Essay Number Two

Kimberly Hutchison

Dr. Kerr

En 101H-1

01 Oct 2010

Televisions Now and Then

            Today, televisions play a large part in American culture and society.  Studies find that 99% of households in the U.S. own at least one TV, and that the average amount of TVs in an average U.S. house is 2.24 (Number of Televisions).   However, it has not always been this way.  In the 1960s, nine out of ten houses owned one TV; about 87% of households owned black and white TV sets (The History and Evolution of Television).  There were about 52 million televisions in America during this time, whereas now there are approximately 285 million in use in households across the country (Number of Televisions).  Many different factors contributed to the changes in television in America.  In order to see how TV changed from the 1960s to today, it is important to compare the different programming, technology, and standards of the different times.

            Television programming has dramatically changed from the 1960s to today.  Today, the average American watches more than four hours of TV everyday (Number of Televisions); people find it important to stay updated on the latest shows.  In the early sixties, people would be embarrassed to admit they spent more than a couple hours in front of the “tube;” this showed a lack of intelligence (Television of the 1960s).  Shows in the sixties were limited to a few categories (Television of the 1960s), but today shows range from all different categories, and people can generally watch whatever they want.  During the 1960s, educational TV and stations like PBS started to emerge (History of Communications; The History and Evolution of Television), and important events in the country also began to be aired on television, including events like debates between presidents, the speech of Martin Luther King, and the shooting of Kennedy (History of Television).  News stations today air the most current news every night, and all types of events going on in the country are watched on TVs daily.  Primetime television has also changed; in the sixties it consisted of three networks, each with a half an hour newscast (United States: Networks), but today there are multiple stations, not just limited to news, that air simultaneously during primetime.  Not only has television programming changed, but its technology has changed as well.

            Television broadcasting technology has drastically changed since the 1960s.  At the start of this decade, color TV had just recently been introduced, and by the middle of the decade the majority of programs were broadcast in color (History of Communications; History of Television).  It is very rare to find black and white TVs nowadays; the majority of televisions are high definition color, some even having 3-D technology.  Many new technologies started being used in the sixties that are very commonplace today.  In 1962, the first transatlantic reception of a television signal occurred with the TELSTAR satellite (History of Communications).  Another aspect of the television that came about in the sixties is instant replay.  Sports today almost rely on this, but it did not become standard technique until 1963 (History of Television).  During this time, cable TV began to emerge, but was present in less than 2% of households (The History and Evolution of Television), whereas today, satellite TV is almost nonexistent and TVs run off of cable, along with “on demand” programs.  What used to be large consoles with small screens has now become large plasma screens.  All of these advances in technology demonstrate the change television has gone through in America; the changing standards also give insight into its transformation.

            Television standards have changed considerably since the sixties.  This decade brought about the first cable regulation and the beginnings of debate over banning cigarette ads (History of Television).  Today violence, sex, and controversial issues are found all over TV; however, in the 1960s, TV shows reflected good, old-fashioned ideas and family values, and were clean, pure, and innocent (Television of the 1960s).  Also during this time the National Association of Broadcasters code put restrictions on non-program material, such as a time limit (Standards and Practices).  During the 1960s, topics along the lines of racism and sexuality were excluded from content; for example, married couples were shown in two twin beds instead of sharing a bed (Censorship).  This is drastically different from television today, where sexuality and political issues are aired on almost every station.  Not only that, but coarse language was also omitted from broadcasting (Censorship), but today bad language is easily found in shows.  The changing standards of television shows demonstrates the change TV has undergone in the past 50 years.

            Television in the 1960s was completely different from TV today.  The changes in programming, technology, and standards demonstrate the advancements television has undergone and the growing impact television has had on society.  What used to be a nice, leisurely activity  has become a large part of society in America, present in the majority of homes across the country.  The most drastic changes in shows, methods of broadcasting, and principles are easily seen, and reveal the growing impact TV has had on society.

Works Cited

"Censorship." The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=censorship>.

"The History and Evolution of Television: The 1960s and 1970s - by Mona Gallagher - Helium." Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://www.helium.com/items/569934-the-history-and-evolution-of-television-the-1960s-and-1970s>.

"History of Communications - Historical Periods in Television Technology: 1960-1989." Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Home Page. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/1960-1989.html>.

"History of Television." High-Tech Productions. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://www.high-techproductions.com/historyoftelevision.htm>.

"Number of Televisions in the US." Hypertextbook.com. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2007/TamaraTamazashvili.shtml>.

"Standards and Practices." The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=standardsand>.

"Television Of The 1960s - Nostalgic Family Values." AAA Information and Entertainment. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://www.information-entertainment.com/Television/tv60.html>.

"United States: Networks." The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=unitedstatesn>.