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Television's Impact on Society Essay examples

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Television's Impact on Society

Although television is perceived as one of the greatest scientific inventions of the 20th century and is watched enormously by the American public, it is often criticized as the root of intellectual destruction for children. Television has been praised throughout history for its ability to transmit visual images with accompanying sound to entertain, educate, and to provide a sense of truth. Through the miracle of television the public has witnessed extraordinary historical events in an approach that no other form of communication has ever been able to duplicate. It has brought the man landing on the moon, the Kennedy assassination, and the Vietnam War into the living room, as if the …show more content…

Television consists of two fundamentals ? video and audio. Video is derived from the Latin word ?I see? and audio is derived from the Latin word ?I hear.? (History of Television, 2002:1).

The birth of television occurred and the invention was subject to many modifications. American culture would be altered for an eternity and would continue to revolutionize society with the escalation of television. Peter Goldmark of CBS would improve television technology by employing a three-filter system to enable color television. In 1953, color broadcasting commenced. In today?s society, approximately every household ? 98 percent of all US homes ? have at least one television set. Television has a tremendous impact on today?s society and culture, as there are hundreds of broadcast, cable and satellite television channels transmitting enormous hours of programming to audiences all over the globe. (Inventing Television, 2002: 1-2).

The Communications Act of 1934 assembled in a time, when the government controlled television airwaves, and it specifies that commercial television stations ?operate in the public interest, convenience, and necessity.? To impose this act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to take on the responsibility. RCA?S National Broadcasting Company (NBC) started ordinary

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