What do you think?
Rate this book
Television: Innovation, Disruption, and the World's Most Powerful Medium
No medium in history can match the power of television. No product has spread so far and so fast. Nothing has had so much influence. Nothing has impacted how the world sees itself like television.
TELEVISION: Volume 1
brings together seven decades of stories on how this happened into one epic narrative.
How did an impoverished immigrant become the king of all media, creating the first radio network and the first TV network? What caused the inventor of FM radio to jump out of a window to his death? How did NBC, CBS and ABC innovate to build their media monopolies? How did Star Trek create the first fan culture movement? What made The Mary Tyler Moore Show the first great feminist show, and #1 hit? What made Norman Lear the most influential TV comedy producer ever? How did Lucille Ball go from a washed-up B movie actress to a multi-millionaire Hollywood studio mogul? What makes Louis C.K. the Jackie Gleason of the digital age? With unparalleled insider insight, it shares critical, practical, behind the scenes lessons from the business of TV. The TELEVISION series is a must-read for media executives, students, entrepreneurs, and fans.
Two-time Emmy(R) Award winner, author Seth Shapiro is a leading advisor in business innovation, media and technology. He is an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, a Governor of the Television Academy, and Principal of New Amsterdam Media LLC.
"If you ever wanted to know how the television industry began, this is your primer." -- Garth Ancier, Former Entertainment President, Fox Broadcasting Company President, NBC Entertainment Chairman, The WB Television Network President, BBC Worldwide America
Seth Shapiro masterfully chronicles the evolution of television... It was like seeing my life pass before my eyes." -- Preston Beckman, Senior Strategist, FOX Networks Group - Executive Vice President, Program Planning, NBC Entertainment
"Seth Shapiro teaches THE class on the media business. Now, he's writing THE book. He's THE expert." -- Ryan Holiday, Editor-at-large, The New York Observer Best-Selling Author of Trust Me I'm Lying and The Obstacle is the Way
"Seth is a spectacular storyteller with extraordinary perspective and real world experience. If you want to truly understand the TV business, TELEVISION: Volume 1 is a must read." -- Shelly Palmer, Business Advisor, Author and Commentator
"Seth Shapiro nails it. With an eye for keen detail, insider's access, and a gift for analytic storytelling, Shapiro weaves a powerful tapestry... TELEVISION: Volume 1 stands to become a must-read for all industry participants, students of electronic media, and viewers who have ever wondered how this global phenomenon called TV came to be." -- John Penney, Chief Strategy Officer, STARZ
"Seth Shapiro has crafted a delightful, story-filled history of television that is as entertaining as the medium itself... a must read for all those looking to comprehend the future of video." -- Jay Samit, Author of Disrupt You: Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation
Seth is the perfect author to tell the story of television. And the story is a fascinating combination of art and business, of technology and culture. -- Jeff Schultz, Senior Vice President Business Development, CBS
How did an impoverished immigrant become the king of all media, creating the first radio network and the first TV network? What caused the inventor of FM radio to jump out of a window to his death? How did NBC, CBS and ABC innovate to build their media monopolies? How did Star Trek create the first fan culture movement? What made The Mary Tyler Moore Show the first great feminist show, and #1 hit? What made Norman Lear the most influential TV comedy producer ever? How did Lucille Ball go from a washed-up B movie actress to a multi-millionaire Hollywood studio mogul? What makes Louis C.K. the Jackie Gleason of the digital age? With unparalleled insider insight, it shares critical, practical, behind the scenes lessons from the business of TV. The TELEVISION series is a must-read for media executives, students, entrepreneurs, and fans.
Two-time Emmy(R) Award winner, author Seth Shapiro is a leading advisor in business innovation, media and technology. He is an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, a Governor of the Television Academy, and Principal of New Amsterdam Media LLC.
"If you ever wanted to know how the television industry began, this is your primer." -- Garth Ancier, Former Entertainment President, Fox Broadcasting Company President, NBC Entertainment Chairman, The WB Television Network President, BBC Worldwide America
Seth Shapiro masterfully chronicles the evolution of television... It was like seeing my life pass before my eyes." -- Preston Beckman, Senior Strategist, FOX Networks Group - Executive Vice President, Program Planning, NBC Entertainment
"Seth Shapiro teaches THE class on the media business. Now, he's writing THE book. He's THE expert." -- Ryan Holiday, Editor-at-large, The New York Observer Best-Selling Author of Trust Me I'm Lying and The Obstacle is the Way
"Seth is a spectacular storyteller with extraordinary perspective and real world experience. If you want to truly understand the TV business, TELEVISION: Volume 1 is a must read." -- Shelly Palmer, Business Advisor, Author and Commentator
"Seth Shapiro nails it. With an eye for keen detail, insider's access, and a gift for analytic storytelling, Shapiro weaves a powerful tapestry... TELEVISION: Volume 1 stands to become a must-read for all industry participants, students of electronic media, and viewers who have ever wondered how this global phenomenon called TV came to be." -- John Penney, Chief Strategy Officer, STARZ
"Seth Shapiro has crafted a delightful, story-filled history of television that is as entertaining as the medium itself... a must read for all those looking to comprehend the future of video." -- Jay Samit, Author of Disrupt You: Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation
Seth is the perfect author to tell the story of television. And the story is a fascinating combination of art and business, of technology and culture. -- Jeff Schultz, Senior Vice President Business Development, CBS
344 pages, Paperback
Published August 8, 2016
6 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Seth Shapiro
3 books19 followersTwo-time Emmy® Award winner Seth Shapiro is a leading advisor in business innovation, media and technology worldwide. He has worked with clients including The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, DIRECTV, Intel, IPG, NBC, Showtime, RTL, Telstra, Universal, Slamdance Studios, Goldman Sachs, government bodies, NGOs and a wide range of new ventures.
Shapiro is an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, a Governor of the Television Academy, and a member of its Executive Committee. He has served as a frequent Expert Witness, including before the FCC, and has been quoted in outlets including The Economist, The New York Times. The LA Times, CNBC, The Boston Globe, Bloomberg, The Associated Press, PBS and The Daily Mail UK. As Head of Production at DIRECTV Advanced Services, he launched over 25 services, including TiVo by DIRECTV, the world’s first major DVR platform.
Shapiro sits on the Annenberg Research Council and the Producer Guild's New Media Council. He is a Magna cum Laude graduate of New York University and was Adelbert Alumni Scholar at Case Western Reserve University.
Shapiro is an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, a Governor of the Television Academy, and a member of its Executive Committee. He has served as a frequent Expert Witness, including before the FCC, and has been quoted in outlets including The Economist, The New York Times. The LA Times, CNBC, The Boston Globe, Bloomberg, The Associated Press, PBS and The Daily Mail UK. As Head of Production at DIRECTV Advanced Services, he launched over 25 services, including TiVo by DIRECTV, the world’s first major DVR platform.
Shapiro sits on the Annenberg Research Council and the Producer Guild's New Media Council. He is a Magna cum Laude graduate of New York University and was Adelbert Alumni Scholar at Case Western Reserve University.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 1, 2018
Great overview of intersections of political power, entrepreneurial invention and TV shows.
January 18, 2019
This book is packed with interesting and useful information (one of my favorite details - that Jackie Gleason's dad stole all the family photos he appeared in when he left the family so Gleason's mom would have nothing to give the police to find him). Frustratingly, it focuses heavily on personalities above all else. The book is about The White Men Who Changed Television, plus a couple of women and one or two men of color. It also spends a LOT of time with Richard Nixon. It's all interesting Nixon stuff, I guess, but I think it somewhat overestimates Nixon's impact on television and is fairly cavalier about Nixon's antisemitic paranoia around the media.
You could do a lot worse, for sure! Plenty to learn in this book! But it sometimes misses the forest for the trees, focusing on luminaries instead of movements.
You could do a lot worse, for sure! Plenty to learn in this book! But it sometimes misses the forest for the trees, focusing on luminaries instead of movements.
July 31, 2024
Great Man history of technology and entertainment, summarized in a way that undersells all the points the author tries to make.
This book is more like an organized Wikipedia summary peppered with anecdotes which showcase a belief in simplified narratives. The inconsistency of the chapters - some of which are shockingly brief with no quotations - seem to indicate the shows the author is interested in versus those they are not. One would assume the giant divergence into how radio scheduling worked would serve as a point of comparison to how it worked on early television, but it doesn't.
There are many assumptions given to the audience, which themselves are uneven. Familiarity with certain shows and stars, yet also with the format of TV itself extending beyond tye bounds of the individual programs. Despite the propensity to bring up modern comparisons (which I dislike but I recognize is stylistic), the author makes no effort to draw meaningful contrasts between television viewing in his present and the narrative's.
I would classify this book as amatuerish. Not strictly awful, but not really a good primer for the subject. There's no good narrative tone, a clear lack of deep research, and an unwillingness to make a statement beyond parroting the historical summary of a show's impact. A few decent segments never distracted me from the bad organization, the tangents, and the lack of historical insight even for newbies to the subject. Nothing holds together.
2.5/10
This book is more like an organized Wikipedia summary peppered with anecdotes which showcase a belief in simplified narratives. The inconsistency of the chapters - some of which are shockingly brief with no quotations - seem to indicate the shows the author is interested in versus those they are not. One would assume the giant divergence into how radio scheduling worked would serve as a point of comparison to how it worked on early television, but it doesn't.
There are many assumptions given to the audience, which themselves are uneven. Familiarity with certain shows and stars, yet also with the format of TV itself extending beyond tye bounds of the individual programs. Despite the propensity to bring up modern comparisons (which I dislike but I recognize is stylistic), the author makes no effort to draw meaningful contrasts between television viewing in his present and the narrative's.
I would classify this book as amatuerish. Not strictly awful, but not really a good primer for the subject. There's no good narrative tone, a clear lack of deep research, and an unwillingness to make a statement beyond parroting the historical summary of a show's impact. A few decent segments never distracted me from the bad organization, the tangents, and the lack of historical insight even for newbies to the subject. Nothing holds together.
2.5/10
December 28, 2019
Book 1 of my Media reads. Great story spanning the invention of the telegraph and the radio through 1970s network television, doing justice to dozens of key contributors along the way. Hopefully Shapiro delivers on his promises of publishing volumes 2 and 3 of this series.
Read
February 4, 2025This book explains how streaming has changed entertainment forever! If you're looking for the best Smart TV apps, I recommend Smart Play APK for free, high-quality streaming. Check it out here: smartplaytvapk.com.br
October 26, 2017
Closer to 3.5
August 19, 2016
Seth Shapiro parses the history of television into highly readable stories focused on the people who drove invention and innovation, all the way back to its technology inception with Philo Farnsworth, Armstrong, Sarnoff, and moves into the business wars with a great piece on Paley, and his talent for talent and showmanship. Shapiro is very adept at blending the interrelationship between the three legs of the stool -- business, technology, and content -- giving the reader an easily digestible way to understand how the television business became the most powerful medium, and setting the stage for future volumes covering the cable and digital eras. If you love TV, especially the TV business, you'll love this book.
March 31, 2017
Generation after generation thought they were doing something new.
When we now claim we are cord cutter and move shows from cable to Internet, we think we are doing something very new.
But we are merely repeating what last generation has been doing, maybe in a less magnificent scale.
Telling the history of television, which is a unique combination of art, commerce and technology, this book is a rarely interesting book. TV is the indispensable carrier of the important historical events. In US, the events were from Beattles to Kennedy, the Moon Landing to Water Gate. The book has it all.
And this book also recorded numerous interesting figures, Lucy, Desi, Nixon, Kennedy, the three big networks leaders and their star performers and producers. Very informative and a page turner!
Strongly recommend this book to people who are doing works related to television or the future of television.
When we now claim we are cord cutter and move shows from cable to Internet, we think we are doing something very new.
But we are merely repeating what last generation has been doing, maybe in a less magnificent scale.
Telling the history of television, which is a unique combination of art, commerce and technology, this book is a rarely interesting book. TV is the indispensable carrier of the important historical events. In US, the events were from Beattles to Kennedy, the Moon Landing to Water Gate. The book has it all.
And this book also recorded numerous interesting figures, Lucy, Desi, Nixon, Kennedy, the three big networks leaders and their star performers and producers. Very informative and a page turner!
Strongly recommend this book to people who are doing works related to television or the future of television.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews