history of TV in Denver

Broadcast TV in Denver began around the 1950’s with Channel 7 and Channel 4. One of the first broadcasts ever made was the recording of a court room and the very popular late night show “The Dick Lewis Late Show”. The Channel 7 also won an award when it first started that gave it 8 of the top 10 syndicated shows. Next, during the 1960’s, Fred and Fea, became two of the most popular children TV personalities, and had several time slots throughout the week. These two were on the air for 15 years and retired in 1977. Some other historic events in the 60’s, was the first satellite TV broadcast in 1962 and shortly after that, one of the first world wide satellite Tv interviews.The interview featured President Dwight Eisenhower in the Channel 7 studio, linked by satellite to Winston Churchill in England. There have also been several celebrities who have visited the Channel 7 studio in Denver throughout its existence. Some of them include, Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Otto Preminger, Raymond Burr, Johnny Miller and Jackie Gleason. They have also won several awards throughout the years and are a very well honored television station.

TV in the Net Age

I really enjoyed this article mainly because it focused on the dynamics of the certain different TV watching habits of different age groups and genders. I found it really interesting that there are actually certain types of TV watchers depending on the shows they watch, the times of day they watch and their style of watching. I found myself relating to this article a a lot because it used American Idol as the main focus. When I was in high school my sister, mom and I used to watch American Idol religiously every week. When the article explained the different roles that each family member usually has when watching this show, I thought it was very accurate. Myself, being the youngest, would always be the first to turn it on and call the rest of the family to the room. My sister would always be the one coming in and out of the room not paying as much attention, and like the book said, my mom was always the one voting in the end. This not only brought us together every week but it was something we could all relate to, discuss, and was an outlet in our lives that we were all very familiar with.

I also liked this article because it explained how television combines all different types of media outlets together. With the example of American Idol again, they use the TV show as a form of advertisement by using product placement. And also it is a way of attracting people to the net by drawing their attention into the contestants and leaving them wanting to know more. I think this is very true because I have defiantly found myself watching reality TV and immediately after the episode going on the internet and looking for more information about contestants or more information about the show. They also use these contestants on news channels or talk shows which attracts these same demographics of people to a wide variety of television. I think these strategies of TV is what attracts so many people to this diverse area of media.

Making room for TV

I found this article to be very interesting mainly because of its focus on bringing families together after a time of war. I think that TV’s in the present day are a commodity that some may find as distracting. But when they were first invented it was a way to bring families in the same room and share time together. I also liked how the article mentioned that the television brought the world back to a time of domestic love and affection. Many people were experiencing post traumatic stress disorder and the TV was an effective way of making people happy and allowing them to forget the war and move on. Advertisements were also something that boomed at this time. They were another form of entertainment, which today people may find commercials rather annoying. The commercials were another form of expression and another form of togetherness. The TV was a source of entertainment that today people may not value. I think that we are so used to televisions now that families find other ways of being together. I don’t think its the first thing people think of as a family event. In many current house holds a lot of people have several TV’s or even have a TV in every room of their house. In this way the TV is something that people watch on their or when they want to be alone. It was interesting to me to read that people used to have debates on the perfect place to put their TV and what room would bring people together the best. I think that these types of problems are something that we aren’t familiar with any more and the traditional aspects of the television have been lost. Now with the advancements in technology and the internet, some homes don’t even use TVs any more and only use their computers to to watch their favorite shows or movies. Although TVs are still a very common device in many households, the idea behind the TV has greatly changed since its invention.

The Invention of Printing

To some when they think of art they think of pictures or paintings, but this article brings about a very interesting idea, that books and text is also a type of art. Before the printing press was invented, different texts were seen as different forms of expression. Authors were able to express their creativity through their handwriting. Each written document could be seen in very different light depending on the reader. But now books, magazines, and other types of documents have a universal way of expression. The invention of the printing press was ultimately a new type of art. It came before other types of machines that have simplified our everyday life.

I also really liked the point that the author made about “conveying the meaning of the writer to the reader with the least intrusion of his own personality”. I feel as though this goes back to the point of universality, and that fact that the invention of printing made society see writing in a more linear fashion. I think the whole point of books and text is to convey the message of the story through words rather than doing this visually. This is where the art of writing comes into play. A good author should be able to use descriptions and vocabulary that paint a picture in the readers mind, without actually using images.

The other point that I found to be very interesting is that while some may think that the invention of printing completely eliminated any form of personality and uniqueness, it actually opened the doors for creativity in a way. The whole system of printing has completely evolved since its creation and the ways that people can express themselves through text and computers is very fascinating. Now we are able to choose different fonts, colors, and styles of typing which still allows for creativity and expression. I think that writing is a form of art that is very distinct from other types of art. Each piece is unique, special, and conveys a message that comes directly from its author. The printing press not only expanded the world of books and writing, but allowed for easier and greater access to writing.

assignment #4

I feel as though James Burke and Robert Ornstein brought about many different theories about the way societies are organized today. They explained how the majority of systems that we use today such as time, the church, and astronomy are ultimately controlled and devised by some type of out side source, which does not always work. For example in the eleventh century the western society was greatly controlled by the church whereas every town had a church. But it was the confession, which took extreme control of all humans and what they were allowed to do. I think in this sense information systems can negatively affect the power in a society. The idea of the confessional is controlled by one group of people yet can result in punishment for acting out against society. Another example is the control system of clocks. This system arose from the monasteries in Northern Europe and was meant to control the times of day set aside for prayer. They used water clocks and candles as a way to control the prayer times, but what happens when they don’t function correctly? Society is completely off set and the system of control does not serve the right purpose. But these malfunctions are not always a bad thing because they usually lead to change. This happened in this case, where these malfunctions led to the creation of the clocks we use today. This is an example how control of a society can lead to organization and can be a good thing. In the end, our society would not be a well functioning place without time and clocks. In this sense information systems are not trying to control peoples lives, but rather allow society to be an organized and successful environment.

I think that this reading is related to my major because like most things in the world, they are always changing and evolving. Especially in the field of media and technology, every day there are changes. Like the authors said in the reading, one thing always leads to another so change is usually a good thing, and the world of communication and media is constantly changing.