01 25 2012 RTVF 1 23 1 23 Panel Discussion Excerpts California Cable TV Assn 1993 Western Cable Show o John Malone TCI o Rupert Murdoch Fox o Ted Turner Turner Broadcasting o Trip Hawkins 3DO Information Superhighway National Information Infrastructure 1993 started developing during this Have an understanding of the common historical pattern on o Invention understanding o Experimentation attempt to perfect it o Adoption public s adoption o Innovation o Monetization Have to figure out some way to pay for technology has to pay off to at least sustain itself o Adaptation changing to keep up be competitive Associated with the emergence of electronic media technologies Convergence o How does new media fit in with the established media landscape o Multi media Is content content or are new methods necessary Will it all become seamless and transparent How to monetize Have we seen the emergence of convergence and should the new buzz word be innovation Chapter 1 History of broadcast media Chapter 2 History of Cable Home video and the Internet Chapter 1 History of Broadcast Media 01 25 2012 Preconditions Social Industrial Business Technological Social Urbanization Rise in literacy rate etc Increase in leisure time Industrial Business Mass production techniques Mass media distribution Penny press Motion Pictures Vaudeville Inventors Inventions Technological Phonograph concept Wire o 1844 telegraph o 1866 transatlantic cable first electronic communication between US and Europe o 1876 telephone Wireless o 1873 Maxwell s Theory Predicted existence of invisible radiant energy similar to light o 1888 Hertz Confirmation Did lab experiments and proved Maxwell s Theory would work o 1896 Marconi s Patent o 1897 Marconi s Wireless Telegraph Co o 1899 American Marconi Founded o 1901 First Transatlantic Wireless Message letter S in morse code o 1904 Fleming s Diode Patent The Inventors 1906 Reginald Fessenden tested his alternator on Christmas Eve Demonstrated that voice could be transmitted over the ether o Fessenden s alternator produced a continuous wave that was needed for the transmission of voice or music Not broadcasting meant for ships point to point communication 1907 De Forest s experiments leading to triode audion 1916 De Forest s experimental transmissions o The Audion modified the Fleming valve by inserting a wire grid between the plate of the tube and its cathode o This invention helped make modern electronics possible o De Forest s Audion made it possible to amplify weak radio signals People not often given credit or mentioned Nikola Tesla o 1894 had version of electronic tube and performed transmissions o 1897 had patents describing transmission experiments o 1915 filed suit against Marconi o 1943 Supreme Court awarded Tesla credit for some inventions formerly credited to Marconi It s thought that Marconi was suing the US Govt for use of these patents in WWI factored into this ruling o Tesla s application of radio transmissions not directed toward telegraphy or broadcasting thought more along lines of Transmission of electricity Remote control Beam weapons Nathanial Stubblefield 1892 used natural Earth induction not radio waves conducted experiments transmitting voice more like cups and strings lol 1901 public demonstration in Murray KY Corporate Interest Legal Issues De Forest s audion got him into patent trouble with the Marconi Company o Claimed the Audion infringed on the Fleming Valve patent British Marconi and its American subsidiary dominated radio General Electric AT T and Westinghouse o Initially only interested in telephone communications o Eventually interested in radio business o Patents for transmitters and receivers split among them o Radio still primarily point to point like telegraph o TQ B c of nation security interests Navy took control of all US o Before WWI Radio Goes to War During WWI radio Patent Pooling o Navy assumed all responsibility for patent infringement and installed radio equipment in all of its ships o Technology had advanced rapidly as a result of Navy s actions By the end of the war The Birth of RCA Radio Corporation of America o Formed after the war Took controlling interest of the American Marconi company o Parent company General Electric Company In business of point to point communication RCA entered into a cross licensing plan designed to solve patent problems that re emerged after the war o Agreement allowed GE AT T and Westinghouse to take advantage of each other s discoveries see reading notes New Patent Pools Worked well until the idea of broadcasting began to emerge o Led to eventual dissolving of the cross licensing agreements Broadcasting s Beginnings Radio broadcasting idea grew in 1920s because o Thousands of hobbyists were trained in radio during war o Technological improvements made during the war gave radio o Business interests began to realize that broadcasting might KDKA Conrad WH engineer began doing experimental broadcasts better reception make money in Pittsburgh Westinghouse RCA GE and AT T started experimental stations 1922 went from 28 stations to 570 interference became huge prob Radio Group Westinghouse etc Westinghouse credited with putting first licensed station on air o 1920 Conrad s on air experiments o Horne s Dept store runs advertisement o Westinghouse VP Harry Davis envisions profit potential of regular broadcast Davis s business model o Radio station used to stimulate sales of its owner s products Davis orders Conrad to have a fully operational station on the air in time for the upcoming national general election KDKA on the air November 2 1920 Why KDKA is considered to be the first radio station Used radio waves Sent out non coded signals Continuous scheduled program service Licensed by govt Intented to be received by general public Radio s fast times Commercial advertising was started on WEAF in 1922 other stations followed Telephone Group AT T etc Opened WEAF in 1922 Business model Toll broadcasting o 10 minute presentation on August 28 1922 o Blackwell advertised Queensboro Corp s Hawthorne Court o Toll was 50 Radio and Telephone Groups Emerging Networks Chains Radio Group Chain Flagship WJZ WABC 1923 At a disadvantage b c of sound quality trying to get a lot of Interconnected using Western Union Telegraph Lines information through telegraph lines that didn t hold a lot of info Telephone Group Chain Flagship WEAF WNBC 1922 Interconnected using AT T long distance lines Telephone Group Hangs Up on Radio Fierce