Lecture 8 American Media

US TV---yesterday A demonstration of television was held at the New York World’s Fair in During the 1940s networks were established and TV sets began to be sold. But, for a while radio still had complete control of the entertainment industry. It was in the 1950s that TV started to take the place of radio in the United States, and in the early 1960s over stations were telecasting to about 52 million sets with the result that the American TV audience included almost every family.

US TV---today Today there are a thousand stations all over the country, and in many places there is a choice of 5 or 6 channels, not counting in the cable programs one can buy. The Big Three of the networks---the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC)---introduce a large number of new shows, which are replayed throughout the US and are often sold abroad.

Cable TV A system of “community antenna television(CATV)”. Cablevision, transmitted via direct cables connected to each television set, offers viewers a large choice of programs, as well as excellent reception.

Pay TV Known as toll TV or subscription TV, which differs from cable TV in 2 important respects. Pay TV entirely originates its own programs and charges a fee for viewing each program.

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Nearly all TV in the US is commercial. So programs are interrupted every 15 minutes or so for advertisement. There is, however, 1 channel where there are no commercial breaks. Programs on this channel are run by the Public Broadcasting Service(PBS). It has a loose organization. Its production facilities are not jointly organized and its revenue is uncertain. It receives a certain amount of money from the Congress, and the rest from foundation, public contributions an individual stations.