Evolution Of Entertainment ? From Radio To Cell Phone Movies

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Internet has made it possible to check out information about the history and evolution of popular entertainment. One can safely say that radio shows were the first attempt at mass entertainment. Until then, it was not possible to reach out to many persons at once. Cinema and performance artists had to travel from one place to another to entertain people. Radio made it possible for a single person situated at the single spot to entertain millions of people spread all over the world.

Radio shows were completely passive and relied a lot on the listener’s.imagination. Movies came along and then came television. Television was a significant improvement over the radio because it combined visual and audio entertainment options. It was better than cinema because one could be entertained in the privacy of one’s house.

For very long time, combination of cinema, radio shows and television shows formed the crux of entertainment. It is only when newer technologies came up that people came up with newer solutions and ideas. The ability to capture audio and video on the move made reality shows possible.

A camera that can be brought into a home meant that an individual’s life could be shot without doing anything different. This set of a boom that coincided with the rising popularity of internet. Today, people can enjoy real life entertainment with the help of cameras installed in cell phones and high-speed wireless internet connections. The distinction between fictional and real life entertainment has blurred with advancement of technology.

 

 

 

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What is Satellite TV

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Satellite TV is a type of broadcasting service that allows the users to receive television signals by means of dish-shaped receiving unit. The television signals are first uploaded to the communication satellite that is electronically scrambled and prevents unauthorized downloading. These signals are received by those who have paid the subscription fee and users are provided with a descrambler and a receiving unit to receive the signals.

The actual tuning procedures are done through cables just like any other cable television services. Satellite TV is preferred more than other broadcasting methods to avoid traditional problems associated with other broadcasting methods. Normally, in traditional methods, the signals are received through the antennas in the user place. The signal is not clear in the traditional method because the signal strength largely depends upon the distance between the antenna and transmitting antennas, also various climatic factors affect the signal. In cable TV system, heavy cabling is done for transmitting proper signals and therefore it is very expensive.

Satellite TV is a better option when compared with these broadcasting services. This service is mostly preferred for its strong signal and also reduces the large amount of cabling. Earlier satellite TV systems had large receiving units. Today, advancements in the technology have reduced the size of the receiving unit and they have become compact in size. Also, these days satellite services are not direction sensitive like those earlier satellite services. The installation procedure is very easy and more economical. The quality of the signal is also greatly improved in the satellite TV services and these services are now introducing the new definition of entertainment.

 

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Evolution Of Entertainment Industry – More Emphasis On Eyeballs And TV Ratings Today

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Desire for entertainment is a basic need that differentiates man from animals. Animals work in an instinctive manner and focus on their needs. They hunt to eat and survive. There is very little scope for pleasure and entertainment in their lives. They are just not built that way.

On the other hand, the human being has come a long way from the battle with nature and lives a life today that not only focus on survival but on something more than mere animal existence. Entertainment, amongst other things, makes a huge difference to the quality of life of the individual.

It would not be incorrect to say that each and every activity of man is directed towards entertainment. We don’t need to earn a lot of money just to survive on good quality food and basic requirements. However, we go ahead and try to earn a lot more money so that we can enjoy the good things in life, which invariably are related to entertainment.

From a trip to a baseball game in town to a quiet and private dinner for you and your spouse-anything can be defined as entertainment. However, if one considers entertainment as an industry, any and every activity which has an audience and which helps individuals enjoy motions is classified as entertainment. That is why we have soap operas that cater to those who love emotional and mushy stuff. A sport is a perennial favorite for the athletic and aggressive individuals. Music and reality shows have become very popular because they provide peak into the life of celebrities and other individuals who were considered unapproachable in the past.

 

 

 

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Reality TV – Insight and Exploitation

Sinces its inception, television as an entertainment medium has been in a state of constant evolution, from the early live broadcasts to the birth of scripted drama – TV has seen a variety of vogues over its lifetime.

One of the most controversial of these has to be the genre now known as reality TV. Starting its life as an attempt for true to life documentation of a situation, the reality format has since metamorphosed into something that, at its exremes, many now consider to be either grotesque or exploitative.

Reality TV is a general term that is used to describe any programming that takes as its main feature the unscripted action of a set of subjects. While at the tamer end of the scale the reality TV genre offers up documentaries that provide an insight into worlds that the view may not otherwise see, the genre also includes a number of offerings that are much less worthy.

With the prolifeation of cable and satellite television channels, there is more and more  demand for programming to fill in schedule slots – and reality TV offers a relatively inexpesive way for producers to create shows to fill these spaces.

Low level reality TV production often involves the placement of subject in situations where the darkest areas of their lives and emotions are held up to the scrutiny and ridicule of audiences. With chat shows offering participants an opportunity to air their dirty laundry in public under the guise of providing guidance, and reality based gameshows tempting people to air the least appealing sides of their nature with the lure of a desirable prize.

Love it or hate it – reality TV looks set to stay.

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The Role of Radio in Modern Television

Since the arrival of the television in households across the world the importance of the radio has seemingly dwindled and dwindled, with more and more people tuning out in favour of more visual medium of TV.

The days of families gathering around the wireless for the latest installment of a serial drama are seemingly long gone, with home entertainment these days being more likely to feature family members in separate rooms viewing the programming of their choice.

But does this mean that radio as a spoken medium no longer has a role to play in the evolution of light entertainment?

In short, the answer is no, radio continues to play an important role in the development of talents and personalities that provide us with distractions during our downtime.

For example, many of the stars of the screen whose faces are familiar to us would never have made it into the public consciousness without the existence of radio. For presenters, radio is often the first port of call in a career plan, allowing them to hone their on air skills before attempting to make the transition to television.

And some of the most popular television shows have some roots in radio programming, where writers and producers have tried out ideas on audiences, helping them to weed out the ones that work and latter translate them into a visual medium.

Television audiences may be disregarding of the radio as an entertainment tool, but most are unaware of what their favorite shows owe to this understated medium.

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History of CBS

CBS led the ratings for years, but it was created as an act of revenge. When Arthur Judson, a talent agent, saw that none of the stars he represented were accepted for NBC’s radio networks, Judson created his own network, the United Independent Broadcasters. This network was soon merged with the Columbia Phonograph Company and became the Colombia Phonograph Broadcasting Company. Soon, after ailing profits and a few sales, the company came into the hands of William Paley, who renamed the network to CBS (Colombia Broadcasting System).

While Paley was aggressive in his advertising strategy (that literally paid off for the company), his main achievement was recognizing future stars and signed stars like Bing Crosby and a strong news team led by Edward R. Murrow. Paley was at first hesitant to enter the world of television broadcasting, but when it did, it maintained strong first-place finishes in the ratings for almost 20 years thanks to hits like I Love Lucy, Ed Sullivan, and Gunsmoke.

The network did hit a speed bump with Joseph McCarthy and his followers named the station the Communist Broadcasting System. It also required loyalty oaths from all of its employees. Murrow fought this with his 1954 investigation of McCarthy, See It Now. Unfortunately, CBS officials disliked Murrow after this and one of the greatest news men of all time resigned in 1961. The impressive news department became shouldered for the likes of entertainment programming, such as when the 1966 Senate hearings on the Vietnam War were not broadcasted; instead, reruns of I Love Lucy were aired. Head of News division Fred Friendly resigned shortly after.

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History of NBC

In the initial days of radio, there were just two networks before the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) came along: the Colombia Broadcasting System, or CBS, and the National Broadcasting Company, or NBC. NBC was started by its parent company, the Radio Corporation of America, who saw a way to increase their radio sales by providing programming. RCA formed NBC in 1926, and shortly thereafter developed another network, so the two became known as NBC-Red and NBC-Blue. The two NBC networks had a cavalcade of hit programming, clear channel stations, and radio stars. NBC was one of the first companies to start experimenting with television broadcasting and began testing their broadcasts from the Empire State Building in 1932.

Soon the FCC became suspicious of RCA’s dominance in the broadcasting field and began investigating NBC’s procedures. Fearing a monopoly, the FCC forced the company to “divorce” it’s two high-powered networks. NBC-Blue was sold and eventually became ABC. NBC wasn’t a huge money-maker for RCA; it accounted for only a quarter of the company’s profits. However, NBC played a much more important role for RCA: it gave Americans a reason to go out a purchase a television from RCA.

The 50′s and 60′s saw NBC in a consistent second-place finish behind CBS. While the company focused on prime-time dramas and comedy-variety programming featuring a wealth of modern stars (Bob Hope, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis), NBC is also credited with developing the “magazine concept” of advertising. Whereas companies before had merely sponsored an entire program, the commercials now appeared within the programming, like one sees within the pages of the magazine.

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The History of ABC

ABC stands for the American Broadcasting Company, a company that has a long history in the television industry. In its history, ABC has long competed with other network giants CBS and NBC, and occasionally the network does come out on top. ABC hasn’t always been affiliated with the Walt Disney Company, either: that merger didn’t occur until 1995. So what was the network like back when it first started?

ABC started back before television, when the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, reported problems with NBC radio in the late ‘30’s. The FCC was concerned that NBC owned two networks  (NBC-Red and NBC-Blue). The FCC recommended that the two stations undergo “divorcement,” and the Blue Network was sold to Edward Noble’s American Broadcasting System. ABC was born, and the three power networks became NBC, ABC, and CBS, with ABC coming in third place in the broadcasting battle.

By 1951, Edward Noble and ABC were almost bankrupt. ABC was sold to Leonard Goldenson and United Paramount Theaters. Goldenson had spent his prior career at Paramount Pictures. Goldenson made a smart business move by agreeing to help fund Disneyland in exchange for 35 percent of the park. Goldenson also agreed to a Walt Disney TV series that became the network’s first big hit. By 1964, the network was number one of the three networks thanks to shows like Bewitched and The Addams Family. Unfortunately, the network only stayed number one in the ratings for a few weeks. It wasn’t until 1970 that the network experienced its first number one show, Marcus Welby, M.D.

ABC made history by airing network television’s first miniseries event, Rich Man, Poor Man. ABC then became famous in the mid-seventies for titillating programming like Charlie’s Angels as well as another successful miniseries, Roots.

ABC also became the first network to have a woman evening anchor, Barbara Walters.

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The Advent of Color Television

Color television is documented as far back as 1928, when it was demonstrated by John Baird and again by Bell Telephone Laboratories a year later. The Colombia Broadcasting System, or CBS, began experimenting with color television through a field sequential color system. The FCC examined CBS’ system and noted the system’s potential, but stated the system required more testing. With the advent of World War II, color television experimentation was put on hold in order to focus on the war effort.

After the war, CBS developed a color system that ran at a higher scanning rate than the monochromatic standard that already existed. They petitioned the FCC in order to commercialize their system. Unfortunately, since the system was not currently compatible, it meant that consumers would have to carry the cost of the switch. Some argued that broadcasters would lose their existing monochromatic audience because they would not have switched to the color system yet. Around the same time, the Radio Corporation of America, or RCA, developed its own system of color television. Recognizing that every day without a decision would ultimately be more costly for the American public, the FCC controversially went with CBS’s design in 1950. However, the Korean War caused a limited number of color receivers to actually be produced, and CBS was forced to discontinue color broadcasting just four months after they began broadcasting in color.

In 1953, a new system based off of RCA’s design was petitioned to the FCC by the National Television Systems Committee.  The FCC approved the electric color dot sequential system in late 1953. Broadcasting stations were quick to adapt to the newly approved technology, but color broadcasting was limited. NBC was especially supportive of color programming because RCA (its parent company) manufactured color receivers. CBS and ABC were much slower to provide color programming. Color television did not truly take off until the late 1960’s.

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From Radio to Television: The History of American Bandstand

American Bandstand holds an important place in music and American history. It was one of the few television programming (along with soap operas) to successfully transfer from radio to television. During the 1950’s, it was common for stations to host a music record show because of the high amount of teenagers it drew to the show coupled with a low production cost. Advertisers were eager to advertise to the teenage market and record companies provided free records in hopes of gaining air time for their artists. This programming became known as “teen dance party” programs.

American Bandstand originated in Philadelphia’s WFIL-TV in 1952 under the name Bandstand. The show was hosted “live” by Bob Horn, a well-known local DJ. As Bandstand’s success grew, Bob Horn began hosting in front of the cameras while Dick Clark played disk jockey. Bob Horn was then arrested for drunk driving right in the middle of WFIL’s large campaign against drunk driving. Dick Clark then took over the show.Dick Clark should be given monumental credit for insisting that the show become racially integrated when he took over the show from Bob Horn, given that many of the recording artists played on the show were black. Clark took the program to ABC in 1957 and succeeded in getting the network to pick up the newly renamed American Bandstand. It first aired in August of 1957.  The show aired at 3 PM, a perfect match for its target audiences: the teens were at home and adults were at work.

In 1964, the show was moved to California and only broadcasted once a week. By the late 60’s, American teens had foregone the clean-cut rock and roll of American Bandstand in favor of psychedelic rock. The show tried to adapt by focusing on disco. Eventually, after 30 years on the air, ABC cancelled the show in 1987, unable to compete with music videos.

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