THE SEARCH FOR A FORMAT
In order to begin broadcasting news on the television, NBC had to find the perfect format that could easily be understood by the audience. They started by experimenting with the combination of the method used by radio stations and the method used by theatrical newsreels. The news-anchor would recite the news while music played in the background, complimenting photos, filmed events, and headlines that were displayed on the screen. This program was first used by NBC in 1940 on a show called "The Esso Television Reporter" that was financed by Standard Oil.
During World War II, all of the progress that NBC was making towards developing a professional news show stopped by command of the Federal Communications Commission. Once the war ended, NBC started right back where they had left off and premiered the "NBC Tele-Newsreel" on August 5, 1945. Newsreels from theatrical companies solely supported this show. Although NBC was not pleased that they had to be reliant upon a company for their information because it was costly and hard to receive promptly, they had to deal with the setback until they could find a way to become self-reliant. In 1948, they experimented with a show called "NBC Newsroom" that had three men reading the news. It was similar to radio, but it lost the public's interest because the room "was very dull-looking and not what the public thought a newsroom should look like" (Karnick, 87).
At the same time, the theatrical companies wanted to create their own showcase, and they did not want to compete with networks, which was difficult for the networks because they lacked the appropriate technology. Therefore, in 1947, R.J. Reynolds and 20th-Century Fox agreed to a 10-minute newsreel called "Camel Newsreel Theater" that was shown daily on NBC. It only lasted a year because of poor quality, and Reynolds eventually combined with NBC film in 1949 to create the "Camel News Caravan" that was hosted by John Cameron Swayze. This program included newsreel along with a reading of the news. Although NBC was still looking for the most efficient way to broadcast the news, "Camel News Caravan" was the show that led the way to the formats of news-shows today.
THE EXPANSION OF NEWS GATHERING
When NBC began airing the news over television, they borrowed labor and equipment from radio. Soon the theatrical newsreels were added into the news programs. In 1950 the most popular newsreels were remote on-the-spot coverage, newsreel film, still pictures, headline shows, and television newspapers (Page 89).
Murrow held on October 25, 1958 followed with a speech from him on the stage. The movie flashbacks to Murrow’s life as a journalist and the efforts made in his television program, See It Now. It provided insight into the issues that occurred inside the CBS News building such as the decisions that Murrow bypassed by his Chief, William S. Paley. In addition, the screen paused to provide information that read: “Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s America was overwhelmed with concerns about the threat of communism. Senator Joseph McCarthy made a public accusation that more than two hundred ‘card-carrying’ communists had infiltrated the United States government. Few in the press were willing to stand up against McCarthy for fear they would be targets (SITE MOVIE).” This showed background information how the fear of communism was a big issue in the 1940’s and 1950’s. In addition, the movie included many visual references to the issue of communism from previous recordings that show how McCarthy acts and what he says about
How many people today watch family sitcoms to imitate or compare values with their own? Probably not as many as there were in the 1950s. In Stephanie Coontz's "What We Really Miss about the 1950s", she discusses why people feel more nostalgic towards growing up in the 1950s, and how she disagrees that 1950s wasn't the decade that we really should like or remember best. Apart from economic stability, family values played an important part then. Through television sitcoms, such as "Leave it to Beaver", "Father knows Best", families watched them to make sure they were living correctly. It was like guidance and somewhat reassurance. However, values of families have changed, and this is shown on sitcoms today. We watch sitcoms today for entertainment, and sometimes we can relate to them because the setting is realistic. In the modern sitcom, "Gilmore Girls" characters and plot are used to demonstrate family values such as gender roles, children roles, economic status, morals, ethics and general organization of a family that differ from the values shown in the 1950s sitcoms.
The early 1960s saw the expansion of television. The television had become a common household
...ry on television as an extension of radio that the TV program does not provide. One of the biggest differences is the side-by-side timeline of radio events and timeline of contemporary events. This definitely helps provide a frame of reference for when the events of radio were happening and how they may have been affected by current events. The site also provides a page of resources for additional information and a glossary of terms used in the timeline and film. The website also expands on the idea that sound attracts and that radio is not dead in today’s society.
In the 1930's radio was beginning to hit the height of its popularity. Because of the Depression people found that they were without excess in terms of money therefore cheaper forms of entertainment became very popular. Radio was wonderful because it could bring many different types of entertainment. People could follow sports through the radio, which many did. It was not uncommon for people to gather around the radio and listen to the Yankees game being broadcast. People could keep up to date with current affairs thanks to the news broadcasts that aired. This was very important at this time due to the impending problems that were taking place in Europe. "Fireside Chats" were broadcast by President Roosevelt as a way to keep the people of America informed on many things that were happening in the country. President Roosevelt discussed a number of topics including The New Deal, the economic problems, the impending war, unemployment, inflation, the coal crisis, and many other important issues. The Fireside Chats lasted for about ten years and were enormously popular. Americans could turn to the radio for drama in the form of daily soap operas; they found laughs in comedy and variety shows; and even could find tales of heroics in broadcasts such as The Lone Ranger or The Green Hornet.
Technology in the 1950s started with many great innovations that shape the way we live now. Probably the most important innovation of television was the introduction of cable T.V., television broadcasting, sitcoms and talk shows. Television went though many changes in its younger years. The way T.V. Developed in the early years is the foundation for what we watched now days. Transitory radios became very popular in the fact that Music could be heard in any location because it was now portable. Still T.V. Innovations were what the 1950s were all about from a technology and the birth of the T.V. show.
Radio really found itself on D-Day.” – Broadcasting Magazine. For radio media, D-Day was an opportunity to show the American people its stripes. For the people, the next day’s paper headline of the invasion wasn’t good enough, they needed to hear the latest news, the fastest and radio was the media for the job, and they were certainly prepared. Perhaps the first sign to the American people that the attack had begun was unnoticed in the form of a slight alteration to the well-known NBC chime. Instead of the usual G-E-C note chime, a slightly altered chime was playing in the notes G-E-C-C. This was a signal to network personnel to call their offices immediately, all they had prepared for was about to begin. This chime was heard early in the morning of June 6th, 1944 when Germany’s Trans-Ocean News Service reported that the invasion had begun, citing paratroop landings and bombardment along the northern coastal areas of France as their indication. Radio newsman however were careful in their reporting of this updating over the airwaves, making sure that their audiences were aware that the report came from a German source and it had not yet been verified by the war department. The networks had not forgotten about the false report that was widespread just a few days ago and were always weary of Nazi propaganda aimed at confusing the allies. This was an instance of a break in the usual attitude of the
At eighty dollars a week in 1948, Hewitt joined CBS television. He directed CBS’s first fifteen-minute nightly newscast on May 3.
Before 1923 the only means of reaching a immense audience was through newspapers or word-of-mouth. With the new technology of radio broadcasting in 1923, it was possible to reach the vast majority of the United States’ population. On July 1, 1923 AT&T established the first permanent radio network, WEAF NY and WMAF Mass, that linked broadcasting stations (White). The first radio station to air was 3AR and it started transmitting music, news, and race results. In December of 1923 President Calvin Coolidge made the first presidential address on radio.
In “Wires and Lights in a Box,” the author, Edward R. Murrow, is delivering a speech on October 15, 1958, to attendees of the Radio-Television News Directors Association. In his speech, Murrow addresses how it is his desire and duty to tell his audience what is happening to radio and television. Murrow talks about how television insulates people from the realities in the world, how the television industry is focused on profits rather than delivering the news to the public, and how television and radio can teach, illuminate, and inspire.
It wasn’t just when the news was delivered but also how it was delivered. It had an influence because of the great personalities of Dick Smyth, Lee Marshall, Grant Hudson and others who dramatically and entertainingly delivered the news. They reported the news “dramatically” and with the “same energy as disk jockeys had snappy writing with alliterations, and a lot of short sound bites.” They were deejays without music. This dynamic combination of news reporting made for an amusing news report; that not only captured the audience, but also kept them tuning in.
Buying the same stuff, listening to the same music, and even using the same slang terms. Many people across the United States and even across the world were becoming more and more similar in the way they talked and the purchases they made. This could partially be accredited to the radio. This simple device was revolutionizing the nation’s economy. The value of radio sales in the U.S. jumped from $60 million in 1922 to almost $850 million in 1929. Popular network programs such as “Amos ‘n’ Andy” and “the Philco hour” provided an effective ...
The 1920's brought many advancements in technology which allowed Americans to entertain themselves at home; the radio was one of them. The radio was actually developed before the 1920's; however, it was banned during World War I and allowed to reappear after the Prohibition ended in 1919 (Events 72). After the Prohibition ended, and radio broadcasting was being brought back to life, many people started up their first stations, like Frank Conrad (Events 72). Frank Conrad's first broadcast consisted of the Presidential Election results (Events 72). As Conrad was one of the first people to broadcast, KDKA was one of the first radio stations to appear in the Unite...
The television did what the newspaper could never; the live, uninterrupted broadcasting of events. Television has an immediacy that enables information flows to stream more freely. And it was through the development of television that ...
Encyclopedia of the New American Nation. Television – Tv news and the early cold war. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.