The Columbia History of American Television

Television is a form of media without equal. It has revolutionized theway we learn about and communicate with the world and has reinvented the way weexperience ourselves and others. More than just cheap entertainment, TV is anundeniable component of our culture and contains many clues to who we are, what wevalue, and where we might be headed in the future.Mediahistorian Gary R. Edgerton follows the technological developments and increasingcultural relevance of TV from its prehistory (before 1947) to the Network Era(1948-1975) and the Cable Era (1976-1994). He begins with the laying of the firsttelegraph line in 1844, which gave rise to the idea that images and sounds could betransmitted over long distances. He then considers the remodeling of television'slook and purpose during World War II; the gender, racial, and ethnic components ofits early broadcasts and audiences; its transformation of postwar America; and itsfunction in the political life of the country. He talks of the birth of prime timeand cable, the influence of innovators like Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, Roone Arledge,and Ted Turner, as well as television's entrance into the international market,describing the ascent of such programs as Dallas andThe Cosby Show, and the impact these exports have had ontransmitting American culture abroad.Edgerton concludes with adiscerning look at our current Digital Era (1995-present) and the new forms ofinstantaneous communication that continue to change America's social, political, andeconomic landscape. Richly researched and engaging, Edgerton's history trackstelevision's growth into a convergent technology, a global industry, a socialcatalyst, a viable art form, and a complex and dynamic reflection of the Americanmind and character. It took only ten years for television to penetrate thirty-fivemillion households, and by 1983, the average home kept their set on for more thanseven hours a day. The Columbia History of American Televisionilluminates our complex relationship with this singular medium and provideshistorical and critical knowledge for understanding TV as a technology, an industry,an art form, and an institutional force.

Gary R. Edgerton is professor and chair of the communication and theater arts department at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and is coeditor of the Journal of Popular Film and Television. In 2004 he received the American Culture Association Governing Board Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Cultural Studies.