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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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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The Game Show Network

Game Show Network, or GSN is a popular television station that is available in many cable and satellite packages. The station focuses on game shows but they also air poker shows, documentaries and other game related programming.

The Game Show Network originally launched on December 1, 1994 and the first show ever aired was Match Game 73. During the first few months the station didn’t air any “real” commercials but aired commercials for the station, public service announcements and commercials for Sony products, which was then the parent company of the network. After the network became more popular, traditional commercials were added to the lineup.

The station went through a rough period during 1997 and 1998 when the network lost the rights to much of their programming. During what was called “The Dark Period” the station aired The Price is Right, one season of Family Feud, and some lesser known game shows by Sony.

In early 1998 the station got the rights back to many of the programs that were most requested by their fans. They also started creating original game shows during this period. From 1998 through 2008 the station flourished. They developed many successful programs, continued airing many of the classics and also bought the rights to several newer game shows such as: Win Ben Stein’s Money and The Amazing Race.

During this period Poker also flourished on GSN. This caused some controversy among fans, but poker began filling large blocks on the schedule which brought more viewers to the station. Game show fans did not like missing out on game shows at the expense of poker, but the station saw huge ratings for their original program “High Stakes Poker” and for the World Poker Tour which moved over from The Travel Channel. Poker may not be a traditional game show, but it has found a home on GSN, and will like not be going anywhere soon.

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DVR Technology: Benefits and Considerations

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The DVR or Digital Video Recorder is an electronic device that is changing the way that people watch television. In a nutshell, this device is the modern-day equivalent of the traditional VCR, which is capable of recording and playing television shows and movies without requiring the use of tape. Everything is stored in a digital format.

The DVR device takes recording and watching television to an entirely new level. This device makes it possible for you to pause the television, rewind, watch in slow motion, fast forward and instantly replay live television broadcasts. Whether you are watching a pay-per-view movie, a live sporting event, the news or just any ordinary television show, these extra options can really come in handy.

The Digital Video Recorder device is proof that television is evolving. People can now record their favorite shows and watch them later, fast forwarding through commercials. They can pause the show they are watching to answer the phone or to stop and eat a meal, then start the recording right back up, fast forwarding through commercials to catch-up to the live television. Some DVR services offer significant buffer capabilities, meaning that you can pause and replay television on the channel that you are watching as many as several hours behind the live television feed.

Above all else, the Digital Video Recorder technology makes it possible for you to take control of the television you watch more than ever before. By buffering the signal from the satellite, you can pause, rewind, fast forward or slow-motion the television show that you are watching, and then you can simply resume the program so that you are watching it without missing a thing. Nobody wants to miss a favorite show due to unforeseen circumstances, and the DVR system makes it possible not to. Record favorite shows when you are not around to watch them, then queue them up and watch them any time that suits you.

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New Technology

The trend of increasing competition in telecommunications markets has invigorated the development of new technologies and investment in the cable industry. Marketing used to be done on old-fashioned paper, but with everyone wanting to go green and go big, online printing, television marketing, and radio broadcasts have become more popular. This has broadened competitive business options, opened up future directions for cable, and improved customer service.

Over 91 thousand miles of cable plant has been laid in this state. Cable companies continue to modernize their systems with fiber optic cable, providing better system capability and increased channel capacity. Cable programming and services will increasingly be showcased through the continued advancement of other significant technological advancements, such as digital compression, interactive video and high-definition television (HDTV).

The new generation of cable technology, such as modems, digital set tops and Internet telephony, is also moving the cable industry toward greater “interoperability” with other communications technologies. Cable products that work with other communications services will increasingly allow cable customers to shop competitively at retail stores for innovative and reasonably priced products.

CCTA continues to support and showcase efforts to develop cable technologies that improve the value of subscriber services and better position the industry in a competitive environment. In a world where new technologies can impact public policies, CCTA uses its legislative, regulatory and legal expertise to assure that competitive policies include review and discussion of any critical technologies on the horizon.

CableNET®
Each year CCTA presents a major educational exhibit of cable technology at its Western Show convention. CableNET® continues to demonstrate the power of the cable industry’s hybrid fiber coaxial systems and its expanding telecommunications and entertainment applications, as well as the potential for consumer retail sales.

CableLabs®
Supported by cable operators in California, and throughout the nation, CableLabs® was created in 1989 to establish a long-term industry commitment to research and to develop the next-generation cable technologies, such as HDTV and fiber optic transmission systems. CableLabs® cosponsors the annual CableNET® exhibit with CCTA to demonstrate and promote technologies that will increase the integration of cable with computer, consumer electronics and broadcast industries for the benefit of cable consumers.

High Tech Cable
In addition to CCTA members which operate cable systems in the state, there are over 400 “associate members” involved in the development, manufacturing and distribution of software and hardware for the cable industry. As a result of converging and interactive technologies and Internet applications, companies such as @Home Network, WINK Communications, CableData, PowerTV, Inc., and Macrovision Corporation are developing a high tech workforce in California based on cable industry growth.

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