Television In The Antenna Age

Television in the Antenna Age is a brief, accessible, and engaging overview of the medium’s history and development in the US. Integrating three major concerns—television as an industry, a technology, and an art—the book is a basic primer on the complex, fascinating, and often overlooked story of television and its impact on American life.

• Covers the entire history of American television, from its urban, middle-class beginnings in the late 40s, to the contemporary impact of new technologies and consolidated corporate.
• Includes interview segments with industry insiders, pictures, and sidebars to illustrate important figures, trends, and events

Marc and Thompson, both affiliated with the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, offer an accessible overview of television's history and development in the US. Integrating perspectives on television as technology, industry, and art, they introduce the often overlooked story of the impact of television on American life, and end with reflections on the effects of competing technologies, the consolidation of media ownership, and the emerging aesthetics of 21st-century programming. B&w photos, sidebars, and profiles of key figures are included. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

David Marc is a writer and editor who teaches at Syracuse University and Le Moyne College. He is the author of Demographic Vistas (1984; 1996), Comic Visions (1989; Blackwell, 1997) and Bonfire of the Humanities (1995).

Robert J. Thompson is a Professor at Syracuse University, where he heads the Center for the Study of Popular Television at the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. His books include Adventures on Prime Time (1990) and Television’s Second Golden Age (1996).