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Zap!: A Brief History of Television
Surveys the history of television and the different kinds of programs broadcast, including situation comedies, dramas, and children's television.
206 pages, Library Binding
First published October 1, 1992
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June 30, 2023
ZAP! A BRIEF HISTORY OF TELEVISION may look like a kid's book due to the cover, but I don't think that it would appeal to most of them. For one thing, when they talk about shows from the early days of television, the kids today would have no idea of what they are talking about, and I can't see them taking the time to Google everything that people my age can easily relate to. For me, this was like a trip down memory lane. They even mention TV Guide in here and for some of us, we know exactly the following it had, and how important it was in the days before you could simply record shows.
First of all, I need to point out that this book was published over 30 years ago and technology has made huge advances since then. But then, as the saying goes,sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same.
The word 'television,' which many of us in America shortened to TV, has been around long before it existed. As early as 1879 magazines carried cartoons of home viewers watching sports and wars on a wall screen. Funny how those two go together, sports and war. Philo T. Farnsworth was granted the first electronic TV patent in the 1920s. Radio paved the way for TV and many of the programs and stars moved on to make it big in TV land.
Besides the history of its development, the comings and goings of famous and not so famous shows are mentioned, as well as the effects on news and politics. The history of CNN is covered. I remember it wasn't that long ago that it was a highly respected news program but then it suffered a huge ratings drop as many shunned it as being a mouthpiece for fake news.
There are a lot of things covered here so I will just mention a few. When they became affordable, most Americans bought TVs so they could watch baseball and roller derby, as well as boxing and wrestling. NBC and CBS thought football wasn't worth covering. Game shows were really big. My parents bought tickets to sit in the audience of one on their honeymoon. My father commented to me years later that they packed the people in and had thugs guarding the door so nobody could leave. The American viewers were so upset when they found out that some game shows were rigged that laws were passed making it a federal crime to do that. TV's effects on children were brought up, and not just the violence and other objectionable topics, but the commercials as well. Some of the same arguments they had about the effects of too much TV on kids can now be applied to kids on computers and cell phones today! The rise of the cable networks is covered, but clearly the author had no idea how big that would be. The rise of the local stations is mentioned. Advertising is a huge business and businesses pay a fortune for the air time. Commercials are what paid for 'free' TV. When Barbie was marketed on TV they used a teen model instead of the doll and mothers hated it while the girls loved it. I remember Bozo's Circus was really big back then, before Hollywood made clowns scary. There was a several year waiting list for kids to get to sit in the audience but somehow my Cub Scout den got a chance to go. Like Bart Simpson, I stuck my tongue out when they panned the audience.
Of course they mention TV in foreign lands and how they used to show reruns of American programs. Later they added the subtitles and eventually made their own shows. Some of those shows mentioned were most likely watched by our Latin American friends over the years.
The author predicted what we may have here in the future (2023) and he wasn't too far off. We now have more channels than we need and capabilities to record and much more. He figured (in 1992) that a wide, flat TV, mounted on the wall, would someday cost $500 and last 5 years. My TV cost me $200 when I bought it over 20 years ago and dread the day I have to buy a flatscreen!
Photos are included.
First of all, I need to point out that this book was published over 30 years ago and technology has made huge advances since then. But then, as the saying goes,sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same.
The word 'television,' which many of us in America shortened to TV, has been around long before it existed. As early as 1879 magazines carried cartoons of home viewers watching sports and wars on a wall screen. Funny how those two go together, sports and war. Philo T. Farnsworth was granted the first electronic TV patent in the 1920s. Radio paved the way for TV and many of the programs and stars moved on to make it big in TV land.
Besides the history of its development, the comings and goings of famous and not so famous shows are mentioned, as well as the effects on news and politics. The history of CNN is covered. I remember it wasn't that long ago that it was a highly respected news program but then it suffered a huge ratings drop as many shunned it as being a mouthpiece for fake news.
There are a lot of things covered here so I will just mention a few. When they became affordable, most Americans bought TVs so they could watch baseball and roller derby, as well as boxing and wrestling. NBC and CBS thought football wasn't worth covering. Game shows were really big. My parents bought tickets to sit in the audience of one on their honeymoon. My father commented to me years later that they packed the people in and had thugs guarding the door so nobody could leave. The American viewers were so upset when they found out that some game shows were rigged that laws were passed making it a federal crime to do that. TV's effects on children were brought up, and not just the violence and other objectionable topics, but the commercials as well. Some of the same arguments they had about the effects of too much TV on kids can now be applied to kids on computers and cell phones today! The rise of the cable networks is covered, but clearly the author had no idea how big that would be. The rise of the local stations is mentioned. Advertising is a huge business and businesses pay a fortune for the air time. Commercials are what paid for 'free' TV. When Barbie was marketed on TV they used a teen model instead of the doll and mothers hated it while the girls loved it. I remember Bozo's Circus was really big back then, before Hollywood made clowns scary. There was a several year waiting list for kids to get to sit in the audience but somehow my Cub Scout den got a chance to go. Like Bart Simpson, I stuck my tongue out when they panned the audience.
Of course they mention TV in foreign lands and how they used to show reruns of American programs. Later they added the subtitles and eventually made their own shows. Some of those shows mentioned were most likely watched by our Latin American friends over the years.
The author predicted what we may have here in the future (2023) and he wasn't too far off. We now have more channels than we need and capabilities to record and much more. He figured (in 1992) that a wide, flat TV, mounted on the wall, would someday cost $500 and last 5 years. My TV cost me $200 when I bought it over 20 years ago and dread the day I have to buy a flatscreen!
Photos are included.
April 11, 2021
An interesting look at how TV was considered in 1990s before internet and Netflix! It was focused mostly on American TV history and was relatively dismissive of other countries' channels, especially South Asia.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews