The Columbia Broadcasting Company or “CBS” in layman’s terms was founded in 1927 as a radio network under the “United Independent Broadcasters” name, which was a radio-broadcasting network. The name was changed to CBS in 1928, which was the same year that William S. Paley, the son of a cigar making tycoon, took over control of CBS with his fathers financial support. Paley took over CBS for $400,000 and inherited a network that consisted of 22 affiliates and 16 employees. Although he had little technical knowledge of radio, Paley believed he could only attract advertisers if he delivered large audiences. To fulfill this goal, he decided to give CBS programming to local radio stations for free, as long as they agreed to surrender any part of their schedule to advertiser sponsored CBS network shows. In less than a decade, CBS had blossomed to 114 stations from 22 when Paley took over. Another one of Paley’s gifts was his ability to recognize talent, he quickly signed mega stars such as Bing Crosby, Kate Smith and Morton Downey. But such was the case in those days, those stars were quickly lured away by highly popular rival NBC for more money.
However, all was not lost for the young Paley. What he lost in stars he got back in news coverage. Don’t forget I’m still talking radio here. Paley hired Edward Klauber, a former New York Times editor and Paul White who was a former United Press reporter, they began to build a solid news division at CBS. “CBS News” really didn’t come together until Klauber hired some guy you probably never heard of by the name of Edward Murrow. Klauber assigned Murrow to London as director of the European talks. In March of 1937, before the start of the Great War, Murrow teamed with William Shirer to report on “Anschluss”. These reports formed the foundation for what would become “The CBS World News Roundup” which, during World War II Murrow assembled a great team of reporters commonly referred to as “Murrow’s Boys” who consisted of Eric Sevareid, Charles Collingwood, Howard Smith, Winston Burdett, Richard Hottelet and Larry LeSueur. Murrow would end up reporting on and airing one of the greatest accounts of his experiences and descriptions of touring the Nazi concentration camps, which we heard in class.
Meanwhile back in the states, by the time that the war had ended, television was starting to get important as the networks looked toward the future and they were eager to get all the stars and ratings they could get their hands on.
The film, “Murrow vs. McCarthy” had introduced the development of news media and at the same time, in-depth telling the social political, economic and cultural changes in United States during the cold war. After World War II, the shadow of the war have not disappeared, the cold war atmosphere shrouded in the American’s minds. The United States was not only afraid of Soviet attack, but that dissidents will penetrate into the government to overthrow the current rule. The film had showed the conflict between television journalist Edward Murrow and the United States senator in the states of Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy.
Television networks used these types of shows to protect themselves from any accusations that they were sending out “Communist messages”, but these shows subsequently influenced a generation into a new way of thinking and living. Families moved in rapid numbers to suburbia and wanted to be just like the Cleavers or the Andersons. The American public would never be the same, always reflecting on the perfection played out nightly on television and setting their goals to reach that level of traditionalism. The Hollywood Blacklisting that followed the Red Scare of the 1950’s forced the media to change in order to survive the scrutinizing committees of the HUAC and various congressional committees that pushed for the social “purging” of America in hopes of searching out the “Reds” which they believed were hiding among them. This change in media came at a time when the public had become extremely receptive to such influences due to the spread of the television and the growth of the middle class who had extra money to spend on luxuries such as going to the movie theatres.
Shapiro, Robert Moses. Why Didn’t the Press Shout?: American & International Journalism during the Holocaust. Hoboken, NJ: Yeshiva Univ. in Association with KTAV Pub. House, 2003. Print.
The radio has had a huge impact on bringing information to the public about war and other government issues. Advertising and broadcasting on the airwaves was a major step in bringing war propaganda to a level where people could be easily touched nationally. Broadcasting around the clock was being offered everywhere. Before there was television people relied on the radio as a way to be entertained, the means of finding out what was going on in the world, and much more. During the World War II time period, 90 percent of American families owned a radio, and it was a part of daily life. So it was an obvious means of spreading war propaganda. During this time period, propaganda was spread throughout the radio by means of news programs, public affairs broadcasts, as well as through Hollywood and the mainstream. The average person had not even graduated high school at the time, and the average reading level of the American was somewhat low. The radio made it possible for stories and news to be delivered to everyone in plain simple English. The radio served as a medium that provided a sense of national community. Although it took time, the radio eventually rallied people together to back up the American war effort.
ABC Family was launched in 1977 by a televangelist named Pat Robertson’s as a Christian Broadcasting Network(CBN) focused mostly on religious programming, until 1981 when it was changed to CBN Cable Network and instead began to include a mix of recent and classic family oriented films and series while also keeping few religious programs. At this time ABC Family already reached one million homes. It was not until 7 years later in 1988 that the word “family” was actually included in the channel’s name and became known as The CBN Family Channel. Soon the network gained significant popularity and profit thus it was spun off to a new company, International Family Entertainment Inc., to keep CBN’s non profit status safe. By 1990 it was called the Family Channel. Then in 1998 it was renamed to Fox Family Channel, until 2001 when Disney bought and rebranded ABC Family. In 2006, a new slogan was developed under ABC Family: A New Kind of Family It became the American basic cable and satellite television channel owned by a division of Disney-ABC Television part of Walt Disney Company, that we know today as simply “ABC Family”.
In “Wires and Lights in a Box,” the author, Edward R. Murrow, is delivering a speech on October 15, 1958, to attendees of the Radio-Television News Directors Association. In his speech, Murrow addresses how it is his desire and duty to tell his audience what is happening to radio and television. Murrow talks about how television insulates people from the realities in the world, how the television industry is focused on profits rather than delivering the news to the public, and how television and radio can teach, illuminate, and inspire.
Before the Second World War began Hollywood’s purpose lied within entertainment for the American people. After the war started, the main focus shifted to wartime propaganda. Film was used to display the war in a way that did not show its true colors—including the censorship of soldier causalities and other negative connotations that are a simple fact of war. There was even a time in which some actors became better known to America than politians. Through films, Hollywood began to make a statement of their anti-Nazi beliefs. They began to make motion pictures for American recruitment into the Army as well as many that supported the war effort, and intended to make other Americans more aware of the war’s effect on the United States, and how people can get involved. Many European countries banned these Hollywood films, as they began to affect not only America but many other countries that were involved in the war as well.
Today two of the top broadcasting companies are Clear Channel Communications, Inc. and Infinity Broadcasting Company. Clear Channel’s history begins in 1972 with the birth of the San Antonio Broadcasting Company. Three years later, the first “Clear Channel” radio station, WOAI-AM, was acquired – it had its own nationwide frequency. In the late 1980s, the Company entered the television business and acquired half a dozen television stations. In 1994 it became listed as Clear Channel Communications, Inc Common Stock and owned 43 radio stations and 16 television stations in 32 markets.
The radio grew in popularity and was as successful as it was because it was able to reach all across the nation, helped the American people interpret the Great Depression, and was a universal place of communication and entertainment. Although the first radio-wave theorem was developed in 1864 by James Clerk Maxwell, it was not until the 1920s and 1930s that the device really gained popularity in the U.S. During the Great Depression, families, advertisers, and even politicians used the radio for purposes such as entertainment, news, and a forum to the American people.1
With improvements to broadcasting technologies and greater access by more families, television was now in more homes in the 1960’s, bringing news, advertising, and family comedy shows to the nation. Moreover, the influence on social aspects of people’s live was apparent when it came to depicting women and their gender roles through acting. Consequently, television played another role regarding social dynamics thus, showing the realities of civil rights and the horrors of war. Additionally, television brought the political candidates to the forefront and had a strong influence on the American people’s political ideologies, as the first ever presidential debate aired on television. Finally, television aided the economy by waging advertising campaigns that convinced consumers to purchase their products. Coupled with consumer’s extra income contributing to a strong economy, despite the slightly high unemployment rates. As can be seen, television played a key role in the social, political, and economic culture in the 1950’s and
Up until 1935, televisions were not electric as they are today. They were mechanical, powered by a small motor with a spinning disc and a neon lamp. The picture projected was very small, sometimes half the size of a business card, and only showed shades of orange and red. From 1935 up until World War II, the electric television was perfected and made ready for public distribution. The electric television provided a much larger, clearer screen with a full range of colors. In 1948-1949, during the post-WWII spending craze, the television became a must-have item for every American family, bringing a world of information and entertainment into living rooms across the country and changing the way Americans viewed many things.
It was in Britain that fears over the "chaos of the ether" led to the
The positive impact can include educational information and knowledge on certain ideas, policies, laws, or even the current events. The negative impact can impair or damage the reputation of a person, or institution or an organization based on impression. Since the impact of the media can be dictated by the content it is aired or published, this was utilized during the cold war to enhance the campaign of socialism or communism and capitalism or democracy. Further, this essay will investigate the effects of media during the Cold War on the use of television, newspapers and radio broadcasts in Russia and America. After the end of World War Two, the cold war began with Russia and America airing several propaganda with the use of the three different media such as radio, newspaper and television.
During the Vietnam War, a rift between government officials and journalists emerged. The American government felt the need, for various reasons, to censor many war developments. In an attempt to act ethically, the press fought the censors, trying their hardest to report the truth to the general public. Despite claims of bias and distortion by several prominent government officials, these journalists acted completely ethically, allowing the general public to obtain a fair, informed opinion.
Media played a vital role in changing the views of pro-war Americans to anti-war views by giving death counts, setting the stage for the anti-war movement to perform on, and publicizing leaked government information. The Vietnam War was known as the first televised war (“Vietnam Television”). Americans could watch as United States Troops fought, and the nightly news updated Americans on the death count and progress of US Troops in Vietnam (“Vietnam Television”).