is doing cultural work-enforcing norms
  • what is TV’s place? Teach norms, values-people are ambivalent about tv right now-masses buying and consuming tv all the time, then the moral crusaders who are still saying it’s low culture, bad object-this tension defines TV even now
  • as cultural object, trying to create unity, cultural cohesion-all these different cultural groups will at least see the same things-lessons of tv can be taught to the lower people who watch it still
  • but most people watching it just thinking of it as something to do-not really high or low culture
161
Q

Gunsmoke

A
  • longest running primetime drama

- western-endorsed by western film star John Wayne in promo before

162
Q

Mad Men-Betty

A
  • acting out Feminine Mystique-leaving college, now it’s her job to take care of home-stressed -about dinner-this is her job-Don not taking it seriously
  • doesn’t leave the house the whole episode except at beginning with horse
  • modeling roles available to women at this time
  • sort of goes on strike
163
Q

Mad Men-Peggy

A
  • has her own office
  • works where Don does-ad company
  • they don’t respect the authority of the accomplishments she has
  • she deserves respect, has a real job-but has to be the good girl
  • starts objections with “I’m sorry-“
  • expected to fulfill role of being helper, helping the church
  • can’t rise up without men’s help, giving them opportunity
164
Q

Mad Men-Joan

A
  • doing a really good job, pitching in, likes this job
  • but replaced by a man, who doesn’t know what he’s doing
  • she plays to her strengths-beauty-because that’s what everyone values her for
  • be victim to the way people treat you or use it
  • big part of women’s job is to play an acceptable feminine role
  • only way to accomplish goals is to let herself be sexualized, not to ask for or demand something
165
Q

Mad Men-Carla

A
  • domestic servant in Draper household
  • there to show us what else is going on at this time-what options were available to her
  • these 4 women represent the 4 roles of women available at the time
166
Q

Women as Consumers, Symbols, Laborers

A
  • suburban promise:
    • psychic and social satisfaction (not pay)
  • suburban reality:
    • responsible for most/all home labor, childcare
    • pressure to conform undermines progress
  • homemaker both central and marginal
    • labor has no $ value
    • produces status
    • must hide labor/make it look easy
167
Q

New Family Sitcoms (mid 50s-60s)

A
  • present white middle class life as norm
  • Reinforced by Style
  • Shift in Humor
  • mid 50s-sitcoms-female characters both liberated and contained by domestic space
168
Q

present white middle class life as norm

A

mask social contradictions

- display consumerism
- individual/family problems, not class/economic problems
169
Q

Reinforced by Style

A
  • verisimilitude: the appearance of being true or real
  • aspirational (people live in nice houses/apartment-beyond what they should have/most have-what people want to see, want their lives to be like)
  • suburban, domestic space
  • homemaker’s labor: visible-yet-invisible (effortless!)
170
Q

shift in humor

A
  • home not place for gags
  • humor isn’t usually at expense of another-except sometimes June Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver)
  • focus on kids-often source of humor-their curiosity and situations they get into
  • less slapstick
171
Q

Hollywood in the 1950s (alvy and anderson readings, book)

–initially blocked from entering TV by:

A
  • FCC freeze
  • anti-trust rules
    • radio control
  • talent bureaus (networks had own contract system where owned talent, assigned them to things-changes a bit when ad agencies get involved and start hiring from Hollywood as well-but was this system where hollywood talent was blocked)
172
Q

Hollywood in the 1950s-movie audience shrinking due to:

A
  • Paramount Consent Decree and Divestiture (1948-55)-studios sell theater chains
  • Foreign Films
  • TV
  • attempt to diversify (widescreen, color, etc.)
173
Q

Hollywood in the 1950s-lessons from divestiture:

A
  • lessons from divestiture:
  • ”vertical disintegration”-new business model is maybe we don’t need to own everything-that’s very expensive and risky-get rid of theaters and also not take on all this risk
    • shift risk (production cost) to independents
    • focus on distribution
174
Q

Lew Wasserman, MCA and Universal

A
  • innovations transforms Hollywood after the studio era
  • Douglas Gomer on Wasserman: “initiated the first ‘New’ Hollywood”
  • 1940s: agencies play bigger role in talent negotiations for film
  • MCA and Lew Wasserman take lead
  • Packaging:
  • for tv, primary shows are sold to networks
  • talent agencies in Hollywood (rather than ad agencies in NY)
175
Q

packaging

A
  • agency pitches and sells a film project to a studio
  • offers a “package” (script, director, stars)
  • packaging of films model for every agency
  • still used today
  • Agency fee for packaging TV
176
Q

Advantages of package system

A
  • externalize risk (to studios)
  • maximize creative resources-competition between independents+studios-creates innovation/better content
  • Warner-Formula, imitation-take genre we know, put people we know, do it again and again
  • Screen Gems-Co-productions, innovation-ultimately more successful than Warner Bros
177
Q

other Wasserman strategies:

A
  • 1957: acquires Paramount pre-1950 film library
  • 1958: Buys Universal Studio Lot—> Revue Studios-name of TV production wing as well
  • 1962-Takeover of Universal Studios and Decca Records, merges with MCA
  • 1962: Due to conflict of interest, sells agency business (antitrust/DOJ)
178
Q

Mid-late 50s: film studios begin to capitalize on TV in these 2 ways

A

Movie Syndication, Filmed Series

179
Q

Syndication of Movies/shorts

A
  • for studios at first, TV is an additional or ancillary market for feature films (the primary market is theatrical)
  • this is the blessing of TV-make money off of older products
  • stations need huge amounts of programming to fill their broadcast hours
  • early 50s: independent stations and affiliates broadcast old films, mostly B-pictures
    • smaller studios
  • mid-50s, major studios (RKO first) begin to sell back catalogs (pre-1950s) and the rights to broadcast them
  • would play often during the day
  • this showing of movies starts to become really big business in the 1960s
  • 1961: Networks and studios agree on fair compensation for films made after 1948
  • NBC launches “Saturday Night at the Movies”, promising 1 big film per week
  • By 1968, a movie night on at least 1 channel every night
  • studios charge higher and higher rates for broadcast
  • selling films to TV (often before theatrical release) becomes a major revenue stream for studios
  • also do this with Saturday morning cartoons-cartoons often first came from films
180
Q

Production of Filmed Series

A
  • mid-50s: independent film producers often fill the need for programming
  • studios initially just rented space to independent production
  • Dragnet
  • Early Adopters (David O. Selznick and Walt Disney
    • independents
    • risk takers (Gone With The Wind, Snow White)
    • hit early by slump
  • Most important early foray into TV made by Disney
181
Q

Dragnet

A
  • adapted from radio
  • early successful filmed series
  • cheap/fast production-a lot of narration, not really showing
  • filmed, single camera
  • the first filmed hour long drama-premiered in 1951-shot like a movie, on film, and broadcast-single camera, set up at diff angles to get diff parts of scene
  • based in realism
  • policeman’s notebook
  • LAPD, police procedure
  • Jack Webb (star, director, producer)
  • Friday-no personal life
  • case of the week show-just the facts
  • not about the drama in their personal lives
  • fraught (depictions of cops, criminals)
  • ends in 50s, later incarnation (1967) shows shifts in American society/culture-doesn’t really fit anymore
  • shapes procedural drama (medical, legal, police, etc.)
  • episodic (not serial)
  • self-contained
  • case-of-the-week
182
Q

Disneyland

A
  • in 1954, Walt Disney contracted with ABC to produce an hour-long show: Disneyland
  • For Disney:
    • diversification
    • multi-media
    • promotion
    • doesn’t see himself as tv or film person-interested in something larger-not worried about tv tainting his film legacy-wants to connect all of his different media-brand more important than media
  • For ABC:-Woolworths (v. Tiffany network-what NBC was called) for young families-$2 million/52 weeks-$500k investment in park
  • show featured Walt talking about Disney productions, most importantly Disneyland
  • there were amusement parks before-but this was the first theme park-clean middle class place for families, safe for kids
  • Disguised hour-long commercial as a science/education
  • Four realms:
    • adventureland (nature)
    • fantasyland (cartoons)
    • tomorrowland (science)
    • frontierland (western, original serial)
  • each week focus on a land, get behind the scenes, or movie in that genre, or it represented through cartoon
  • also showed shorts and excerpts from the Disney library (not previously syndicated-because had bad experience signing off Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Universal, lost rights-so owned everything else)
  • Hit Davy Crockett saga, first serialized on show, later released as a film-surprise hit
  • marketing bonanza
  • est. $100 million merchandising
  • early synergy/cross-promotion
  • early alliance between Disney and ABC
  • Leisure and Entertainment
183
Q

Children’s Programming before Disney

A
  • early 50s-Limited: (often put on by affiliate or local station)
  • puppet shows
  • science/educational
  • repackaged cartoons and serials
  • ads aimed at parents-get to the parents around christmastime to sell toys
  • freeze on station licenses so not everyone even has tv at this time-until 1953
  • 1953: more widespread TV ownership=more kids programming
  • Saturday mornings
    • old movies and cartoons
    • local kids’ shows
  • 1960: animated cartoons on Saturday AM (many based on film properties)
  • cartoons made by major studios-to play before movies-a lot recycled
184
Q

The Mickey Mouse Club (ABC, 1955-58)

A
  • mid 50s-after school programming
  • Mickey Mouse Club
    • weekdays, 5pm
  • daily themes
  • cancelled but later syndicated on local channels at diff times
  • people very into them-knew all their names
185
Q

Mattel and Mickey Mouse

A
  • Ruth Handler (Mattel) advertises during entire first season of The Mickey Mouse Club-instead of just during christmas
    • burp gun
    • barbie
    • hot wheels
  • Mattel becomes major toy company based on the success of these products-within a year or 2
  • largely credited to this decision
  • advertising directly to children-children can get their parents to buy something for them more so than commercials can
  • new model: selling directly to children
  • young girls wanted to playing at being adult women-parents had thought they wanted to play with kid dolls
  • Disney did this well-connect the toy to the tv show to the park-actual place to go to-beg their parents to go
186
Q

Other Early Adopters: David Selznick

A
  • Light’s Diamond Jubilee
  • the point:loosely based around light-but little segments about development of tech/electricity-developing from crappy appliances that thank god don’t need anymore to all the new ones you should buy
  • failed experiment-not well regarded or wildly respectful-strange, no on knew what to make of it
  • lots of movie stars
  • 2 hour special
  • aired on all 4 networks (DuMont included)
  • event (versus series)
  • GE sponsor, celebrating light bulb
  • Hollywood being Hollywood on TV (failure)
    • weird musical sequences, air force distractions
  • Selznick’s brand was high quality films-he agreed with sponsors would take on production costs-he went over budget-never got the money back
  • his takeaway was that he’s known for doing quality not quantity-make 1 film every once in a while and put lots of energy and resources into it-could be blockbusters-that worked in Hollywood-but in TV, want quantity, for low price
  • wanted to bring quality to TV but failed
187
Q

Other Early Adopters: Alfred Hitchcock

A
  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents
    • makes use of Hitchcock persona/reputation
    • known for suspense
    • followed Disney’s lead
    • didn’t direct shows-more endorsed/introduced them
    • hour long
    • gives many directors their start
188
Q

Later Developments in Filmed TV: TV Movies

A
  • production code phased out—> more controversial films
  • those films not really good for tv
  • studios, let by Revue, begin making movies of the week (low production values, melodramas/social problem films)
189
Q

Later Developments: Mini-Series

A

-eventually move into miniseries with higher prestige (ex: Roots)

190
Q

overview: Classical Network System (1960-80)

A
  • Centralized network control (vertical integration)
  • Ads: multiple sponsorship/magazine concept
    • 30 to 60 second slots in targeted programs
    • deliver rating or pay compensation
  • Networks, not advertisers:
    • commission programs
    • own outright/share ownership with production co.
    • control syndication, scheduling (“flow”)
  • Production:
    • independent producers/studios
    • contract with networks, not sponsors
    • partial or no ownership rights
  • Distribution:
    • affiliates locked into contracts (3-station market)
    • reduced local program time
    • fewer first-run syndicated shows
    • few independent stations
  • Exhibition:
    • networks purchase stations in large metro areas
  • network control-monopolistic practices-like Hollywood before Paramount Decree
  • 1955: 64% of prime time Hollywood-produced
  • 1963: networks own/co-own 93% of shows
  • 1965: 90% of prime-time Hollywood-produced
  • 1965: avg. household 5.5 hrs/day
  • 1956: color TV debuts
  • NBC/RCA color system
  • local station/consumers slowly convert through mid-1970s
191
Q

The Vast Wasteland (early 60s)

“The Whorehouse Era” of the FCC (late-50s)

A
  • used to describe FCC’s cozy relationship with business and gov.
  • heavy influence from broadcasting and electronics industries
    • unfair licensing decisions (“arranged, not adjudicated”)
    • gifts, travel from advertisers
  • Quiz show scandals-FCC covering its own corruption
192
Q

TV as a cultural center

A
  • by 1960s, TV center of life, politics
  • 1960 Kennedy-Nixon TV debates
    • TV watchers: Kennedy won
    • Radio listeners: Nixon won
  • Fundamentally changes campaigns-need to be good on TV
193
Q

TV Reform/Quality of TV Debates

A
  • 1961: Kennedy appoints Newton Minow to clean up FCC corruption and bribe-taking
  • Minow rails against the ills of commercial in speech to NAB broadcasters-called TV “a vast wasteland”
194
Q

TV and Violence

A
  • 1950s: rise in youth crime rate—> hearings on juvenile delinquency, TV
  • 1960s: Social science research on TV, more rounds of hearings
  • 1972: Surgeon general’s report on violence
  • Focus on action adventure, westerns and cartoons
  • media effects approach-treating TV as thing that goes right into your brain and directly affects you-passive viewer
  • Minow trying to make changes, but mostly trying to change image of FCC
  • uses this violence argument to get people to focus on networks-clean up
195
Q

Effects of Minow/Quality of TV Debates

A
  • arguments for public TV
    • if networks provide better programming, no need
  • 3 networks increase time for:
    • public service announcements
    • informational documentaries; 1962: 400 prime time docs (0 in 1957)
    • Expand nightly news coverage
    • Socially relevant/conscious dramas
      • ex: East Side/West Side (social workers)
      • The Outer Limits (socio-sci-fi)
196
Q

The Outer Limits (ABC, 1963-5)

A
  • Anthology
  • Sci-Fi focus (vs. Twilight Zone’s-supernatural)
  • pessimisti social commentary
  • Sconce: suggesting science/tech “on a collision course with oblivion”
197
Q

East Side/West Side (CBS, 1963-4)

A
  • near-anthology
  • George C. Scott-social worker investigates
  • Issues relating to urban life (prostitution, rape, PTSD, slums, blockbusting, mental illness)
  • Controversy (sponsor/affiliate problems)—> cancellation
198
Q

Nielsen ratings

A
  • 1940s: Nielsen “Audimeter” records channels
  • greater accuracy than applause cards and phone sampling
    • age, gender, region
    • flow, specific moments
199
Q

Arbitron ratings

A
  • 1949: Arbitron-diary method for demographics (age, gender)-have certain people track shows
  • show testing now: turn dial to say how good you thought, or write down-shows are costly-want to make sure do well-test out title, content
200
Q

Nielsen/Arbitron

A
  • by 1950, Nielsen/Arbitron monopoly
  • Sampling: 300 families
    • white, middle class, 12-49
    • very young, elderly, minorities uncounted
  • affect what is made/cancelled
  • 1961 Congressional investigation
    • Nielsen and Arbitron delivering “good” numbers
  • Watchdog groups form around ratings
201
Q

Nielsen/Arbitron-Later Developments:

A
  • Program analyzer system
    • est auds, program development
  • audience segments:
    • women 18-35
    • men 12-49
    • kids under 12
  • lifestyle segments by 70s-examine subset of these groups based on lifestyle-what type of person watches
202
Q

Audience Measurement: AC Nielsen Today

A
  • Set meter (channel) and people meters (household member)
    • 45,000 people, 20,000 homes, 56 largest markets
    • .0005% of audience
    • determine natl. ad rates
  • how natl. advertising rates determined
  • national ads (movies, cars, etc.)-right when commercial break starts and ends-local ads in the middle
  • best spots right at beginning and end of break
  • networks collecting national money so best positions for those commercials
203
Q

AC Nielsen-basic unit

A

households

204
Q

AC Nielsen-rating

A

% of households (out of all households) watching a particular program at a particular time (counts those with tvs off for denominator)

205
Q

AC Nielsen-share

A

% of households watching out of households that actually have their TV sets turned on

206
Q

AC Nielsen-“Sweeps weeks”

A
  • month-long, 4x/year of most intensive national ratings
    • diary system, geographically specific
    • determine local ad rates
  • important to network-want to stay important to affiliates-how much can charge for advertising affects how much wanna keep arrangement with NBC
207
Q

AC Nielsen-for a 30 min program

A
  • 8 min of ads:
  • 6 national
  • 2 local
208
Q

Source of 60s Political Activism

A
  • Post-War generation: social activists
    • well-educated, affluent, expect tolerance and equality from others
  • Dissonance between image of 50s America and reality
    • social justice movements form
209
Q

Civil Rights Movement

A
  • continued segregation, discrimination after slavery
    • Jim Crow south
    • Anti-miscegenation laws
    • Violence, lynching
    • Sharecropper system
  • Promise of WWII jobs evaporates in post-war era
  • SCLC and SNCC campaigns of civil disobedience, non-violent protest
210
Q

Women’s Movement

A
  • Post-WWII, educated women relegated to home
    • unequal access to jobs, political redress
    • birth control/access to family planning restricted
    • writings of Betty Friedan, Germaine Greer, etc.
  • Public protests: “the personal is political”
  • isn’t really in full swing in 60s-bit later
  • women and POC always being asked to take a step back for each other
  • all these movements at least at first model themselves after civil rights movement-rise awareness through media-nonviolent protest
211
Q

Gay Liberation Movement

A
  • discrimination, criminalization via anti-sodomy laws, classification of homosexuality as mental disorder
    • imprisonment, committal, lobotomy, castration
  • 1950s “Lavender Scare”, wars on gay taverns
  • Mattachine Society, Daughters of Bilitis, Gay Liberation Front
  • Self-awareness, self-acceptance, then public awareness
  • also a bit more momentum post-60s
  • Stonewall Riots-1969
212
Q

American Indian Movement

A
  • Colonial history
    • removal of lands
    • violent suppression of languages and cultures
    • denial of rights of citizenship
    • children sent far away to white schools
    • in 20s-murder of possibly hundreds-indians had oil money, press framed as dangerous, made every indian get a financial guardian to go through to get access to money-often cheated or killed by guardian to get money
  • organize and resist persistent racism and social, economic oppression
213
Q

United Farm Workers

A
  • Industrial farming exploits African American and immigrant labor
  • labor reforms of early 20th century exclude farm domestic laborers
    • no overtime, workers’ comp, collective bargaining, child labor laws
  • United Farm Workers form to protest, strike, bring attention to worker struggles
  • Cesar Chavez and UFM
214
Q

Anti-War Movement

A
  • Cold War
  • US aggression/intervention in Korea, Haiti, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
  • Forced conscription (Draft) 1940-73
  • Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and other groups form to protest involvement
215
Q

60s timeline

A

-1960
-SNCC founded/nonviolent student protests (sit-ins) for civil rights
-JFK elected
-1961
-freedom rides
-Berlin crisis
-Peace Corps founded
-Bay of Pigs
-Vietnam War begins (3000 “advisors”)
-1962
-Ole Miss integrated, riots, national guard
-Cuban Missile Crisis: U-2 photos of Soviet nuclear weapons, stand-off, public panic for a week before removal
-1963
-Medgar Evers (NAACP) murdered
-Birmingham protests
-March on Washington
-Sixteenth St. Baptist Church bombing
-JFK assassinated, Johnson in office
-shocks nation-allows Johnson to pass some of the civil rights legislation JFK hadn’t been able to
-public unity
-also poverty legislation
-Feminine Mystique published
(-East Side/West Side episode)
-1964
-Free speech movement
-Freedom Summer
-3 freedom riders who go south are murdered-2 white, brought national attention
-killers found not guilty-how do we get justice in the south?
-help people register to vote
-LBJ Great Society Reforms
-Economic Opportunity Act
-Civil Rights Act
-Gulf of Tonkin Incident
(-Outer Limits episode)
-1965
-Watts Riots
-against police brutality, living conditions, oppression
-190,000 troops in Vietnam
-Freedom March
-Voting Rights Act
-Malcolm X assassinated
-1966
-400,000 US troops in Vietnam, 6358 US casualties, 77,115 “enemy” deaths
-first war broadcast on tv-footage, coffins coming home
-First Acid Tests
-Black Panthers founded
-National Organization for Women forms
-1967
-Riots in Detroit, other cities
-ivil rhetorical shift
-Peace movement grows
-SF: Human Be-In, Summer of Love “dropping out of society”, anti-materialism, hitchhiking pacifist counterculture (white, upper middle class youth)
*Smothers Brothers premieres
-1968
-More white students drafted, mass outrage
-RFK, MLK murdered
-Tet Offensive
-Open Housing Act and Low-Income Housing Bill
-Chicago Democratic National Convention: Protests, police violence
-Richard Nixon elected President
-Kerner Commission Report
-report on riots in cities-caused by poor living conditions, racial discrimination
*Julia, The Mod Squad Premiere, Smothers Brothers DNC episode
-1969
-Vietnamization (Nixon strategy)
-Weathermen violence, bombings
-Moon Landing
-Woodstock Music and Art Festival
-Manson Murders
-Stonewall Riots catalyze Gay Liberation Front

216
Q

The 1970s

A
  • 1970-Kent State Massacre
  • 1972: Watergate Scandal
  • 1972: ERA and Backlash, Title IX
  • 1973: Wounded Knee occupation’
217
Q

Expanded News Coverage in 60s

A
  • Golden age of TV Documentaries ends
  • News coverage expands
    • key part of civil rights non-violence strategy-from local/repressed movement to nationwide concern
    • TV used to sell democratic social agenda, war
    • Circulate critiques of war (Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite)
    • THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING-Chicago 1968
    • African Americans’, women’s voices excluded from news editorial
    • white men deciding what goes on news
218
Q

Youth Culture in Music and Variety

A
  • “Established” conservative show, mainly hosted by older white men (Ed Sullivan)
  • “Teenager” shows like American Bandstand, Shindig, and Hullabaloo
    • both reflected some shifts in culture (e.g. British invasion)
    • neither really addressed counterculture discussion
219
Q

Scripted Series Shifts (Mid-1960s)

A
  • With Johnson Administration, back to Lowest Common Denominator/Least Objectionable)
  • Imitation, repetition, recombination
  • Populism/distraction: the Silly/Supernatural Sitcom
    • Hayseed Comedies: The Andy Griffith Show, Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies
    • Supernatural Sitcoms: Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, I Married a Martian
  • Court/serve counter-cultural audience but with “contained” difference/opposition
    • “White Negro” Shows: I Spy, Julia
    • “Countercultural” Shows: The Mod Squad, the Smothers Bros. Comedy Hour, Laugh-In
220
Q

Silly Supernatural Sitcoms Explained

A
  • Maligned era not taken seriously
    • reading through those representations for evidence of larger culture
  • Family sitcoms lucrative, good for formula-way of reframing sitcom so not trying to show family that’s real that exists right now-because not real
  • white suburban utopias too different from reality
  • move from traditional/ideal to more wacky/deviant
    • alternative families in workplace
    • single parents (widows)
    • robots, witches, space families, etc.
  • Express doubts about society
    • nosy neighbors=paranoia
  • Feminine Strangeness of genies and robots
    • Feminine power could not be integrated into family life
    • Bottled-up rebelliousness
    • Ridiculousness of hiding in home

history of tv (3 decks)

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