History Of Television

Did you know?

• Invented in 1929, television was first introduced to the public at a World's Fair in 1939. 
  
  
• At first, television received mixed reviews because there was little to watch and picture quality was poor. 
  
  
• The first television station license was issued by the Federal Communications Commission on July 1, 1941. 
  
  
• The first licenses issued were for commercial stations. Thus, television began in the United States as a vehicle for selling goods and services while providing entertainment. 
  
  
• Only 20 years later, in the early 1960s, the first educational stations (later Public Broadcasting) began offering programs with the aim to educate and enrich people's lives. 
  
  
• WWII delayed the formation of television broadcasting till the late 1940s. 
  
  
• From the late 1940s to the mid-1950s three main broadcasting networks emerged: CBS, NBC, and ABC. 
  
  
• Today, most viewers (with cable or satellite) have access to an average of 202.6 available channels (Television Bureau of Advertising, 2001). 
  
  
• In 1950, only 9% of U.S. households owned a television (Television Bureau of Advertising, 2001).
  
  
• By 1955, within five years, 64.5% of U.S. households owned a TV (Television Bureau of Advertising, 2001). 
  
  
• By 1965 at least one TV was in 92.6% of U.S. households, and presently TVs, at 98.2% (99.9% of those are color), are in virtually every household (Television Bureau of Advertising, 2001). 
  
  
• Signals can be received virtually everywhere--either over the airwaves, by cable, or by satellite. 
  
  
• In 1970, about 7% of homes had cable television (Donnerstein, 1994). 
  
  
• When HBO started sending signals via satellite in 1975, cable TV started to realize its capability and by 1990 it reached 56.4% of U.S. households. Currently wired cable television has reached 69.4% of television households (Television Bureau of Advertising, 2001). 
  
  
• 78% of adults surveyed report that they have home cable or satellite television (National Public Radio, 2000). 
  
  
• In 1970, VCR's were hardly seen in homes. Now VCRs are a media staple in over 90% of American households (Lyman, 2002). Though, DVD players, with digital capability, are fast becoming the norm. 
  
  
• On the horizon is Digital TV. With Internet and television convergence, the stage is set for interactive television.