Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The beginning of TV Networks

Media Reform, as I am finding out, has a much deeper history than I originally guessed. While covering the infancy of television in CMN 3210, I read a few disturbing things.
In 1941 RCA "motivated" the FCC to establish market standards for a 510 picture resolution, black and white, AM audio television. The competing system was proposed by CBS. This set had color channels, broadcast in near 1080 resolution on our modern band UHF. This is rather supprizing to me because advertisers would have us believe high def is a new thing. RCA then formed a pact with NBC and ABC and in 1948, the FCC put a freeze on licenses for television, which created a sort of windfall for RCA and the broadcasters on their sets. The networks of today were formed in this four year period. Statements from the FCC, which at the time was lead by the lobbyists and a mostly inexperienced body claimed that standards were necessary to support a post war economy, but I would like to pose a question. Is it possible that the beginning of television was tainted by the negative remarks of Senator McCarthy and the his red police in an effort to control the air waves? Whether your answer is yes or no, the profits and gains made today by these major networks are dependent on the 1940's and the censorship of ingenuity and perspective. Sorry if that ruins Nick at Night for you.

In addition, I would like to ask anyone in the class if they know how to get in touch with the civil rights attorneys on campus.

2 comments:

Sersa Victory said...

I'm afraid I don't follow. :/

Joe said...

What I have found is that there is very little research connecting anti-communism rhetoric to the format of modern network television. I find this to be very odd since the two events coincided in the early 1950's. But whether or not you agree, it is important to note that CBS and NBC are as big as they are today because it wasn't a free market and the infancy of television, this is very disturbing.