History of Television: SUMMER SCHOOL II (2003)

Professor Allen Woll  (Ex. 6670/6671 or awoll@camden.rutgers.edu)

Assigned Books:   Erik Barnouw, Tube of Plenty (TOP)
                       Frederick Wasser, Veni, Vidi, Video:  The Hollywood Empire and the VCR
                       Minow and Lamay, Abandoned in the Wasteland
 

In order to understand the current FCC debate (and the history of broadcasting regulation), listen to the stories on this page:

http://www.npr.org/news/specials/fcc/index.html  (Pay particular attention to:  Deregulating the Broadcast Industry -- Parts I, II, III)
 

WEEK I

6/23   Introduction
       VIDEO:  Empire of the Air I

6/24   Where Does Television Come From?-I
       READINGS:  TOP, 1-2/ VIDEO:  Empire of the Air II

Listen to one hour of radio at:

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s2/Radio/day/radio.html

How do radio shows differ from television shows?  How are they similar?
 

6/25   Where Does Television Come From?-II
       READINGS: TOP, 3/ VIDEO: Philo Farnsworth

For a review of a new book about Philo Farnsworth, click here

For E. B. White on the "new" television technology in 1936, click here

6/26   Berle and the Expansion of Television
       Video:  Texaco Star Theater

For next week: (Watch the Robert Redford film Quiz Show (1994) prior to Tuesday’s class.)
 

WEEK 2
 

6/30   The Murrow Moment
       READINGS: TOP, 4  (Up to “Dynamic Duo”)
       VIDEO: See It Now

7/1   Ethics of the Medium
        VIDEO: $64,000 Question

7/2   Midterm Exam

7/3  NO CLASS
 

WEEK 3
 

7/7   TV and Politics
           VIDEO:  The Checkers Speech
           READINGS, TOP, 4 & 5

7/8   TV and Politics -  II

On the first nationally televised political convention, click here and listen.

7/9   The Minow Experiment and the FCC
           READINGS:  Abandoned in the Wasteland will be discussed today.  Pay particular attention to Appendix 2.  (“The Wasteland Speeches”) for today’s class.

7/10   The Relevant 1970s
           VIDEO:  All in the Family
           READINGS: TOP, 6

For a story on the first satellite and how it changed television, click here
and listen.

WEEK 4

The following web pages should prove helpful this week:

For information on "Who Owns What?" from the Columbia Journalism Review:

 http://www.cjr.org/owners/index.asp

For information on Comcast, click here.

For a discussion of Comcast and the importance of cable to the wired world, click here

For information about the recent FCC changes, go here:
 

7/14   The New Television Media I – Cable, VCRs, Satellites &
Computers

Read:  Veni, Vidi, Video, Intro-Chapter 3
 

7/15   The New Television Media II  -- Decline (?) of the Networks

Read:  Veni, Vidi, Video, Chapter 4-7

7/16   Into the Future – The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the
New Media Enterprises

Read Web Pages above-- "Who Owns What?" , Comcast articles, and New York Times FCC articles.

7/17   Final Exam
---------------

Grades:  Midterm (7/2)  100 points
Final (7/17)  100 points

***Attendance will be taken at 8:00.  Those arriving late three times or more will receive a 5% penalty.  Those absent three times or more will receive a 10% penalty.