Appearance

Mass Media

Types of

Programs

Effect of Televisio

n on America

n LifeSources

End Show

Review Questions

Television quickly became an opportunity for advertisement, like this Wrigley’s Chewing

Gum Ad.

Mass Media• In the 1950’s, the

number of households with TV’s jumped from 9% to 87.1%– Average Americans could

afford them• Quickly became a medium for advertisements, such as on the previous slide

- Exposed Americans to new products• Public Service Announcements

- Safety Announcements during the Cold War

Mass Media continued• Political broadcasts– 1952: TV’s broadcast Republican

and Democratic Conventions live from Philadelphia

– 1952: Earliest campaign commercials support Dwight D. Eisenhower in Presidential Election• His opponent did not want to appear on

TV because he felt it was demeaning for a man that would be President

The NBC Peacock boasted their “living color” before each broadcasted show.

• All broadcasts were made in black and white, until 1954, when NBC broadcast the first color program– This began the rush for television

manufacturers to create compatible TV sets that could receive the new waves.

– Color sets were still a luxury for average Americans until around 1960

• In 1959, a remote control was first used to navigate the television

Appearance

Game shows like “What’s My Line?” became very popular because they included the average

American.

Look at which famous American is featured during this episode!

Types of Programs• Sitcoms– Usually revolved around families that are

faced with unusual or humorous challenges• Popular sitcoms include I Love Lucy and All in

the Family

• Soap Operas– Many had been on radio for years, but

transferred to the television• Examples of soap operas include Guiding Light,

and As the World Turns– Guiding Light aired its final episode on September

18, 2009 after 72 years of coverage between radio and TV!

Types of Programs C’ntd

• Children’s Programming– Puppet shows, comedies, educational shows

• Examples include The Lone Ranger and Howdy Doody

• News Shows– Up-to-date information concerning the

country and world could be had within minutes• Examples include See it Now and You are There

– See it Now was originally a radio broadcast called Hear it Now

– Some universities established their own programs to share news and to advertise their school

This scene from The Little Shop of Horrors gives an example of a

“suburbia” lifestyle

Effect of TV on American

Life• Defined social norms – Suburbia

• Generic term for suburbs that are ideal and often unreasonable

• The word “suburbia” comes from “suburb” and “utopia”

• Stepford Wives is a modern example of a suburbia

– This video showed young adults how to plan a good party. Many shows and videos like this one were aired during the 1950’s

Effects of Television

• Brought rural America into the loop

– TV signals started to reach farther than before

• Also lead to larger variety of channels received

– Rural Americans could become more involved in the country

Works Cited• "1950s." Laapush.org. Web. 18 Feb. 2010.

<http://www.laapush.org/1950s.htm>.• Bradley, Becky. "American History - 1950-1959." Lone Star College-

Kingwood Library Home Page. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade50.html>.

• "CHILDREN AND TELEVISION -." The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=childrenand>.

• "The Color Television Revolution." King of the Road. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. <http://www.ev1.pair.com/colorTV/>.

• "Television during the 1950s and 60s." The Wessels Living History Farm, the Story of Agricultural Innovation. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe50s/life_17.html>.

• "Television in the 1950s." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/television-in-the-1950s.html>.

• "Television's Effect on Education - 1950's Education." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <http://www.enotes.com/1950-education-american-decades/televisions-effect- education>.

• "WikiAnswers - Chief purpose of mass media during the 1950's." WikiAnswers - The Q&A wiki. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Chief_purpose_of_mass_media_during_the_1950's>.