Television: The Most Influential Medium 1/26/15 10:40 PM • Pioneering experiments on sending pictures by radio began in several countries just after World War I. The earliest attempts made use of a revolving “Nipkow disk,” a mechanical system that created a scanning effect when used with a beam of light. It was not until electronic scanning was developed that television became practical. • The first patent for an electronic television system was awarded to Philo T. Farnsworth, an obscure inventor who had worked out the basic design while still a high school student. He had little funding, built a working model in an apartment in L.A., and beat Vladimir Zworykin, of Westinghouse laboratories, in a court battle, which he won. • By 1932, a transmitter was installed in the Empire State Building in New York City, New York. Regular transmissions began on a limited basis in 1936, with two broadcasts per week. A few hundred amateur enthusiasts who had built or purchase sets could receive the signals, but it was not until 1940 that television was capable of becoming mass media for the home use. When World War II began in 1941, the need for war production temporarily halted the development of the new medium. • The period of rapid adoption of home receivers began just after the war. Between 1950 and 1960, nearly 90% of American households acquired a television set. This rapid adoption happened in spite of a freeze on the licensing and construction of new television stations imposed by the FCC between 1948 and 1952. • Television quickly became a part of family behavior patterns across the nation. The number of hours that sets is in use in homes climbed from about 4.5hrs/day in 1950, to more than 7hours/day in recent years. During the 1970’s, color sets all but completely replaced black and white. • Two periods can be identified that might for different reasons be called television’s golden age. One, based on the popularity of certain programming and television personalities, was roughly from the early 1950’s to about 1960. The second, defined more in terms of the predominance and profitability of the television networks, was from 1960 to 1985. • Alternative ways to use the television set at home have now become a significant part of the total picture. Cable systems were not a major factor in the industry until the 1980’s, and the proportion of American homes receiving cable transmissions increased dramatically. An American company developed the VCR in the 1950’s. Since he mid-1980’s the Japanese have sold millions of the sets in the United States.Currently, digital television and especially direct satellite broadcasts may change the picture still further. • As an industry, television broadcasting is undergoing a number of changes. New patterns of ownership are emerging. Large corporations and conglomerates are making TV stations and even networks part of their holdings. The result is changing patterns of competition within the industry. Also, the original networks have lost a large share of the market in terms of advertising dollars. Both cable and DVD’s, which have replaced the VCR, are more widely used than ever before. Further changes lie ahead as this dynamic industry continues to evolve. • Technological changes, convergences, and trends are in store for the medium in the near future. HDTV will change the quality of television, and cable TV will be challenged by systems of delivery via phone wires, microwaves, and