History of Electronic Media: From Network to Digital Television

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Description

This course provides an historical overview of the U.S. television system, from the 1950s to the present and ongoing convergence with digital technology. We will examine network-dominated broadcasting during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, as well as the proliferation of cable, satellite, and digital television services during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. We will also discuss the multiple, shifting relations between the programming, producers/distributors, sponsors, government regulations, technologies, audiences, social contexts, and cultural ideologies in the television industry. We will look at how television has evolved as a culture industry from commercial broadcasting through digital distribution. The goal of this course is to help students develop a critical and historical framework for understanding television as an industry, a cultural art form, and an evolving social practice.