Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound to screens, primarily to broadcast entertainment, news, and educational programs.
The term also refers to the device that receives and displays these signals.
The word television first appeared in 1907 to describe a theoretical system for transmitting moving images over distance, combining the Greek prefix tele- (far) with the Latin vision (seeing). Early terms, such as telephote (1880) and televista (1904) were proposed, but they never caught on. Abbreviations include TV, which has been in use since 1948 and popularized in broadcast station call signs. Tee-vee is a phonetic slang form from 1949. Slang terms and colloquialisms used for television include the tube, the box, idiot box, gogglebox (UK), small screen, telly (UK/Australia), and the boob tube (US).
Experiments in image transmission via telegraph and telephone lines began in the late 19th century. In the 1920s and 1930s, early mechanical systems gave way to fully electronic television, pioneered by inventors such as John Logie Baird (UK) and Philo Farnsworth (US). The BBC launched the first regular high-definition public TV service in 1936. Following World War II, the mass production of sets and the improvement of broadcast infrastructure led to rapid adoption in the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond.
From the initial bulky cabinets to today's ultra-thin panels, television hardware has undergone a technological revolution. CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) dominated until the early 2000s. Plasma became popular for large screens in the 2000s, but is now discontinued. LCD/LED is the energy-efficient, flat-panel standard of the 2010s, although OLED provides superior contrast and color, and is increasingly becoming mainstream. Emerging technologies include MicroLED and rollable displays.
Resolution milestones include SDTV (480i/576i), HDTV (720p, 1080i, 1080p), UHD/4K (2160p), and 8K (4320p).
Television content spans a wide range of programming genres, including news and current affairs, drama and soap operas, comedy and sitcoms, reality TV, sports, children's programming, and documentaries.
Television has played a dual role in reflecting society's values while also shaping them.
From the first televised political debate (Kennedy-Nixon, 1960) to live coverage of wars, protests, and elections, television has influenced how people perceive leaders, issues, and events. The visual immediacy of TV often makes it more emotionally persuasive than print or radio media.
Television has helped us to share significant cultural moments, from the moon landing in 1969 to global sporting events like the Olympics, these moments become a part of a shared social memory, often tied to where people were when they watched them.
Imported shows and formats have introduced audiences to other cultures, lifestyles, and languages. Conversely, local adaptations of global formats (Got Talent, Big Brother) blend international concepts with national identity.
Television has also been a platform for increasing the visibility of marginalized groups, challenging stereotypes, and sparking conversations about race, gender, sexuality, and disability. Landmark shows, such as All in the Family, have pushed boundaries and influenced public attitudes.
Television advertising has shaped consumer habits for decades, creating iconic slogans and jingles that many of us still remember fifty years later. It has also been criticized for promoting materialism, unrealistic ideals, and bad habits.
Critics have long warned about the potential of television to encourage passivity, reduce attention spans, or promote sensationalism over substance. This is where the terms idiot box and boob tube gained credence.
Despite the rise of on-demand streaming, certain broadcasts, such as season finales and live sports, still bring people together in living rooms, bars, and online spaces. It can be a social anchor, although it often promotes isolation.
Today's television is as much about how we watch as what we watch. Options include time-shifting (DVRs, on-demand, and binge-watching), second-screen culture (social media interaction during broadcasts), globalization (formats and shows adapted worldwide, and smart TVs (integrated apps, voice control, AI recommendations).
TV trivia includes the following: the first TV remote control, known as the Lazy Bones, debuted in 1950; in 2013, 79% of the world's households owned a TV; and the term TV dinner was a marketing invention that began in 1954, and tied to the idea of eating while watching TV.
As a matter of personal trivia, I am 74 years old. Growing up in a rural area, we didn't have a TV until I started high school.
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Recommended Resources
America's Public Television Stations
APTS is the national association representing local public television stations across the United States. The organization advocates for federal funding, regulatory policies, and technological innovations that enable public broadcasters to serve their communities in areas such as education, public safety, and civic engagement. Public television stations under APTS are dedicated to lifelong learning initiatives and educational programming for viewers of all ages.
https://apts.org/
Hosted by TitanTV, AntennaWeb is a free online tool that helps viewers discover which over-the-air television stations they can receive at their specific location. By entering an address, the platform predicts the signal strength, lists all available channels, and recommends the type and orientation of antenna needed to pick them up. Features include signal prediction, station listings, antenna recommendations, NEXTGEN TV insights, and free TV listings. Viewing options are discussed.
https://www.antennaweb.org/
BroadStream delivers end-to-end broadcast software. Its flagship OASYS platform integrates file preparation, scheduling, graphics, playout, captioning, subtitling, recording, and switching into a single IT-server solution, empowering broadcasters to streamline workflows, reduce manpower, and elevate on-air presentation quality. It simplifies operations by integrating automation, scheduling, graphics insertion, recording, and live switching into a single software environment.
https://broadstream.com/
Created by the City of Chicago in 1983 to maximize the involvement of city residents and groups in cable TV, CAN TV offers over 140 hours of original, hyper-local programming each week, along with coverage of events relevant to the local community, giving every Chicoagoan a voice on cable television by providing video training, facilities, equipment, and channel time for Chicago residents and non-profit groups. Through five local channels, it reaches more than a million viewers in Chicago.
https://cantv.org/
The DGA is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merged with the Radio and Television Directors Guild in 1960 to take its current role and name. The DGA hosts the annual DGA Awards, a precursor to the Academy Awards. Information on becoming a signatory, qualification lists, and a signatory confirmation database are featured.
https://www.dga.org/
DIRECTV is a pay-TV service offering both satellite and streaming live television, on-demand content, and premium add-ons for sports, movies, and others. The service offers four packages (Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate, and Premier), which are compared side by side. Its channel lineup, a live channel guide, Spanish packages, and other options are featured, along with premium add-ons, sports packages, technology, customer support, and on-demand library are discussed.
https://www.directv.com/
Located in Hilliard, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, the Early Television Museum has over 150 TV sets including televisions from the 1920s and 1930s, pre-World War II British sets from 1936 to 1939, pre-war sets from 1939 to 1941, post-war American, British, French, and German sets from 1945 to 1960, and early color sets from 1953 to 1957, including an RCA Victor CT-100, many of these sets in working order. Directions, memberships, and schedules are posted on the site.
https://www.earlytelevision.org/
The Free TV Project allows viewers to watch dozens of high-quality channels and hundreds of shows for free simply by using an over-the-air antenna, with no subscriptions or hidden fees; plug in an antenna and unlock local news, live sports, network comedies, and more in crisp HD. The benefits include no monthly fees, contracts, subscriptions, or recurring charges, as well as fast and HD quality, as modern broadcast technology delivers a crisp, reliable signal right.
https://www.thefreetvproject.org/
Situated in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the MZTV Museum of Television is dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of television. It features the world's largest collection of vintage televisions, covering the period from the 1920s to the 1980s, including iconic sets from famous personalities like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. The museum offers large exhibits, including the rarest television in the world, the RCA Phanton Teleceiver, and tributes to television pioneers.
https://mztv.com/
Created in 2014 by eBroadcast, the makers of the Australian TV Guide, the television listings and video aggregator media company and website is a platform that collates content from multiple broadcast channels, cable TV channels, and video streaming providers, allowing users to search and browse the content from a single interface. The platform provides local content for users in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, and Australia. Mobile apps are available.
https://www.ontvtonight.com/
Parents Television and Media Council
Formed by conservative political pundit L. Brent Bozell III as the Parents Television Council in 1995, the PTMC is an Amerian media advocacy group that advocates for what it considers to be responsible, family-friendly content across all media platforms, and for advertisers to be held accontable for the content of television programs they sponsor. The PTMC produces reviews, research, and online newsletters that highlight TV programs and other entertainment products.
https://www.parentstv.org/
The Royal Television Society (RTS) is one of the oldest television societies in the world and was established for the discussion, preservation and debate on all aspects of the television community. The website provides the latest news in the television industry and information on RTS' activities that includes discussion boards, regular events, dinners and awards. The website also provides resources including RTS archives, the Television magazine, research and annual reports.
https://rts.org.uk/
Officially known as the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy is a professional organization committed to fostering excellence in the television industry through recognition, education, and innovation. The Academy organizes the Emmy Awards, including the Primetime, Creative Arts, and Engineering, Science & Technology ceremonies. It provides professional development and networking opportunities for members through events, internships, and spotlights.
https://www.televisionacademy.com/
Television Bureau of Advertising
Founded in 1954, TVB is a private, not-for-profit trade association for the commercial local broadcast television industry in the United States. Its members include U.S. television stations, broadcast ownership groups, and sales representative companies, syndicators and associate members. The organization advocates for advertising on local broadcast televison and all of its assets, including on-air, online, mobile, and streaming. Events and videos are included.
https://www.tvb.org/
Maintained by Kaleidoscope, Britain's longest-established television heritage organization, established in 1987. In 1992, Kaleidoscope began publishing books about the history of television in the United Kingdom. These books include complete archive holdings for thousands of UK series, and the sum of this knowledge is contained on its website, which purports to contain information more accurate than IMDb or Wikipedia. It is a searchable history of UK TV dating back to 1936.
https://www.tvbrain.info/
