JINNAH UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN

ASSIGNMENT OF MEDIA

Submitted to Miss Sadaf Khan

Submitted by Syeda Noor us Sehar Tabassum
Of
BS MEDIA STUDIES
ON
HISTORY OF TELEVISION
HISTORY OF TELEVISION
INTRODUCTION
Television (TV), is a telecommunication medium used for transmitting moving
images in monochrome (black and white), or in colour, and in two or three
dimensions and sound. The term can refer to a television set, a television
program "TV show", or the medium of television transmission. Television is a
mass medium for advertising, entertainment and news.
INVENTION OF TELEVISION
The idea of having something that transmits moving images existed long
before the first television was built. In the late 19th century, a couple of
scientists made pivotal discoveries, without which the first television would not
have existed. In the 1920s, over 50 inventors from Japan, Britain, Germany,
America and Russia were all seriously attempting to build televisions, many of
which had very promising demonstrations.

•First Mechanical Television

If one regards the definition of “television” to be the live transmission of
images with continuing variation in tone, the credit to who invented the
television belongs to  He built and and
demonstrated the world’s first mechanical television. Baird also invented and
demonstrated the first color television in public as well as the first electronic
color television picture tube.
First Electronic Television
The credit to who invented the television as we know it today, an electronic
model, was a bit of a power struggle. One inventor had the patent, but his
television’s design wasn’t quite there yet, while the other had a fully working
television but only applied for a patent later. The Russian Vladimir K. Zworykin
applied for a patent for an electron scanning tube (a part that could be
considered to be the “heart” of a television) in 1923 already, but could not get
his television to work until 1934.
Philo Taylor Farnsworth successfully demonstrated the first television
signal transmission on September 7, 1927 with his own scanning tube. A legal
battle ensued in the late thirties, when RCA, the company Zworykin worked
for wanted to claim the right to the patent (and the royalties). The court
however ruled in favor of Fransworth, giving him patent priority and making
him, officially the inventor of the first fully functional, all-electronic television.
HISTORY
•Mechanical Televisions in the 1800s and Early 1900s:
Prior to electric televisions, we had mechanical televisions.
These early televisions started appearing in the early 1800s. They
involved mechanically scanning images then transmitting those images
onto a screen. Compared to electronic televisions, they were extremely
rudimentary.
One of the first mechanical televisions used a rotating disk with holes
arranged in a spiral pattern. This device was created independently by two
inventors: Scottish inventor John Logie Baird and American inventor
Charles Francis Jenkins. Both devices were invented in the early 1920s.
Prior to these two inventors, German inventor Paul Gottlieb Nipkow
had developed the first mechanical television. That device sent images
through wires using a rotating metal disk. Instead of calling the device a
television, however, Nipkow called it an “electric telescope”. The device
had 18 lines of resolution.
In 1907, two inventors – Russian Boris Rosing and English A.A.
Campbell-Swinton – combined a cathode ray tube with a mechanical
scanning system to create a totally new television system.
Ultimately, the early efforts of these inventors would lead to the
world’s first electrical television a few years later.
•The First Electronic Television was Invented in 1927:
 The world’s first electronic television was created by a 21 year old
inventor named Philo Taylor Farnsworth. That inventor lived in a house
without electricity until he was age 14. Starting in high school, he began to
think of a system that could capture moving images, transform those
images into code, then move those images along radio waves to different
devices.
Farnsworth was miles ahead of any mechanical television system
invented to-date. Farnsworth’s system captured moving images using a
beam of electrons (basically, a primitive camera).
The first image ever transmitted by television was a simple line.
Later, Farnsworth would famously transmit a dollar sign using his television
after a prospective investor asked “When are we going to see some
dollars in this thing, Farnsworth?”
Between 1926 and 1931, mechanical television inventors continued to
tweak and test their creations. However, they were all doomed to be
obsolete in comparison to modern electrical televisions: by 1934, all TVs
had been converted into the electronic system.
Understandably, all early television systems transmitted footage in black
and white. Color TV, however, was first theorized way back in 1904.

Mechanical Televisions:
Mechanical televisions relied on rotating disks to transmit images
from a transmitter to the receiver. Both the transmitter and receiver had
rotating disks. The disks had holes in them spaced around the disk, with
each hole being slightly lower than the other.
To transmit images, you had to place a camera in a totally dark room,
then place a very bright light behind the disk. That disk would be turned by
a motor in order to make one revolution for every frame of the TV picture.
 Baird’s early mechanical television had 30 holes and rotated 12.5
times per second. There was a lens in front of the disk to focus light onto
the subject.
When light hit the subject, that light would be reflected into a
photoelectric cell, which then converted this light energy to electrical
impulses. The electrical impulses are transmitted over the air to a receiver.
The disk on that receiver would spin at the exact same speed as the disk
on the transmitter’s camera (the motors would be synchronized to ensure
precise transmissions).
The receiving end featured a radio receiver, which received the
transmissions and connected them to a neon lamp placed behind the disk.
The disk would rotate while the lamp would put out light in proportion to the
electrical signal it was getting from the receiver.

Electronic Televisions:
There’s a reason we stopped using mechanical televisions: electronic
televisions were vastly superior.
Electronic televisions rely on a technology called a Cathode Ray Tube
(CRT) as well as two or more anodes. The anodes were the positive
terminals and the cathode was the negative terminal.
The “Cathode” part of the Cathode Ray Tube was a heated filament
enclosed in a glass Tube (the “T” of CRT). The Cathode would release a
beam of electronics into the empty space of the tube (which was actually a
vacuum).
All of these released electrons had a negative charge and would thus
be attracted to positively charged anodes. These anodes were found at the
end of the CRT, which was the television screen. As the electrons were
released at one end, they were displayed on the television screen at the
other end.
Of course, firing electrons against a glass screen doesn’t make
images. To make images, the inside of the television screen would be
coated with phosphor. The electrons would paint an image on the screen
one line at a time.
To control the firing of electrons, CRTs use two “steering coils”. Both
steering coils use the power of magnets to push the electron beam to the
desired location on the screen. One steering coil pushes the electrons up
or down, while the other pushes them left or right.
HISTORICAL EVENTS
1.The First Television Stations in America
The world’s first television stations first started appearing in America in the
late 1920s and early 1930s.The first mechanical TV station was called
W3XK and was created by Charles Francis Jenkins (one of the inventors
of the mechanical television). That TV station aired its first broadcast on
July 2, 1928.
2.The First Television Sets in America
America’s first commercially produced television sets were based on the
mechanical television system – made by John Baird’s television designs.
These sets were shown off to the public in September, 1928. It would take
until 1938, however, before American electronic television sets were
produced and released commercially. They were an instant hit after
release.
3.The First Remote Control for Television Sets.The world’s first television
remote control was called the Tele Zoom, and it can barely even be
categorized as a remote control. The Tele Zoom was only used to “zoom
in” to the picture on the television. You could not use it to change any
channels or turn the TV on or off. The Tele Zoom was released in
1948.The first “true” remote control was produced by Zenith and released
in 1955. This remote control could turn the television on or off and change
the channel. It was also completely wireless.
4.Color Television in America
Color television traces its roots as far back as 1904, when a German
inventor received a patent for color television. However, that inventor did
not actually have a working color television – it was just a patented idea. A
conceptualized color television system appeared in 1925 from inventor
Vladimir Zworykin. However, this system was never converted into reality.
All attempts to convert it into reality did not succeed. Color television was
placed on the backburner for about 20 years. In 1946, the idea of color
television was renewed in earnest.
"By 1946, the Second World War was history, and people in America wanted to make
up for all the time lost to the war. Black and white television was thought of as old and it was
time to do something new. This is when color television systems first began to be considered

seriously.”

The color television war in America was fought between two industry
giants: CBS and RCA. CBS was the first company to create a color
television set. However, the main drawback was that it was a mechanical
television based on John Baird’s original system. Thus, it was not
compatible with black and white TV sets in use across America.Color TV
had a similar initial problem as 3D TV and other technologies: people
owned the color TV technology, but broadcasters weren’t producing color
TV content. Few people owned color TV sets between 1954 and 1965.
However, starting in 1966, color TV programming was broadcast across
America, leading to a surge in sales of color television sets.
TV History Between the 1950s and 2000s
Between the 1950s and 2000s, television turned from a niche technology
into a critical form of communication found in living rooms across the
nation. A vast number of changes and improvements took place in the
second half of the 20th century to make the television into what it is today.
Here’s a timeline:
1949: In January, the number of TV stations had grown to 98 in 58 market
areas.
1949: The FCC adopted the Fairness Doctrine, which made broadcasters
responsible for seeking out and presenting all sides of an issue when
covering controversy. This act was a supplement to the Communications
Act of 1934, which required broadcasters to give equal airtime to
candidates running in elections.
1951: I Love Lucy, sponsored by Philip Morris, was born. The half-hour
sitcom ranked as the number one program in the nation for four of its first
six full seasons.
1951: On June 21, CBS broadcasted the first color program. As mentioned
above, CBS’s color system only worked with a small number of TVs
across America. Only 12 customers across America could see the first
color TV broadcast. 12 million other TVs were blank for this program.
1952: Bob Hope takes his comedy from radio to TV as The Bob Hope
Show debuts in October, 1952.
1952: By the end of 1952, TVs could be found in 20 million households
across America, a rise of 33% from the previous year. U.S. advertisers
spent a total of $288 million on television advertising time, an increase of
38.8% from 1951.
1953: RCA releases its color broadcasting system, which worked on 12
million TVs instead of 12.
1954: NBC launches The Tonight Show with comedian Steve Allen.
1955: Gunsmoke, the classic western TV show, began its 20 year run on
CBS.
1958: 525 cable TV systems across America serve 450,000 subscribers. In
response, CBS takes out a two page advertisement in TV Guide stating
that “Free television as we know it cannot survive alongside pay
television.”
1960: Four debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon were
broadcast throughout the year across the country, forever changing the
way presidents would campaign.
1963: For the first time in history, television surpasses newspapers as an
information source. In a poll this year, 36% of Americans found TV to be a
more reliable source than print, which was favored by 24%.
1964: The FCC regulates cable for the first time. The FCC required
operators to black out programming that comes in from distant markets
and duplicates a local station’s own programming (if the local station
demanded it).
1964: 73 million viewers watch The Beatles appear on the Ed Sullivan
Show.
1965: NBC calls itself The Full Color Network and broadcasts 96% of its
programming in color.
1969: Astronaut Neil Armstrong walks on the moon for the first time as
millions of American viewers watch live on network TV.
1970: The FCC implements the Financial Interest Syndication Rules that
prohibit the three major networks from owning and controlling the
rebroadcast of private shows. This meant 30 minutes of programming each
night were given back to local stations in the top 50 markets, encouraging
the production of local programming.
1971: Advertisements transition from 60 seconds in average length to 30
seconds.
1979: Some people believe it’s the “beginning of the end for TV” as a poll
indicated that 44% of Americans were unhappy with current programming
and 49% were watching TV less than what they did a few years earlier.
1979: ESPN, a network totally devoted to sports, debuts on cable. ESPN
would go on to become the largest and most successful basic cable
channel.
1980: Ted Turner launches Cable News Network (CNN), a channel
devoted to showcasing news 24 hours a day.
1980: Music Television (MTV) makes its debut in August of 1980.
1986: After years of rising rates, ABC, CBS, and NBC have trouble selling
commercial time for sports programs for the first time. Commercial rates for
the 1986 NFL season dropped 15% from the 1985 season.
1989: Pay Per View begins to leave its mark on the television landscape,
reaching about 20% of all wired households.
1992: Infomercials explode with growth. This year, the National Infomercial
Marketing Association estimates infomercials generate sales of $750
million, double that of 1988.
1993: At the start of 1993, 98% of American households owned at least
one TV, with 64% owning two or more sets.
1996: Digital satellite dishes 18 inches in diameter hit the market,
becoming the bestselling electronic item in history next to the VCR.
2000: The Digital Video Disc (DVD) is introduced.
2004: DVDs outsell VHS tapes for the first time.
2005: Flat screen TVs and HDTVs are introduced for the first time.
2006: Flat screen TVs and HDTVs become affordable for the first time.
2006: Sony releases its Blu-ray disc format, capable of holding up to 27GB
despite being the same size as a DVD.
2010: 3D televisions start hitting the market, spurred by popular 3D
blockbusters like Avatar.
HISTORY OF TELEVISION IN PAKISTISTAN Television in Pakistan started in
1964, and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on
November 26, 1964, in Lahore.
Originally a private sector project in 1961 by prominent industrialist Syed
Wajjid Ali who signed a joint venture agreement with Nipon Electric
Company (NEC), leading Pakistani engineer Ubaidur Rahman was
appointed by Wajjid Ali to head the television project. By 1962, after a
series of pilot transmission tests, the project was quickly taken over by the
Ayub Khan Government in 1963 for the "greater national interest of
Pakistan". President Ayub Khan re-appointed Ubaidur Rahman in 1963
under the Ministry of Information to continue with the NEC joint venture
collaboration to launch Pakistan Television or PTV. The project began with
a tent on the back lot of Radio Pakistan Lahore where a transmission
tower and a studio were constructed. On November 26, 1964 the first
official television station commenced transmission broadcasts from
LAHORE,[1] followed by Dhaka in 1965 (then the capital of East Pakistan).
A third centre was established in Rawalpindi-Islamabad in 1965 and the
fourth in Karachi in 1966. Later centres in Peshawar and Quetta were
established by 1974. Originally broadcast in black and white, PTV began
colour transmission in 1976.[2] With this new upgrade in techniques and
equipment, the Pakistan Television Academy was founded and opened in
1987 to teach students who wished to work in the medium. As with the
other agreement, the government financed most of the funds while the
private venture capitalists offered to fund the remainder. Late 1980s
morning transmission started on PTV.
In 1990, the then government launched the first semi government TV
network of the country by the name of "Peoples Television Network
(PTN)under the Peoples TV Network (a wholly owned company of
Shalimar Recording Company (which is Shalimar Recording and
Broadcasting Company now). PTN, thew wholly owned company was
merged with Shalimar Recording Company in 1991 and the TV Channel
PTN was renamed as Shalimar Television Network (STN). PTN/STN
started from Islamabad first and then from Karachi, Lahore and by mid-
1990s the network made its way to the whole of the country. STN for the
first time in Pakistan started the transmission of CNN International on the
terrestrial beam, this was the first project of STN. Soon limited broadcast of
BBC World programmings started. In 1990 PTN under an agreement with
the a private company (Interflow) started first ever private TV slot of
Pakistan, Network Television Marketing (NTM), in this way STN's
broadcast became the combination of CNN, NTM and limited broadcasts
of BBC World and German DW TV. This successfully continued till 1999.
NTM came as a breathe of fresh air to the Pakistani viewers due to its
fresh and innovative programmings.PTV Network launched a full-scale
satellite broadcasting service in 1991- 1992. PTV-2 first ever satellite
channel of Pakistan started in 1992. In 1994, PTV was made part of the
satellite beam along with PTV-2. PTV 2 was renamed as PTV World in
1998. PTV-2/World also enjoyed viewership on terrestrial beam. In 1998
PTV in association with a private company (Prime Entertainment Network)
started PTV Prime, exclusively for European and later for American
viewers. Digital TV satellite broadcasting was launched in 1999. PTV/PTV-
1 got its satellite beam (independent of PTV 2/World)in 2001.
NTM went off air in 1999 due to financial losses and with that STN
also shut down CNN Intn'l broadcast, limited programmings BBC World
and DW TV in 1999. STN was taken over by PTV Network in 1999 and
was given new name Channel-3 which started its transmissions on regular
basis in 2000. A satellite beam of STN/Channel-3 was also arranged.
In 2000, the then government of Pakistan opened up new ways for
the media industry of Pakistan by allowing private TV channels to operate
openly even to telecast their own news and current affairs content. Indus
Vision (first ever private satellite channel of Pakistan) was launched in
2000. ARY Digital ws launched in 2001, Geo TV in 2002, Aaj TV in 2004
and Hum TV was launched in 2005, and the phenomenon went on.

PERORATION
Today, online television and other broadcasting technologies have changed
the future of traditional TV. With more and more people “cutting the cord”, it
remains to be seen if traditional TV can survive in an era filled with Netflix and
other technologies.