Changes in American Television
David Miller
Creative Fundraising
Think Piece – Changes in the Television Industry
Introduction
Television has been around long enough that it has undergone many radical changes, but as with many other prominent industries, it had its humble beginnings. While the actual physical set was invented decades before, the industry itself did not really begin until the 1950’s. This is when the television set first became a commercial product that anyone could own, just like the radio, and when the original three networks opened up shop. The Central Broadcasting System (CBS), National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and American Broadcasting Company (ABC) provided their black and white programming over airwaves, being received by the sets at home via antenna (“bunny ears”). These networks were all primarily based in New York City, filming most of their original content there as well in their studios. Fast-forward twenty years and massive change has already come to the industry. Over half of all households have at least one television set at this point, programming in color is much more of a staple, other smaller networks have entered into the fray, and, most importantly, viewing was being made available via coaxial cable wire rather than just antenna. However, what would occur over the next decade would change the landscape of the business forever. In the beginning, the networks were also the major distributors of their product. They created and/or broadcasted their content. However, as television was becoming more cable based, the networks were losing their hold on their ability to distribute. They simply did not have the manpower and money to both produce programming as well as lay down thousands upon thousands of miles of cable across the country. Companies specifically responsible for distribution started gaining traction. As cable became entwined into the national fabric and spread out west, so did these increasingly powerful distributors, opening up
Creative Fundraising
Think Piece – Changes in the Television Industry
Introduction
Television has been around long enough that it has undergone many radical changes, but as with many other prominent industries, it had its humble beginnings. While the actual physical set was invented decades before, the industry itself did not really begin until the 1950’s. This is when the television set first became a commercial product that anyone could own, just like the radio, and when the original three networks opened up shop. The Central Broadcasting System (CBS), National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and American Broadcasting Company (ABC) provided their black and white programming over airwaves, being received by the sets at home via antenna (“bunny ears”). These networks were all primarily based in New York City, filming most of their original content there as well in their studios. Fast-forward twenty years and massive change has already come to the industry. Over half of all households have at least one television set at this point, programming in color is much more of a staple, other smaller networks have entered into the fray, and, most importantly, viewing was being made available via coaxial cable wire rather than just antenna. However, what would occur over the next decade would change the landscape of the business forever. In the beginning, the networks were also the major distributors of their product. They created and/or broadcasted their content. However, as television was becoming more cable based, the networks were losing their hold on their ability to distribute. They simply did not have the manpower and money to both produce programming as well as lay down thousands upon thousands of miles of cable across the country. Companies specifically responsible for distribution started gaining traction. As cable became entwined into the national fabric and spread out west, so did these increasingly powerful distributors, opening up