Honey, Can You Fix the Antenna?

            When you think of television, you might think of all those ‘reality’ shows with pregnant teenagers or guys trying to get laid. But many, in the 1950s, looked forward to the news, westerns, and comedy shows. Television had become the dominant mass media as more people brought into their homes the future; by 1949, one million sets were sold. It received shows via antenna, and broadcasting was black and white. In 1954, the black and white became color broadcasts, but color was too expensive. Some of the earlier TV shows were radio and vaudeville moving to a new medium. They were what we now call sitcoms, variety shows, soap operas, and the good old westerns. The population had started relying on TV news sources for information, which caused a great effect on printed news media and entertainment media.

           People began to believe what was heard and seen on television because they were closer to events than never before. News broadcasting had improved even more with videotaped pictures of events occurring anywhere in the world; soon after, to more live broadcasts of events happening at the moment it was occurring, which was made possible in 1951 with the development of coaxial cable and microwave relays coast to coast. The early days of TV were actually only during evenings and afternoons.

           Variety shows were like “Disneyland” and the “Ed Sullivan Show” on Sunday evenings. Daytime programs were the soap operas like “Guiding Light”, which helped advertisers sell their products to homemakers. Amongst the first television shows included about 120 westerns. The cowboys set the standards of right and wrong and taught about heroes. Many of you may think about the show “Gunsmoke”. It was one of the best of the westerns. It started off in the radio and then moved to TV in 1955. The show ran all the way through to 1975 with 630 episodes, 400 of them an hour in length. Another successful show, a comedy sitcom, was “I love Lucy”. “I Love Lucy” is what some call a timeless TV classic. It premiered on October 15, 1951 until June 24, 1957 with a total of 180 episodes. Today, television still serves the same purpose, just more advanced and related to our recent lifestyles.