ABSTRACT
There’s nothing on it worthwhile, and we’re not going to watch it in this household, and I don’t want it in your intellectual diet.
—Philo T. Farnsworth, one of television’s inventors, to his children
I. Television Is a Unique Medium 19
II. How TV Works 20
III. The Impact of Human Vision on TV 20
IV. The Creators of Television 21
V. Television’s Evolution 23
VI. Television’s Transitions — From the 1920s to the Present 24
VII. Summary 36
VIII. Chapter Review Questions 37
Television as a communications medium has had a singular impact on millions of people around the globe, and it wields an impressive influence on how we view our culture. Almost every American home has at least one TV set, and more than 40% of Americans have at least three. Since the 1950s, television has emerged as a global catalyst for social and political change, and has greatly affected how we learn and communicate.
