History

• A lot of technology had to come together to create television. The first device to show a reasonably accurate image of a moving object was first demonstrated on January 23, 1926 by Scottish inventor John Logie Baird. He showed the faces of people on his device. The first broadcast of moving pictures was on April 7, 1927 when scientists from Bell Telephone Labs and AT&T sent a speech by Herbert Hoover over a wire between Washington D.C. and New York City. A wireless broadcast was also done between Whippany, New Jersey and New York City. Both were demonstrations and not for public viewing. The first television broadcast to the public happened on June 30, 1941 when WNBT in New York City showed two hours of amateur boxing from the Jamaica Arena.
  
  

Features

• Television broadcasts were actually shut down during much of World War II except for a few war related programs. When the war ended, television blossomed. At first broadcasts lasted only an hour or two on three days of the week. By the 1950s virtually every television station in America was broadcasting every day. Homes all over the country were getting black and white TVs. By the mid 1950s color televisions and remote controls were being developed. It was also the Golden Age of Television. Shows like "I Love Lucy," "Gunsmoke" and "The Mickey Mouse Club" hit the airwaves.
  
  

Time Frame

• The transition to color television sets happened slowly through the 1960s and 1970s. By this time nearly every home in America had at least one television. By the 1980s, VCRs and remote controls were common. This changed viewing habits and programming. Shows like "Miami Vice" appeared with vivid imagery but weak story lines. They appealed to viewers with short attention spans who changed channels constantly. Reality television followed for the same reasons in the 1990's. By the end of the 20th century, high definition digital television began replacing the old analog format. HDTV features a wider aspect ratio like a movie screen and many more lines of resolution. The improvement in picture quality was remarkable but programming was limited to what stations were broadcasting. This changed on February 19, 2009 when all full-power television stations in the United States were required to broadcast a digital television signal.
  
  

Significance

• The National Association of Broadcasters estimate that worldwide there are more than 21,500 television stations. Billions of people watch those stations every day. Nobody knows how many television sets there are in the world. A University of California at Berkeley study found that Americans spend an average of 170 minutes per day watching television and movies. That is nine times the amount of time Americans spend on physical activity for leisure.
  
  

Potential

• Broadcast television is competing hard with cable, satellite television and the Internet for viewers. People now have literally hundreds of viewing choices at any given moment. This is prompting more specialized programming to appeal to a smaller but more loyal audience. Programming is also getting more shocking as producers compete for the attention of an increasingly distracted television viewing population.