Discussion Questions
Chapter One
A. Perspective 1840–1910
• What advantages/disadvantages does your age and experience bring to finding the right perspective
distance when looking at the origins and development of television?
The key to finding the right distance when looking back on the development of television;
we’ve had enough time to look back with more and more clarity. However, it hasn’t been too long for
us to forget the fervor and passion surrounding it’s invention. It’s key to remember the television is
not only an invention of the 20th century, but more so was a tool used to record the 20th century, as
well as the 21st.
B. Historical importance
• You read part of Life Magazine’s “Top 100 Events” in the last 1000 years. What kinds of specialists
were asked to ponder this question? Do you feel any specialist was left off the list that would have
contributed to this brainstorming process? Would you pick the printing press as the number one event?
Why or why not?
The specialists included doctors, jurists, teachers, poets, athletes and artists, architects and
astronauts, lawyers, authors, historians, and scientists, each chosen from the pinnacle of their
profession; specialists from every field imaginable. If anyone was left off, it was the common man,
who although may not be deemed a specialist is just as part of history as any of those asked to
contribute to the magazine. I would pick the printing press as the number one event because it jumpstarted an information epidemic that still rages to this very day; it also contributes to domains such as
the press, written record, literature, and others.
E. The Nipkow Disc
• How did Nipkow’s Disc allow advances in the transmission of images for electromechanical television?
Paul Nipkow proposed and patented the world's first mechanical television system (not
television itself). Nipkow was the first person to discover television's scanning principle—something
like the movement of eyes back and forth across a printed page. Nipkow designed a rotating disc
camera called the "Nipkow Disc." The device consisted of a rapidly rotating disc placed between a
scene and a light-sensitive selenium element. A beam of light shining through the spiral perforations
as the disc revolved caused pinpoints of light to perform a rapid scanning movement over the object
in front of it, This early "disc image" had but 18 scan lines of resolution as compared to the 525 scan
lines the FCC's National Television System Committee required from 1950's through 2009.
Discovered tv’s scanning principle
F. Voices in the Air
• If genius builds on genius, what was the technological path leading to capturing sound, starting with
Morse and ending with de Forest?
Fessenden's work was designated by terms like "wireless telephone," "radiophone," and
finally just "radio"—and all of it geared to one-up Marconi. Instead of sending a series of interrupted
wave bursts (Morse code), Fessenden's idea was to send a continuous wave on which voice would be
superimposed as variations of modulation.
Like Fessenden, Lee de Forest was also dedicated to voice transmission and brought it to a new stage
of development with his patented invention of the Audion Tube, in 1908. This glass-bulb detector (or
receiver) of radio waves was also capable of amplifying and even generating radio waves.
Chapter Two
A. Chaos
• The term “television,” first coined in 1907, actually referred to what technology?
The first demonstration of the instantaneous transmission of images was by Georges Rignoux
and A. Fournier in Paris in 1909. A matrix of 64 selenium cells, individually wired to a mechanical
commutator, served as an electronic retina. In the receiver, a type of Kerr cell modulated the light and
a series of variously angled mirrors attached to the edge of a rotating disc scanned the modulated
beam onto the display screen. A separate circuit regulated synchronization. The 8x8 pixel resolution in
this proof-of-concept demonstration was just sufficient to clearly transmit individual letters of the
alphabet. An updated image was transmitted "several times" each second
• How did the tragedy of the Titanic contribute to the unfolding of the possibilities of global
communication and a future key player?
Titanic sent out a distress call over its wireless telegraph that was initially received by only
one ship in the area. The liner went down in less than three hours, claiming over 1,500 lives. The
tragedy became one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history, and the impetus for the
creation of The Radio Act of 1912—the first piece of regulatory communication legislation in American
history. The law established, among other things, that in order to operate a radio frequency you had
to obtain a license from the government.
Showed the need and importance for regulation of radio; Radio Act of 1912.
B. American Marconi
• How was American Marconi able to expand under the Radio Act of 1912? What role did WWI play in
the expansion of wireless technology?
The 1912 law not only required that "broadcasters" have a license to transmit, it also
mandated continuous staffing of commercial shipboard radio stations. In an effort to ensure that the
Titanic tragedy was never repeated, every American ship that sailed had to now "man the key"
around the clock. American Marconi was in business with the majority of these U.S. shipping
magnates and their operators, and with twice as much wireless service now being used, profits at
Marconi rose proportionately.
Before WWI, the glass tubes necessary to make a radio had been hand-blown, one at a time. Now, the
military suddenly needed huge quantities of radio equipment to coordinate battlefield operations and
ordered 80,000 units at once. Two corporations were unusually well suited to filling this order—GE
and Westinghouse. Following the War in 1919, Congress created a gigantic private monopoly called
the Radio Corporation of America—RCA. Then Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt gathered all
the transmitting stations that had a stake in this new development and consolidated them under this
one banner—GE, Westinghouse, AT&T and United Fruit. Broadcast fever was underway.
Wanted to create a monopoly after WWI to keep track of everything. Military needed huge
quantities of radio equipment for battlefield operations, ordered 80,000 units from GE and
Westinghouse.
• Why was David Sarnoff ’s idea of point-to-mass product considered so revolutionary over the current
point-to-point product?
Sarnoff in 1915 proposed changing wireless radio from "point to point" to "point to mass"
transmission, as in one person could speak to millions of listeners at the same time rather than just
one to one.
C. R.C.A.
• What was the sequence of events that led R.C.A., formed in 1919, to begin its ascent as a private
American monopoly of radio transmission?
Before WWI, the glass tubes necessary to make a radio had been hand-blown, one at a time.
Now, the military suddenly needed huge quantities of radio equipment to coordinate battlefield
operations and ordered 80,000 units at once. Two corporations were unusually well suited to filling
this order—GE and Westinghouse. Following the War in 1919, Congress created a gigantic private
monopoly called the Radio Corporation of America—RCA. Then Secretary of the Navy Franklin D.
Roosevelt gathered all the transmitting stations that had a stake in this new development and
consolidated them under this one banner—GE, Westinghouse, AT&T and United Fruit. Broadcast fever
was underway.
RCA buys out American Marconi, with it Sarnoff KDKA starts broadcasting election results and
music over the air. Creates radio networks with a monopoly over it all.
Chapter Three
A. The Sketch
• What was the significance of “The Sketch” made by a 15 year old Philo Farnsworth?
Farnsworth filed his 1934 suit against RCA, whom he felt sure was infringing on his work. This
legal action became known as Patent Interference Number 64.027. At issue was nothing less than
WHO had invented electronic television. In Farnsworth's corner, there was his tenth-grade chemistry
teacher, Justin Tolman, who produced a sketch of the "television" drawings Farnsworth had left
behind on the teacher's blackboard back at Rigby High School, in 1922. Additionally, Farnsworth had
demonstrated his camera successfully in the fall of 1927, while Zworykin wouldn't have a working
camera until 1931. In the end, the court held that television's "Priority of the Invention" would be
awarded to Philo T. Farnsworth. The court had officially affirmed his controlling patent. At age
twenty-nine, Farnsworth was now held to be the undisputed inventor of television.
Sketch would later be used in court to prove that Farnsworth invented the electronic TV.
B. Philanthropic Support
• On what basis did San Francisco based philanthropists Everson and Gorrell fund the research of Philo
Farnsworth in 1926? The first year of research in San Francisco yielded what results?
They agreed to fund Farnsworth’s research and entered a 50-50 partnership: Farnsworth was
set up in a lab in LA and would split half of any profits with the men. In first year, Farnsworth quit his
job.
C. Rising Son
• What bright idea of RCA’s David Sarnoff turned a hostile competitive industry into friendly customers
with the added perk of making RCA much richer?
Sarnoff had anticipated all of this and was ready with a plan. He was pretty sure that what
AT&T was doing—using one monopoly to gain another—was illegal under U.S. anti-trust laws. RCA
would goad AT&T into submitting to a private arbitration over the patent-sharing issue in an effort to
keep their anti-Semitic image out of the public eye. In choosing private arbitration, both sides knew
that the arbitrator's decision was final. There would be no appeal of any kind and that's exactly how
Sarnoff wanted it. Sarnoff knew something the Harvard-bred CEO of AT&T had forgotten—that most
of the arbitrators were retired lawyers, and that most of the lawyers in New York were Jewish.
Moreover, these lawyers knew all about AT&T's anti-Semitic hiring practices. The AT&T-RCA hearing
lasted several months, but in the end, the arbitrator ruled in RCA's favor on every count.
The arbitrator found that AT&T had breached its 1921 patent-sharing contract with RCA and would be
immediately exiting the broadcasting business by signing the agreement now in front of them. AT&T
would sell RCA its flagship station WEAF and its "network" for one million dollars and grant RCA the
rights to transmit on their phone lines for a nominal licensing fee. RCA's new acquisition became
known as the National Broadcasting Company and initially consisted of the AT&T chain of stations
RCA would provide its entire pool of patents in return for a percentage of sale from the
companies purchasing the patents. Basically selling the patents.
E. Mechanical Television
• In the technological tug-of-war between mechanical and electronic TV, what was the most significant
advantage that landed Farnsworth’s electronic system the victory?
How much better Farnsworth’s images on the electronic system were compared to the
mechanical system, since Farnsworth’s had electronic scanning in both transmitting and receiving
devices. By 1932, the world of mechanical television had come to an end.
BBC wanted to see both mechanical and electrical sets together, electrical was way better due
to far better images and eventually won.
F. The Birth of NBC
• When AT&T left the RCA combine in 1924, how did Sarnoff use AT&T’s anti-Semitism against them to
resolve their patent sharing issues which ultimately led to the acquisition of the National Broadcasting
Company (NBC)?
In 1924, AT&T, one of the original four pillars of the RCA combine (along with
GE/Westinghouse/United Fruit) began behaving strangely. It sold its RCA stock and resigned its
position from the RCA Board of Directors. AT&T was leaving RCA for the broadcasting business and
had strung together a network of stations to follow them. Until that moment, broadcasting had
mainly been a local affair with programming among the different stations that was never
synchronized. AT&T would use their own telephone lines to carry their new network of stations.
The arbitrator found that AT&T had breached its 1921 patent-sharing contract with RCA and would be
immediately exiting the broadcasting business by signing the agreement now in front of them. AT&T
would sell RCA its flagship station WEAF and its "network" for one million dollars and grant RCA the
rights to transmit on their phone lines for a nominal licensing fee. RCA's new acquisition became
known as the National Broadcasting Company and initially consisted of the AT&T chain of stations
He spread word that AT&T was anti-semetic and they eventually went to court, it ruled in
RCA’s favor because the lawyers were Jewish.
G. RCA Victor
• Under the leadership of Sarnoff, what were the three business deals in the late 1920’s that cemented
RCA as the “media king" it was destined to become?
First was with automobile makers in Detroit, specifically GMC. He wanted to be exclusive
provider of radio technology for automaker, led to formation of General Motors Radio Corp, GMRC,
RCA owned 49% of profits.
Second was with the phonograph. Sarnoff saw vinyl surface as commerce and wanted to unify
the two technologies, radio and phonograph, y going into business with Victor Talking Machines
Comp.
Third was with the acquisition of the Film Booking Agency, led by Joe Kennedy. RCA would
invest 400,000 to finance FBO’s expansion into producing feature films. In return, Kennedy would
merge FBO with Keith-Albee-Orpheum and newly converted movie houses would now be equipped
with RCA sound systems. New company was called Radio-Keith-Orpheum, or RKO.
What Made RCA the Media King. One: Radios in cars with GMRC. Two: Combination with
Victor Talking Machines, who were responsible for making phonograph. Three: Combine with Film
Booking Office to put RCA sound systems into new movie theaters.
Chapter Four
A. Patently Brilliant
• Farnsworth’s patent application was divided into three applications which covered what inventions?
Scanning system or image dissector (television camera), electric oscillator system, and
television receiving system
• What was Sarnoff ’s response to witnessing first hand Farnsworth’s image dissector?
Unimpressed, thought he could make the tv without infringing on Farnsworth's patents
B. Commercializing Television
• To become branded “The Inventor of Television,” what legal action took place to determine the title?
Patent battle
C. New York World’s Fair
• What did RCA’s participation in the 1939 World’s Fair do for the reputation of David Sarnoff?
He claims himself to be the father of tv and introduces it to the world
D. Addendum
• Farnsworth’s company, the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation, was bought by what huge
conglomerate?
International telephone and telegraph
• What role did Farnsworth have after the acquisition?
Invented and improved, radar sweep, submarine detectors, radar calibration equipment
• What 1969 milestone in human history helped to restore Farnsworth’s attitude about his invention
that married sight to sound?
Image dissector was used by Neil Armstrong to send shots of the moon landing
Chapter Five
A. The Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System
• Bill Paley was pursuing what end when he stumbled onto the business of programming, a passion that
led to the formation of CBS?
sponsoring a local radio program with ads for his familys cigars
B. Black Tuesday
• What was the end result of the U.S. Justice Department’s insistence in 1930 on untangling the ties
between RCA, GE, AT&T and Westinghouse?
ge and westinghouse withdrew from rca and nbc boards
C. Golden Age of Radio
• In the ‘30’s decade, the radio show, Amos ‘n’ Andy topped NBC’s strong list of stars and shows. How
was this series pivotal in the expansion of the NBC Blue network west of Kansas City, making the show a
national sensation?
expanded nbc blue coast to coast
D. Need for Legislation
• With the creation of the FCC in 1934, what changes were made in radio licensing?
5 commissioners for each geographical zone, no obscene language on air
E. Picture Perfect Programming
• Bill Paley’s knack for talent and assessment for growth included his awareness of women as a “target
audience.” What insights did he observe that parlayed into advertising dollars?
wanted waives to be jealous of who they saw on tv, cast beautiful people
• As CBS gained a foothold into strong programming, what kinds of shows were appealing to radio
audiences in the ‘40’s?
comedies
F. Early Television Broadcasts
• Why wasn’t early 1930’s television an instant success?
expensive, people didnt see the use for it yet, still hard to send signals through obstacles
• What did the 1939 anti-trust legislation do to shake up the broadcasting industry, thus causing the
advent of another future giant, ABC?
rca was forced to sell blue network company (formerly nbc blue) and became abc
Chapter Six
A. War of the Worlds
• Why did the CBS broadcast of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds cause such a panic? What did this
unprecedented show illustrate to the radio programming world?
people who tuned in late thought it was real and it rate without commercial interruption
nbc and cbs were competitive
B. Birth of the Nightly News
• How did WWII affect the dissemination of news on the radio? Trace the introduction of newsman
Edward R. Murrow to the early days of broadcast news.
he did interviews for evening news, then did the same thing in europe, got really big covering
the news, gave cbs a legitimacy
C. The Middle Class
• Post WW II brought home GI’s and gave them what opportunities to thrive?
middle class
• What televised event in 1947 stirred mounting interest in the medium of television among Americans?
The World Series
D. Paley’s Talent Raids
• Bill Paley at CBS raided top talent from NBC in the late forties by using what tactics?
promised the stars twice thier income
• Who were some of the stars of this era that jumped from the NBC ship?
godsen and cornell (amos n andy), bergen, mccarthy, skelton, benny
E. Earl ‘Madman’ Muntz
• What did Earl “Madman” Muntz and Milton Berle have in common in 1948 and 1949 that helped
propel television into American households?
both used outlandish physical comedy to achieve very high ratings
Chapter Seven
A. Red Scare
• What was the “Red Scare” and how did it affect the motion picture, radio and television industry?
pointing the finger of communism to everyone, red channels of report on "communists" in
radio and television
• Can you think of any parallel in your television memory to the “Hollywood Ten”? Why or why not?
B. The Goldbergs
• The radio-to-TV transition of the 1949 series, The Goldbergs, soon started to be affected by the
political climate of the early fifties in what way?
fired the lead actor loeb because of political pressure
C. Change of Habit
• How did the growing popularity of television affect other entertainment mediums in the early 1950’s?
people who advertised were getting more buisness, people were leaving their buisnesses to
sell tv's, sporting events had a sharp decline in viewers
D. Spice of Life
• What did the Show of Shows have going for it that made it so popular in 1954?
comedy writing gold
• What other variety shows made their mark in the 1950’s, one of which inspiring the first ‘spin-off ’
series?
cavalcade fo stars, jackie gleason show, the honeymooners
all skit comedy shows
E. Toast of the Town
• Red Skelton and Ed Sullivan grabbed great ratings for CBS in the variety show arena. What did each
series bring to the small screen that was such a hit in American living rooms?
skelton brought pantomime and characterizations
sullivan great reporter
F. See it Now
• What was the danger of “McCarthyism” and how did Edward R Murrow’s CBS show, See it Now, begin
to expose this threat?
started the public to turn on mccarthy and its threat to democracy
G. Boon
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet brought what kind of entertainment to television during its 13
seasons on ABC?
a real family, first reality show
H. Scandal
• Do you think audiences today would be as shocked at the rigging of quiz shows as the 1958 audience
was incensed at the producers of Twenty One? How did this scandal reshape the relationship between
programs and their sponsors?
sponsers were more suspicious of where their money was gong
I. The Anthologies
• Although not the earliest anthology show on the scene, Playhouse 90 ‘s popularity appealed to
audiences on what levels?
First Drama
J. The Twilight Zone
• Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling was driven to write this innovative, award- winning series because of
what restrictions placed on him as a writer?
Sponsors censoring his material