Effects of the Emergence of Television and Radio in America - Report Example

Effects of the Emergence of Television and Radio in America. The 1920’s saw the emergence of what is now defined as modern American culture which included radio. Television on the other hand did not emerge until the late 1940’s which increased people’s fascination with technology in America. There have been many inventions over time, but few have had the mass impact on society as radio and television not only on the way people live but also on culture. With time people changed their beliefs and ideals based on what they saw and heard and in many cases the inventions led to an erosion of culture and morals. On the positive side though, there was greater interaction and socialization among people, and at the same time people were more open to technology and new ideas. Emergence of Television and Radio Broadcasting: The 1920’s saw the emergence of radio broadcasting although it was not widespread as many Americans did not have receivers at the time. The fascination with voices in the air and music transmitted through the receivers could only be enjoyed by few who had acquired the devices. After the first broadcast however, the once sleepy and quiet towns transformed into a nest of fascination and curiosity. The craze for radio broadcasting had been born and everyone wanted to have a piece of this technology, the radio broadcasts had now received critical acclaim as society changers. There was a sudden demand for the radio transmitters, with what can only be defined as the radio craze becoming a common sight everywhere. Long queues were witnessed as people filled out order forms to acquire radios and most dealers were constantly sold out. There was an emergence of a new culture where all the people wanted the same thing, and were fascinated with something so much that they were willing to spend whatever it cost to acquire it. This when compared to the once reserved and conservative people who kept to themselves and did not have any fascination for inventions defined a real change. Of importance is the fact that between 1923 and 1930, approximately 60 percent of American households had purchased and owned radios. As opposed to the earlier trend where families would go to sleep early, they now gathered around their radios and keenly listened to the entertainment that was transmitted to them. This led the radio broadcasters to tap into the available market and as more people purchased radios, the broadcasters increased the number of stations each dealing with different aspects of entertainment tailored for the American audience. The very first station was KDKA broadcasted in 1920, and in contrast by 1922 there were around 600 radio stations that had emerged and were now transmitting entertainment to their audiences in the United States. A good example of this is the KYW radio station broadcasting from Chicago that started transmissions in 1921, a venture that was taken up by the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, (Digital History, par.12). Amazingly, the Chicago station exclusively broadcasted opera for six days a week and this increased its popularity in the State. After the Opera season was finished there was a need to find something new to transmit and the broadcasters relying on the popularity of the station saw the need to diversify the content transmitted. It is at this point that the Chicago station started broadcasting various genres of music, sports, fictional stories, news, weather forecasts, market updates, politics and even lectures on air. The effect of these transmissions was that, the Americans developed a sense of community spirit. There were many different broadcasts suited to different ethnic groups and this meant that, everyone had something to listen to that was unique to them, and that was of interest to them. These created a sense of happiness and satisfaction as people were constantly entertained and were also able to learn a lot about other cultures through radio broadcasts. However, there was a curve ball to this amazing invention that caused so much happiness. The older generation started noticing changes in their children and the young adults and this created tensions between culture and modern inventions. There was no longer pride and desire to rely on their roots as most people now preferred to listen and adopt the new things they heard on radio. This led to mass and serious erosion of culture and the creation of a new culture that was modern and different. A culture of competition was also created as broadcasting stations started competing for waves in order to increase the content that they aired to their audiences. This led to a new culture of greed and what can only be described as dirty competition where there were overlaps of programs since there was too much content that did not match available air waves and stations. This was not positive to the listeners as in most cases; there was a constant interruption of programs to ensure that they got all their content in the air. It was no longer about entertaining the American public but, radios were now a tool for the broadcasters to distribute their content by any means possible. There was also emergence of the use of radio by governments, corporations and the public to use radio broadcasts to air public service information. The use of radio was a great tool in ensuring that information reached the masses in the shortest time possible and at the same time. But even with all these, it’s important to note that at the time radio broadcasts were meant for non-profit means. This meant that, only the manufacturers of radio have got any profit from manufacturing and producing radios, (Radio in the 1920’s, par.3). On the other hand presenters, announcers and persons who worked in the stations were not paid as they were viewed to work on a non-profit basis. At the time radio was free for all, and because there was no advertising at the time, it was not a money making scheme at the time, because there was no Federal legislation regulating it. Although radio broadcasts had much influence on American culture and society, television broadcasts had far greater impact. By around 1940 the television invention finally made its way into America and just like the radio raised the curiosity and fascination of the people. the people referred to television sets as ‘home screens’ and at the time they were scarce so most enjoyed their first telecasts when they visited bars. This now created a new culture and fascination with bars, which in the past were not regularly visited but were now the place to be. the bar owners were now very aware that the only way that they could retain the loyalty of their customers was by installing a television set in their premises. The fascination with televisions was amazing as the owners had to constantly leave them on for their clients to get continuous programming in the form of fillers and professional wrestling. The craze spread to department stores and most stores placed television sets in their display windows. A new culture was created where people now wanted to know what was going on and would regularly visit department stores just to catch a glimpse at the television. The latest thing was no longer radio, as the business market was now targeted at television installations and sales. Everyone sold the sets from beauty salons, gas stations, dry cleaners and even their trusted stores made the business a profitable establishment. As opposed to radio ownership that saw 60 percent of American households having ownership within 5 years of inception, the same was not true of television. The sales of televisions were only highly located in big cities and large metropolis as opposed to small towns and suburbs. By around 1948, there were approximately 102,000 television sets in America and two-thirds of this sets were found specifically in New York, (Baughman, par.2). This was due to the fact that most television stations operated from New York. It is important to note that before 1947 most homes did not have television sets but by the late 1990’s the age of television had been born with about 98 percent of American households owing a television set. People were now spending most of their waking hours in front of the television watching the different programs on offer. It’s amazing that the typical American citizen will spend approximately 5 hours in a day watching television, from movies, music and soaps, (Stephens, par.1). This has led to a decrease in the time used in socializing and carrying out other meaningful tasks as was the case before. The television brought in a new culture where people were now becoming couch potatoes, for lack of a better word. Before television emerged families engaged in social activities and sat around dinner tables listening to radio broadcasts and talking about what they had heard. They also read books to stay in tune with the radio broadcasts in form of plays and readings and this created some interactions between the audience and the presenters, (Home, p. 38). However, television brought in a completely different culture and people were not as social and united as they used to be. People spent hours of profitable time watching television and enjoying the various forms of entertainment transmitted to them. The social fabric of society that was deep rooted in their culture was not eroded and people stopped interacting freely as before. The culture of reading was also eroded as there was no time left after spending many hours watching music, films and soaps on the television. The public was also introduced to new modes of dressing and fashion over time. Television presenters and news anchors were seen wearing the latest fashions which were in most cases not modest. It was also an avenue where makeup and jewelry became widespread and public awareness was born. This greatly affected culture seeing that the original American population was conservative and cared greatly about their morals. They were now faced with a situation where they had to deal with clothing which was viewed to be provocative and against their cultures and beliefs. In addition, people no longer socialized and shared their problems and ideas seeing that they had not time between watching television, listening to radio, eating and sleeping, there was no longer enough time for some. The most negative impact was seen in the fact that people no longer went out to the movies as they usually did to socialize. There was growing desperation among those who were not able to afford the television sets as they also wanted to be a part of this great invention. We can actually say that there was a television revolution, as it completely changed the way people lived and related to each other. The emergence of television was also influenced by external factors that were occurring around America in the 1940’s. At the time the Second World War was on and it was also the time of the Great Depression which saw people hold back on their lives and families. However, in contrast to this, there was a noticeable change in the 1950’s and 1960’s with the Baby Boom where people started having children and this greatly promoted the ownership of television sets. The young children would need entertainment and the housewives at home would need something to fill their days once they had finished their chores. This changed the usual milling around beauty salons and malls to catch up with the latest gossip and to socialize about the latest news and inventions. While many may not understand and recognize the real influence of television on the American public, it greatly influenced culture, what we may not agree on is whether the change is positive or negative. Works Cited: Baughman, J.L. The Republic of Mass Culture: Journalism, Filmmaking and Broadcasting in America since 1941. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1990. “Digital History: Using New Technologies to Enhance Teaching and Research”. Digital History, 2013. available at: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3397. Accessed 7th May 2014. Home, V.H. The Chicago Touch. Theatre Arts 35 (July 1951): 36-39. “Radio in the 1920’s”. Virginia Education Centre. 2014. Available at: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug00/3on1/radioshow/1920radio.htm. Accessed 7th May 2014. Stephens, M. Broadcast News. 3rd ed. 1993. Read More