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“The tribe has spoken.” If you don’t own a TV or don’t watch

it, you will probably have trouble identi- fying that catchphrase. Host Jeff Probst always speaks the words toward the end of each episode of the consistent CBS hit, “Survivor.” The implicit meanness of the phrase, which no contestant wants to hear because it means you are voted off the show, says a lot about the state of television programming and modern society as well. The phrase also signifies that reality or unscripted television has come a long way from “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera,” the innocent ending to a mild practical joke in the 1950s classic (Weblink 13.1).

Reality television includes an amaz- ing number of unscripted programs. Besides the traditional offerings such as news, sports, and talk shows, included in the reality mix are programs based on

documentaries, historical re-creations, dating, law enforcement and military subjects, makeovers, life changes, docu- soaps, hidden cameras, games, spoofs, talent searches, fantasies fulfilled, cooking, commercial sales, and situation comedies where actors ad-lib dialogue without a script (Figure 13.1).

Since 2000, the reality television genre has been a ratings powerhouse with real- ity shows such as “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” in 2000, “Survivor: The Aus- tralian Outback” in 2001, and “American Idol” from 2005 to the present topping the charts over all other shows. One might think there is nothing but reality shows on television, but that is not the case, of course. Nevertheless, reality still dominates schedules and viewer preferences and is the hope for the relatively new broadcast network, The CW. Formed in 2006 after a merger with UPN, a Paramount/CBS

Television Chapter

Television enables you to be

entertained in your home by

people you wouldn’t have in

your home.

David Frost, b. 1939 WRITER, HUMORIST, JOURNALIST

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network, and The WB, a joint venture of the Tribune Broadcasting and Warner Bros. Studios, The CW debuted with a two-hour season premiere of the quasi- talent show “America’s Next Top Model.” To attract the desired 18- to 34-year-old viewing audience, The CW plans to only air young prime-time soap operas and reality shows.

According to Nielsen Media Research for the 1994–1995 season, only two shows could be considered reality-based: “NFL Monday Night Football” and “60 Min- utes.” The ABC sitcom “Home Improve- ment” was the number one show. For the 2008–2009 season, six of the top ten rated programs were reality shows, with more than one quarter of the prime-time episodes as well as cable channels A&E, Bravo, Discovery, and the History Channel dedicated to the genre. “American Idol” topped the list and charges up to $1 mil- lion for a 30-second advertising spot. In a testament to the enduring popularity of “Idol,” it was reported that home view- ers cast almost 100 million votes during the final showdown of the 2009 season between favorite Adam Lambert and dark horse Kris Allen, with Kris winning the competition. Furthermore, the judge everyone loves to hate, the British music entrepreneur Simon Cowell, is also a judge for the Independent Television Network’s (ITV) program “Britain’s Got Talent,” which received international interest after a 48-year-old Scottish church volunteer, Susan Boyle, stunned Cowell and the audience with her beautiful singing voice. A media blitz followed, resulting in over 100 million users watching her perfor- mances on YouTube. In a surprise finish, Boyle ended up taking second place, with a dance group taking first.

The founder of reality programming is Allen Funt (Weblink 13.2). During World

War II while serving in the Army Signal Corps, he experimented with portable radio equipment. He was a writer for “Sweetheart Soap,” which was First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s radio program; he came up with funny skits for the popu- lar “Truth or Consequences” show; and he headed what he called “the stupidest show in radio,“ a program called “Funny Money Man,” which was turned into a syndicated comic strip. His interest in gags that made fun of ordinary persons led to “Candid Microphone,” which aired on the ABC Radio Network in 1946 (Weblink 13.3). The next year he took his show to television where it eventually became the smash hit “Candid Camera” in 1953. At one time or another it aired on all three major networks. The show originally consisted of good-humored practical jokes pulled on unsuspecting individuals who were unaware they were being filmed. When the joke had run its course, the catchphrase, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera” would be spoken amid laughter. But not everyone laughed. In an era in which security cameras were

Figure 13.1 In 2003 “The Joe Schmo Show” on the Spike TV cable channel parodied the reality game format by using actors to fool one contestant who thought the game was being played for real. Matt Kennedy Gould (center) never guessed that he was the star until he was told during the final epi- sode. Receiving all the prizes and money offered during the show ameliorated some embarrassment he might have felt. But in a 2008 interview he confessed, “If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t do the show at all. Honestly, the show really made me feel dumb. And I never felt like that before. I did it because I needed the money.” In 2004 the same producers debuted “Joe Schmo 2,” which parodied the reality dating show genre.

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not common, few appreciated the joke played on them. For every scenario that aired, about 20 were rejected because the person did not smile or sign a neces- sary release form for the show. Funt later produced a feature-length reality-based motion picture, What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? (1970).

The first documentary-style reality show seen in America, “An American Family,” was broadcast on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) network in 1973. Directed by Alan and Susan Raymond, the 12-part series followed the highs and lows of an actual family—Bill and Patricia Loud of Santa Barbara, California, and their five children (Figure 13.2). The series became controver- sial as the family dealt with highly personal issues, including an impending divorce and their son Lance’s homosexuality, using nonintrusive camera techniques similar to today’s “Survivor.” In 2002 TV Guide maga- zine listed the program as number 32 of the “50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.” The family reunited 30 years later for “A Death in An American Family,” which documented Lance’s addiction to crystal meth and his struggle with HIV/AIDS.

In March 1988, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA), two important Hollywood unions that represented thousands of actors and writers, went on strike. The SAG strike was less than a month, but the WGA strike lasted five months and devastated the fall lineup of scripted shows. Since television producers did not have shows to air, many popular programs delayed their start until December. However, inno- vative executives realized, as some already knew, that there could be programs with- out the need for actors or writers.

Two hits begun in 1989 required little writing and acting—“Cops” and “Ameri- ca’s Funniest Home Videos.” “Cops” used actual footage from videographers riding along with police units. It was the brain- child of John Langley and Malcolm Bar- bour, who pitched the concept to Stephen Chao, a Fox television programming exec- utive who liked the raw edge of the show, its inexpensive production costs, and its appeal to a young, male demographic valuable to advertisers (Weblink 13.4). Fox, the network that gave “The Simpsons” the green light, is known for being innovative when it comes to programming. “Cops” garnered four Emmy nominations and concerns from social critics about stereo- typing African Americans and southern Anglos. “Funniest Home Videos” was produced by Vin Di Bona for the ABC network and was based on a popular Japanese show, “Fun TV.” Each week the studio audience voted for a top video, with an end-of-the-season winner receiv- ing a $100,000 prize. Originally hosted by comedian Bob Saget, Tom Bergeron is the present host (Weblink 13.5).

“Home Videos” put entertainment producers on notice that everyday per- sons with their video camcorders were potential contributors to their shows.

Figure 13.2 A family portrait of the Louds of Santa Barbara, California, doesn’t reveal the hidden tensions that “An American Family” on the PBS network revealed. The show was the first documentary-style reality program on television.

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In 1991 this trend led directly to what is considered to be “the most famous home video of all time”—the beating of Rod- ney King by members of the police force, taken by amateur George Holliday. King was a recently released convict whose alcoholic father died at age 42. Holliday was an upper-middle-class son of an oil executive, who had been born in Canada but lived most of his life in Argentina. King was out of work and angry. Holliday was a manager of a plumbing company and contented. King was beaten severely by members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Holliday was watch- ing the beating through the viewfinder of his new $1,200 (about $2,000 today) Sony Handycam. King was African Ameri- can, Holliday was Anglo. Excerpts were shown throughout the world, and when the police officers were initially found not guilty in April 1992, many blamed the video for causing unrest that led to the worst civil disturbance in the history of the United States (Weblink 13.6). The vio- lence claimed over 50 lives, caused 2,300 injuries, resulted in hundreds of arrests, and cost more than $1 billion ($1.6 billion today) in property damage (Figure 13.3).

The year 1992 also introduced televi- sion producers and audience members to the strange world of voyeurism. “The Real World,” the first reality-based series to appeal to an enormous television audi- ence, premiered on MTV (Figure 13.4). Co- created by soap opera producer (“As the World Turns” and “Search for Tomorrow”) Mary-Ellis Bunim and documentary film- maker Jon Murray, “The Real World” fea- tured a familiar scenario of several strangers living together in a beautifully furnished house in a major city while viewers watched how their relationships disintegrated or prospered. After a long battle with breast cancer, Bunim, 57, died in Burbank, Califor-

nia, in 2004. Nevertheless, Murray continues to produce reality-based programs. In 2009 MTV aired Pedro, a movie based on the “Real World: San Francisco” cast of 1994, which featured the sad but inspirational story of Cuban American HIV/AIDS victim Pedro Zamora (Weblink 13.7).

Figure 13.3 This high-contrast and blurry still image taken from a television monitor shows Los Angeles police officers Wind and Powell standing over the crouched form of Rodney King in front of his automobile.

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Figure 13.4 In this publicity photograph of the fourth-season cast of “The Real World” (set in Lon- don), all act like the best of friends until they live together with intrusive microphones and cameras.

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In 2009 the genre was criticized for seemingly exploiting willing, yet naïve par- ticipants by airing their public confessions and unusual behavior such that as shown on “The Bachelor” and “The Real House- wives of New Jersey,” as well as the sensa- tional breakup of Jon and Kate Gosselin in “Jon & Kate Plus 8” and the inner life and struggles of the single mother of 14 Nadya Suleman in “Octomom: The Incredible Unseen Footage.” There was also concern among critics and television executives that some members of the general public might perform dangerous and unethical acts in order to get the attention of real- ity show producers. Richard Heene and his “balloon boy” hoax as well as Michaele and Tareq Salahi who crashed President Obama’s first state dinner were all hoping to attract attention by their antics.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MARK BURNETT

Despite the criticisms of reality televi- sion, the title of “king of reality TV” has to go to a British citizen, Mark Burnett, 49, who almost single-handedly defined the reality genre. His list of hits is impressive: “Eco Challenge,” “The Apprentice,” “The Contender,” “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?,” and of course, the winner of them all, “Survivor.”

His life sounds like a pitch for a new situation comedy show (Figure 13.5). Mark Burnett was born in England in 1960. At 18 years old he joined the British Army Para- chute Regiment. He fought in Northern Ireland and in the Falkland Islands. After his discharge in 1982, he left for America. Since he had only $600 (about $1,500 today) in his pocket, he stayed with friends in Southern California. He hoped he might become a mercenary who helped train

Central American military forces in the ways of weapons, explosives, and tactics. But a talk with his mother convinced him to pursue a less romantic lifestyle—at least for the time being. Instead, he was hired as a babysitter for a Beverly Hills couple with a young son and then as a nanny for two boys in Malibu. His selling point to the par- ents was that he could do the dishes and be a bodyguard to his young charges. Not surprisingly, “Commando Nanny” was the name of a scripted pilot he sold to the WB network based on his early experiences liv- ing in Los Angeles.

From that toehold in America, he quickly advanced from selling himself to selling insurance, T-shirts, real estate, credit cards, and television programs. In fact, as a T-shirt salesman in Venice Beach, California, he realized that “the same strategies that applied to selling T-shirts apply to selling TV shows. I still use them today.” His love for physical challenges and salesmanship came in handy when in 1992 he joined a team of fellow adventur- ers for the grueling “Raid Gauloises,” in which four-person teams from around the world competed in a variety of athletic tests for five to seven days over four con- tinents. Seeing the potential of “Raid” as a television program, Burnett sold the idea of his renamed “Eco-Challenge” to MTV executives with teams who biked, rafted, and climbed their way around Moab, Utah, in 1995. With the success of the show, Burnett was on his way to becom- ing a full-time television executive.

“Survivor” has its roots in Burnett’s home country. In 1988 British television pro- ducer Charlie Parsons conceived of a show he called “Survive!” in which four contes- tants were shipwrecked on a desert island. The concept was inspired by William Gold- ing’s 1954 novel Lord of the Flies. Renamed “Castaway,” the concept was pitched to the

Figure 13.5 As his towering pose and rugged, accessorized outfit suggest, Mark Burnett is a macho dude. He is a survivor not only of the British Army Parachute Regiment, but also of network television.

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British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) by Parsons for the Planet 24 television com- pany, owned by the Irish political activist and rock star Bob Geldof. The BBC liked the idea so much they decided to produce their own version of the show, “Castaway 2000.” Parsons and Geldof then sold the idea to a Swedish production company with the new name “Exhibition Robinson,” in honor of the novels Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe and The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss. The Swedish program featured the setup now familiar to American audi- ences—16 contestants and a camera crew were left on an island for six weeks. Every week, one contestant was voted off until there was a winner. Controversy ensued after the first contestant voted off tragically killed himself. Nevertheless, by the fourth season the last episode was one of the high- est rated shows in Swedish television history.

In 1996, Burnett talked with Parsons at a party and discussed buying the U.S. rights to the program. Burnett pitched

the show to all the major networks with- out success. Finally CBS reconsidered and gave it a try. The first U.S. “Survivor” aired during the summer of 2000. It became more than a hit—it was a cultural phe- nomenon, watched by over 70 million viewers. It earned over $50 million for Viacom, the parent company of CBS. It gave its 16 contestants their 15 minutes of fame and then some. The star of the show and winner of $1 million was a “gay, over- weight corporate trainer from Newport, Rhode Island,” Richard Hatch. Later, Hatch was sentenced to four years in prison after he was convicted for not paying taxes on his winnings (Figure 13.6).

Since 2000, Mark Burnett has been the executive producer of more than 40 televi- sion programs, including “The Apprentice” for NBC, in which contestants or B-level celebrities vie to work for real estate tycoon Donald Trump and his comb-over; “The Casino” for Fox, which documented the efforts of owners, employees, and

Figure 13.6 Although the infographic at the right of the website page indicates that viewers thought former Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch would win the $1 million, Richard Hatch came away with the cash. This website for the first “Sur- vivor” contains familiar fea- tures—top four final words, profiles of the contestants, the logo and slogan “Outwit Outplay Outlast,” and three promotional references for the next show, “Survivor: The Australian Outback.”

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gamblers during the reopening of the Las Vegas Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino; “The Contender” for NBC, produced with DreamWorks executive Jeffrey Katzenberg and actor Sylvester Stallone of Rocky (with boxers Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman conducting on-air interviews); and “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy for Fox. In 2009 Burnett ventured into the genre of documentaries when he produced a series for the History Channel, “Expedi- tion Africa: Stanley & Livingstone,” in which four adventurers retraced the 19th century journalist Henry Stanley’s search for the explorer Dr. David Livingstone.

ANALYSIS OF “SURVIVOR”

Schadenfreude is a German word that literally translates to “harm’s joy,” but roughly means taking pleasure from

another’s misfortune. This concept might explain why the personal shortcomings of celebrities are so popular in tabloid maga- zines and on television. It also explains why it is amusing to learn that “Survivor” host Jeff Probst “was stung by a jellyfish during Survivor 1, received an electric shock when he relieved himself on an electric fence in Survivor 2 and was stung by a scorpion in Survivor 3.” Certainly the Emmy awards he won in 2008 and 2009 for his work as host of the show made him feel better (Figure 13.7).

Although there is little doubt that the popularity of the show is because it “is part escapism and part game show, a chance to watch attractive, scantily clad contestants battle physically and psycho- logically in beautiful, contrived settings, and guess who will be voted off the island each week,” a chief factor in its success is also that each contestant is humiliated and humbled. With a wide range of ages, genders, races, ethnicities, and lifestyle choices among the participants, chances are a viewer somewhere will either iden- tify with or wish ill of someone who hap- pens to make it on one of the most popu- lar television shows in America.

Toward that end, the application that everyone must fill out for the show is quite egalitarian. All are welcome to apply: You need only be at least 21 years old and willing to travel at your own expense for an initial interview, have a lot of time on your hands during the sum- mer, be a U.S. citizen who is not running for a political office, be in excellent physi- cal and mental health, and be able to pro- duce a three-minute video about yourself. Those who are picked for the 16 spots are a familiar representation of people you might find standing alongside you in a post office or at a driver’s license bureau. Mark Burnett makes that aspect of the

Figure 13.7 Jeff Probst shows off his Emmy award in 2009 after winning it for hosting “Survivor.”

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show clear when he states, “My goal with ‘Survivor’ was to show how a small group of normal people would interact with one another when stranded under harsh con- ditions, while at [the same] time trying to win one million dollars.”

“Survivor” works because we can all see ourselves as a survivor; but as most of us did not apply to be on the show, we take pleasure in passively watching our sur- rogate selves search for water, sleep in the rain, eat bugs, and survive the vote off the show. As Ghen Maynard, a CBS executive who was an early advocate of the show, admitted, “‘Survivor’ is very much about two things: The effect of deprivation and the fear of rejection. Both are social issues.”

With humidity, rain, sand, and electri- cal power concerns, running, shooting, and editing the show is no easy matter. The 39-day shooting schedule requires a crew of 85 members. Ten teams of film- makers—each consisting of one camera and one audio technician as well as sev- eral editors, art designers, construction personnel, island guides, a medical team, a makeup person, and various other techni- cal members—are only part of the “Sur- vivor” production team. Available light is used during daytime scenes, whereas the “Tribal Council” meeting scenes have stage lighting powered by portable gen- erators and car batteries. Night scenes back at the camps are filmed with special low-light cameras.

One of the reasons Mark Burnett has been financially successful is that he has redefined the way advertising is shown; in fact, much of it is sold by Burnett him- self. Because of its popularity, “Survivor” receives more than $400,000 per 30-sec- ond commercial. But Burnett also has been a leader in product and marketing “integration,” in which he gets advertisers to pay extra for product placements. That

is why Jeff Probst, the host, often entices hungry and exhausted contestants with “a bag of Doritos and a can of Mountain Dew” as prizes for that week’s competi- tion. But those aren’t the only sponsors. Contestants are also teased with products from Tylenol, Home Depot, Proctor & Gamble, and Chevrolet, among others. Mixing advertising and programming is unfortunately a fact of doing business in this age of TiVo, Video on Demand, and web television viewing options in an era in which viewers can control when and what they watch.

The most dramatic part of any episode, when members discuss each other and vote one of the group off the game, is a product of sophisticated editing tech- niques. The dénouement takes several hours of carefully worded questions from Probst with the scene edited down into a seven-minute segment. “At its purest level, there is really no such thing as real- ity TV,” says Chris Cowen of the canceled show “Temptation Island.” “As soon as you start condensing the minutes or hours of a day, it ceases to be reality and is now a manipulated form of reality.” In addition, the producers do not always tell contestants all the information they need to know about living in the remote area. For example, in an episode of the “Sur- vivor All-Stars,” Sue Hawk caused other contestants to worry when she drank water right out of a well before it had been boiled to kill any parasites. But the water was safe to drink. The producers of the show didn’t reveal that information to members of the tribe in order to heighten the drama.

The unscripted reality program format has inspired other producers to try a similar technique with their shows. Criti- cally acclaimed but often audience- challenged shows such as HBO’s “Curb

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Your Enthusiasm,” Comedy Central’s “Reno 911!,” and the cancelled Fox pro- gram “Arrested Development” all allowed the actors to ad-lib their lines after being given brief outlines with plot points. Such techniques may be the answer to any future writers’ strike, since extensive writ- ing is not required.

In many ways, “Survivor” and other game-oriented reality programs feature the best and worst elements about televi- sion and American society. The people chosen for the unscripted program, the situations and challenges they must overcome, and the dramatic camerawork and careful editing help sustain interest for 13 one-hour episodes. Each season epitomizes all the elements needed for a top television program when characters, situations, words, pictures, and audio come together within the confines of the screened medium and are combined with the comfort of watching the show at home (Weblink 13.8).

TELEVISION AND THE SIX PERSPECTIVES

Personal Perspective

Television is easy to criticize. Former Fed- eral Communications Commission (FCC) chair Newton Minow in a 1961 speech called the medium “a vast wasteland.” Philosopher Bertrand Russell growled that it is nothing more than “chewing gum for the eyes.” In some cultures, it is hip to criticize “the boob tube.” Mark Miller, in his book Boxed In, writes that “a great deal of the time when we are watching TV we know that it is stupid and enjoy the feeling of superiority.” Mark Frost, co-creator with David Lynch of the short- lived and critically acclaimed “Twin Peaks”

television series, admits, “In this country, television is used primarily as a narcotic to prepare people for the commercial.” David Chase, the creative force behind HBO’s successful series “The Sopranos,” also has a dim view of television. In a 2004 interview Chase said, “Television is at the base of a lot of our problems. It trivial- izes everything. So there’s no more mys- tery, we’ve seen it all 50,000 times. And in order to make the boring interesting, everything is hyped.” Tough words from someone who has been so successful with the medium.

Many viewers use a remote control device to flip from one program to another in the sometimes frustrating effort to find something interesting to watch. Called channel grazing, the curi- ous habit of discovering a good program without the aid of a television guide evokes the wide-open plains of the Old West—the metaphor of a better life over the next hill or around the bend. That promise of a better program through the next push of a button is where television gets its power.

In the early history of the medium, viewers were content to be intrigued by the low-quality flickering pictures. With few stations and programs, people watched whatever was broadcast because they were easily fascinated. Today, view- ers are more fickle, demanding constant entertainment. The reason is simple— television actually is radio with pictures, and radio has roots deep in vaudeville the- ater. Consequently, television always was meant to be more of an entertainment than an educational medium. The high ideals and educational hopes came later. If you learn something from “The Beverly Hillbillies” or “Masterpiece Theatre,” it is only because entertainment has been made educational. Conversely, producers

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of more serious television fare hope that they make education entertaining.

Whether you don’t watch television at all or watch it for several hours each day, one conclusion is clear: TV is a medium in which the viewer is charged with the task of making sense of it all. Jack Perkins said of the Arts & Entertainment cable network that it “shows the entire scope of television, which is, of course, the entire scope of life.” Television is life because it reveals much about the lives of those inside and outside the screen. Whether conscious of television’s effect or blissfully unaware, people eventually succumb to the enticing images that flicker across the glowing glass or plasma frame.

Probably the chief reason why televi- sion is so routinely criticized is the queasy feeling that comes from the thought that despite all the great moments pre- sented—all the news, drama, comedy, and sports—television never has lived up to its potential. One source that helps to improve the medium’s credibility is the Archive of American Television. It pro- vides one of the best resources for the appreciation of television in a collection that contains more than 1,000 hours of interviews with producers, performers, and production personnel (Weblink 13.9). Regardless, there is always a feeling that television should be something more— something better. Stay tuned (Figure 13.8).

Historical Perspective

In the 1930s when Hollywood executives first learned about the new medium of television, they laughed at the idea of a radio with pictures. In the 1940s they were concerned enough to reduce ticket prices and offer double features. In the 1950s the war was over—television had

become the single most popular form of entertainment for Americans. The laugh- ing stopped.

The birth of modern television began in 1922 after two scientists with West- ern Electric, the research arm of AT&T, started selling the cathode ray tube (CRT), a vacuum tube that accelerates a beam of electrons onto a florescent screen (Figure 13.9). That same year, an Idaho high school student, Philo (or Phil, as he preferred) Farnsworth, 14, inspired by the rows of upturned soil after plow- ing his family’s field, invented a model for television (Weblink 13.10). Five years later, Farnsworth transmitted a vertical black line on a CRT that moved back and forth like his plow against a lit background. He

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Figure 13.8 Old, small-screen television sets are a part of this histori- cal display in the Amberley Working Museum, England.

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called his device an “image dissector.” In 1928, at 20 years old, he demonstrated his invention to investors at his San Francisco laboratory by showing them a transmis- sion of, perhaps fittingly, a dollar sign. In 1929 his wife Elma, known as “Pem,” posed for a live image with her eyes closed because of the bright light needed for the picture. Farnsworth later established research centers in Indiana and his birth state of Utah. He is credited with 300 U.S.

and international patents contributing to advances in radar, the electron micro- scope, and the astronomical telescope (Figure 13.10).

Because of the interest in television, GE, RCA, and Westinghouse scientists merged their research operations in 1930. Russian immigrant Vladimir Zworykin headed the television team. He visited Farnsworth and was impressed enough to have his engineers produce a copy. In their labora- tory in New Jersey, the scientists improved on Farnsworth’s invention with what they called the iconoscope electronic scanning tube for television with patents purchased from Kálmán Tihanyi. The Hungarian inventor introduced his Radioskop system in 1926. RCA’s variation of television was more practical than Farnsworth’s process because it required less light. Nevertheless, the first transmission was a crude, 60-line reproduction of a small cartoon drawing of the popular character Felix the Cat, the work of Australian cartoonist Pat Sullivan and American animator Otto Messmer. However, the first networked demonstra- tion of television in the United States occurred on April 7, 1927, via the technol- ogy of AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories. The live picture and voice of Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover was broadcast from a funeral home in Washington, D.C., to a receiver in an auditorium in New York City. “Today we have, in a sense, the transmission of sight for the first time in the world’s history,” Hoover said. “Human genius has now destroyed the impedi- ment of distance in a new respect, and in a manner hitherto unknown.” Later that same day another demonstration sent a televised image via a radio transmission.

However, with RCA’s head start and financial advantage, the AT&T system couldn’t compete. The iconoscope was soon improved with a 441-line picture

Figure 13.11 More than 44 million people attended the 1939 New York World’s Fair held in Flushing Meadows, the author’s birth- place. Part of the attraction was the NBC exhibition that featured television. President Franklin Roosevelt delivered an opening day speech that was televised by NBC for about 1,000 viewers watching on 200 sets in the New York area.

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