1. Broadcast Television
Chapter 11

2. History of TV

3. History of TV
• A way to scan images, encode an
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image into tiny electrical signals, able to
be received and reassembled
Philo Farnsworth: Age 16,
conceptualized the “image dissector,”
patented in 1930, the first television
Vladimir Zworykin: by 1928 developed a
working camera tube -- iconoscope
First demo of working TV: 1939 World’s
Fair (RCA, with Zworykin’s help and
Farnsworth’s patent made it happen)

4. History of TV
• Initial public response was weak, sets
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were expensive, and not many programs
to watch
Early TV actors had to wear green
makeup to look normal for TV and
swallow salt tablets to prevent sweating
under the hot camera lights
WW2 interrupted TVs development

5. History of TV
• Post War: technology utilized during WW2
spurred TV development, regarding
reception and working conditions for the
performers
• New TV cameras required less light, TV
screens were bigger, more programs, the
beginnings of networks

6. History of TV
• 1945: 8 TV stations, 8,000 homes with TV in
the US
• 1955: 100 stations, 35 million households
with TV

7. TV in the 1950s
• Early TV industry was modeled
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after radio; local stations served
their communities, and might be
affiliated with networks
4 TV networks during this period:
NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont
Golden Age of Television
Popular shows: I Love Lucy, The
Today Show, 21, Gunsmoke

8. TV Freeze
• TV growth was phenomenal; manufacturers could barely
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keep up with demand, many TV stations popping up all over
the country
FCC declared a freeze on new applications in 1950-1952
1952: Sixth Report and Order

9. 1960’s
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By the end of the decade, 95% of American
households had a TV
TV journalism changed: NBC and CBS expanded
nightly news from 15 minutes to 30
Covered the Kennedy Assassination, civil rights
movement, first moonwalk
Public Broadcasting Act of 1967: established the
Public Broadcasting System (PBS)
Popular programs: The Beverly Hillbillies, Green
Acres, Bewitched, My Favorite Martian, My
Mother the Car

10. 1970s
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Public concern over the impact of tv watching was
growing
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Surgeon General formed a panel to investigate the harm
TV watching could cause – that TV violence was related
to aggressive adolescent behavior
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Cable industry growing, networks feeling competition
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Towards the end of the decade, programming trended
toward adult situation comedies (the sitcom): All In The
Family, M*A*S*H, Dallas, Dynasty
Program trends: law-and-order programs; The FBI,
Charlie’s Angels and Mannix.

11. 1980s-2000s
1990s
• UPN, WB:CW – in 2006,
merge to
• Major Mergers: Walt
Disney buys ABC,
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Westinghouse buys CBS
By 2000, 68% of people use
cable
80’s: The Cosby Show,
Family Ties
90’s: prime-time
newsmagazines, 20/20, 60
Minutes
2000’s: Reality TV, Survivor,
Jersey Shore, The Bachelor

12. Technology
• VCR: 1982, was adopted faster than any
other appliance since TV.
• Led to the movie-rental industry
• Encouraged time shifting: playing back
programs at times other than when they
aired
• TVs with remotes: lead to grazing: viewers
surfing through channels during commercials

13. Broadcasting in the 21 Century
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60 Million homes by
quality
• HDTV:and sound. Requires a2009, higherand special
picture
special TV
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signal
DTV: Digital TV, mandated in 2009. Digital signals free
up space on the broadcast spectrum; have the ability to
be split for subchannels.
3D TV: In 2010, TV set manufacturers shipped 4 million
3- D capable sets to vendors. So far has failed to catch
on.
Broadcasters & the Web: Networks offer high
definition episodes for streaming, clips, social media
integration. News websites are no longer just adjuncts to
the broadcast; many offer exclusive web only content.

14. Broadcasting in the 21 Century
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Broadband: Broadband allows for
• Broadcasters &quality content. Disney- ABC operates
streaming of high
ESPN 360, an online sports channel available through
certain Internet service providers that streams live
coverage of sporting events.
Broadband series have yet to generate a profit for
broadcasters, and the networks do not invest a lot of
money in their development.
They do represent a place where the networks can
experiment with new programming forms and new
creative personnel without risking a lot of money

15. Broadcasting in the 21 Century
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Mobile TV Apps
User-generated content: with the exception of the
occasional cell phone video of a news event, network
broadcasters use little user- generated content.
Local stations are more likely to employ user- generated
material. One study found that 50 percent of stations
accepted content from the audience, most of it consisting of
photos and video of weather-related events.
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Social Media: used for promotion of shows, interaction
with fans, companion for live events (Super Bowl)

16. Defining features of
broadcast TV
• TV is a universal medium
• 99% of homes in the US have at least one
working TV
• Most homes have more than one
• Dominant medium for news and
entertainment
• TV set is on about average 8 hours a day

17. Organization of the
Broadcast TV industry
• Commercial TV: local stations whose income
is derived from selling time on their facilities
to advertisers
• Noncommercial TV: stations whose income
is derived from sources other than the sale
of ad time
• Markets: service areas for broadcast
• Network & Affiliate relationship

18. Organization of the
Broadcast TV industry
Three segments of the industry:
1.Production
2.Distribution
3.Exhibition

19. Production
Programming comes from three basic sources:
1. Local production: produced in the station’s own
studio or with the use of the station’s equipment (ex.
News)
2. Syndicated programming: programs produced
exclusively for syndication and off-net series
programs (ex. Wheel of Fortune, Oprah, Friends
reruns)
3. Network programs: 65-70% of an affiliate’s
programming is from the network. (ex. ABC – Grey’s
Anatomy, 20/20)

20. Distribution
Three basic elements of distribution:
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Networks: distribute programs via satellite, then the affiliate sends along
to viewers.
Network/affiliate contracts are complicated, and vary from network to
affiliate, but currently networks ask for “reverse compensation,” where
the affiliate pays a fee to carry net programs.
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Syndication companies: lease taped or filmed programs to local
television stations in each local market, usually distributes content from
outside sources. Usually stations buy packages of shows, contracts
determine how many times they can be aired and when.
Cable/satellite networks: How viewers might receive TV broadcasts

21. Major Networks
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CBS
NBC
ABC
FOX
CW
My Network TV
Stations that are not affiliated with networks are
called independents

22. Ownership in the TV
industry
All major networks are under the control of large
conglomerates:
NBC Universal is owned by Comcast
ABC is owned by Walt Disney
Fox is owned by News Corporation (Rupert
Murdoch). Also controls My Network TV
CBS is owned by CBS Corporation (a spinoff of
Viacom). Also controls CW

24. Producing TV programs
Departments & Staff (Local Affiliate level):
Station Manager oversees the following:
1. Sales: sells ad time
2. Engineering: maintains equipment
3. Production/Programming: puts together local
produced programming, responsible for scheduling of
the program day
4. News: in charge of the news programs
5. Administration: clerical, accounting, etc.

25. Producing TV programs
At the network level:
1.Sales: sells network commercials, works with
ad agencies
2.Entertainment: works with producers to
develop new programs
3.O&O stations: stations owned by the
network itself
4.Affiliate relations: supervises contracts with
all affiliate stations

26. 5. News: responsible for all network news
programming
6. Sports: responsible for all sports programming
7. Standards: checks network programs to make
sure they do not violate the law or the
network’s own guidelines for appropriate
content
8. Operations: handles the technical aspect of
distribution of programs to affiliates

27. The Economics of
Broadcast TV
Commercial time: A station, network or cable
system makes available a specified number of
minutes per hour that can be sold (avails)
Three types of advertisers on TV:
1.National advertisers
2.National spot advertisers
3.Local advertisers

28. The Economics of
Broadcast TV
• TV industry has been profitable since 1950
• Ad revenue increased every year since 1971
• Changes in the industry are affecting the
bottom line of networks and stations

29. Commercial Time
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Three types of advertisers
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National advertisers
National spot advertisers
Local advertisers
Bigger ratings = higher costs for airtime
TV shows also generate revenue from
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Product placement
Text messaging fees

30. Where Did the Money
Go?
• Network programming is expensive
• 30 min sitcom: $1.5 million per episode
• 60 min show: about $3 million per episode
• Quiz and reality shows are a lot cheaper
• Programming costs account for about 3540% of a local station’s expenses

31. PUBLIC
BROADCASTING
• Public broadcasting has existed in the US for
more than 40 years

32. A Brief History
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1967 Public Broadcasting Act
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Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)
Public Broadcasting System (PBS)
Internal disputes regarding programming
Competition from cable channels
Reduced funding – political issue
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Stations looking for other funding sources

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Programming and
Financing
Tension between local stations and centralized
PBS organization
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1990: moved toward more centralized programming.
Ratings remain low
Sesame Street; Nova
354 PBS stations; licensed by FCC
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Licensed to 168 community organizations, universities,
states/cities
Funding from government, viewer contributions,
businesses, grants, etc.
PBS moving slowly into digital age

34. HOME VIDEO
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DVDs & VCRs common in US households
DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) gaining ground
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VCRs and DVRs can time-shift
Home video industry functions:
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Production (motion picture studios dominate)
Distribution (record-like rack jobbers dominate)
Retail (retail and department stores)
DVD opened new aftermarket for TV
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Retailers concerned about video on demand and premium channels

35. FEEDBACK FOR
BROADCAST
TELEVISION
• The television industry seeks feedback in a
variety of ways

36. Measuring TV Viewing
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Demographic data and viewing behavior
Nielsen Media Research Network ratings:
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Nielsen Television Index
People Meter, national sample = 12,000
Testing Portable People Meter (PPM)
Nielsen Local-Market TV Ratings
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200 markets, 4 times per year (sweeps)
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Diary/electronic metering
Nielsen hopes to phase out paper diaries

37. Ratings Reporting
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Rating: Number of households watching a program,
divided by the total number of TV households
Share: Number of households watching a program,
divided by number of households actually watching TV at
that time
Sweeps (Feb, May, July, Nov)
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Local market people meters will decrease importance of traditional
sweeps periods
Determining accuracy of ratings
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Media Ratings Council (previously Electronic Media Ratings Council;
EMRC) set up to monitor, audit, accredit broadcast ratings services
Other criticisms may deserve closer attention

38. Television Audiences
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TV is entrenched in American life
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TV set in 99% of homes; 75% have more than one set
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Viewing is heaviest:
TV is on for eight hours per day; average person watches more than
three hours
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During prime time
In winter (lightest in July/August)
In low-income households
Among people with lower educations
Among females