Prime-Time Television: A Concise History

Television is a unique medium in that both its dramas and its comedies have the ability to tell their stories over real time, with characters developing over years rather than just the two hours allowed in a movie or the few hundred pages of a book. Despite this, very few authors have attempted to look at television from this vantage point. Prime-Time Television provides an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of television. The focus here is on programming: the shows, the producers, the genres, the trends, and the influences. Everyone interested in the questions of why the programs look the way they do, why they're scheduled as they are, why some shows air while others are cancelled, and what has shaped and influenced the shows we see, will want this book.

The chapters are organized chronologically, beginning with an examination of radio's influence on early television, and cover all major developments—technological, aesthetic, and to some extent cultural—in the medium. Concise sidebars cover more concise topics, such as the quiz show scandals, and the introduction of the three-camera filmed sitcom with I Love Lucy, a model that has remained the standard for over 50 years.

Television is a unique medium in that both its dramas and its comedies have the ability to tell their stories over real time, with characters developing over years rather than just the two hours allowed in a movie or the few hundred pages of a book. Despite this, very few authors have attempted to look at television from this vantage point. Prime-Time Television provides an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of television. The focus here is on programming: the shows, the producers, the genres, the trends, and the influences. Everyone interested in the questions of why the programs look the way they do, why they're scheduled as they are, why some shows air while others are cancelled, and what has shaped and influenced the shows we see, will want this book.

The chapters are organized chronologically, beginning with an examination of radio's influence on early television, and cover all major developments—technological, aesthetic, and to some extent cultural—in the medium. Concise sidebars cover more concise topics, such as the quiz show scandals, and the introduction of the three-camera filmed sitcom with I Love Lucy, a model that has remained the standard for over 50 years.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-The title is something of a misnomer. Although the book is concise, it's not about prime-time television programming but rather about the regulation of the air waves, communications technology, and networks and their affiliates. The authors cover not only the history of TV, but also that of radio, showing how the FCC and the affiliate and sponsorship systems set up for radio evolved into the basis for television's business configuration today. There are a number of thought-provoking points, such as an explanation of why wrestling and roller derby were such popular staples early on and how "to true fans of radio, the visual element of television was a limitation" rather than an enhancement. When discussing pioneering programs, the authors partner them with modern shows to illustrate points. Sidebars with plot summaries describe specific episodes, and black-and-white photos provide useful images to enhance program descriptions. Well written and clearly and intelligently laid out, this book's greatest strength for high-school researchers is the historically grounded contrasting of radio with television for students unaware of the great similarities between the two. This work best serves those concerned with the macro-level of broadcast entertainment, rather than the micro-level of details about specific programs.-Dana Cobern-Kullman, Luther Burbank Middle School, Burbank, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

BARBARA MOORE is Professor in the College of Communiacations, University of Tennessee. She co-authored the textbook Radio, TV, and Cable Programming (Iowa State University Press, 1994)

MARVIN R. BENSMAN is Professor at the University of Memphis, a member of the board of the Broadcast Education Association, and the author of The Beginning of Broadcast Regulation in the 20th Century (MacFarland, 2000).

JIM VAN DYKE teaches at Marian College in Milwaukee, and has published television criticism in various journals.