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Television

Television-----the most pervasive and persuasive of modern technologies marked by rapid change and growth-is moving into a new era an era of extraordinary sophistication and versatility which promises to reshape our lives and our world. It is an electronic revolution of sorts made possible by the marriage of television and computer technologies.

The word "television" derived from its Greek (tele: distant) and Latin (visio: sight) roots can literally be interpreted as sight from a distance. Very simply put it works in this way: through a sophisticated system of electronics television provides the capability of converting an image (focused on a special photoconductive plate within a camera) into electronic impulses which can be sent through a wire or cable. These impulses when fed into a receiver (television set) can then be electronically reconstituted into that same image.

Television is more than just an electronic system however. It is a means of expression as well as a vehicle for communication and as such becomes a powerful tool for reaching other human beings.

The field of television can be divided into two categories determined by its means of transmission. First there is broadcast television which reaches the masses through broad-based airwave transmission of television signals. Second there is nonbroadcast television which provides for the needs of individuals or specific interest groups through controlled transmission techniques.

Traditionally television has been a medium of the masses. We are most familiar with broadcast television because it has been with us for about thirty-seven years in a form similar to what exists today. During those years it has been controlled for the most part by the broadcast networks ABC NBC and CBS who have been the major purveyors of news information and entertainment. These giants of broadcasting have actually shaped not only television but our perception of it as well. We have come to look upon the picture tube as a source of entertainment placing our role in this dynamic medium as the passive viewer