Passion Project Reading Log:

Television: An International History by Anthony Smith

Pages 1-133

Quote

Explanation

Political life in democracies and non-democracies alike was

thoroughly altered under the impact of television (Smith pg 1).

What this quote is discussing is how TV has such a huge

impact on the world and that all countries no matter what or
where saw this new medium change the world

The new suburban home as imagined for TV programs had

profound implications for freedom of expression (Smith pg 45).

TV wasnt just another way for people to be entertained, it was

another way for people to entertain and express themselves.
TV has no limits, and it doesnt pick sides. Everyone can have
a place on TV

In the case of broadcasting, it was evident that from the

beginning that a new tool of politics as well as of
entertainment, was being born (Smith pg 62).

TV became something of a brand new invention. This new

medium was and is still continuing to be used for politics and
entertainment.

The founders of the Communist movement had selected

cinema rather than radio as their supreme medium (Smith pg
73)

TV has been a great tool for politics in the Western

Hemisphere, but the East saw it as a propaganda machine that
can leave a social impact on its citizens.

By the mid 1970s 50-60 million receivers had been sold

around the USSR, but they were notorious for poor
manufacturing and the programs were heartily and in fact
openly disliked by many viewers (Smith pg 74).

This is a perfect example of how the West through a the best

parties and the East doesnt. It's because the East has poor
parties with generic snacks and drinks and the West only buys
the name brand snacks and drinks.

Reith established the idea in the mind of government that a

broadcasting institution had to be free of political interference
(Smith pg 83).

I believe Reith felt that because people can never see eye to
eye political, it would start this metaphorical political arms race
over television.

The political culture is changing everywhere as technology

and public attitudes change (Smith pg 91).

TV is a perfect example of how technology not only changes

our lives, but it changes our views on issues to. It's given
everyone the opportunity to let their voices be heard, which
may sway others.

We need to understand the relationship between the different

aesthetics and forms and how they change or affect peoples
view of the world (Smith pg 116).

It's important to understand how the TV has affected everyone

in a certain way. Their social views and political ideologies are
put to the test every time you turn on the TV.

From its earliest days then, television was viewed as a means

of showing the viewer reality as well as entertainment (Smith
pg 120).

What we see on TV is most likely fake. That is true in most

cases, however, the TV serves as more than imagination, it
serves reality. We know because we see reality on the evening
news.

the personality of the anchor seemed to become more

important than the content of the information being
communicated (Smith pg 133).

People stopped caring about the actual news being presented

because of the anchors.

Pages 134-270
In many instances, politicians have gone to great lengths to
seek to control what people see and hear (Smith pg 134).

In many countries, democracies and non-democracies alike,

leaders have always tried to find ways in which they control
people on and off TV

It is nothing new for political parties to seek to manipulate

mass media for their own ends (Smith pg 139).

Mass media has always been a haven for political ideas, it's
the one place where political parties can manipulate the truth.

Then came TV and, the watching of major sporting contests

was no longer the exclusive preserve of those who were
physically and financially able to come in person (Smith pg
148).

When TV came about it changed everything, from news to

politics. However, sports has seen the biggest, their was no
need to go to the game, because now you have the luxury of
watching the game in your own home.

As competition to the BBC evolved, sport became a crucial

weapon in the battle for channel supremacy and survival
(Smith pg 167).

Sports have been utilized so much so that they became crucial

to a channel's views, which is is detrimental to a channels
survival.

Home life has never been the same since the advent of
television (Smith pg 191).

Home life has changed dramatically, it has been a new way in

which families can spend time with each other.

the effect of TV on the habits-and even the personalities-of

children has been the subject of more surveys than any other
aspects of the medium (Smith pg 196).

TV has a huge impact on children. Even in today's time kids

are spending more time at home watching TV than in any other
time in history

The way TV has handled terrorism has been a matter of

repeated controversy (Smith pg 235)

Many people have claimed in the past that TV is a medium that

produces terrorism or influences terrorism. Personally, I don't
believe it does either, the beauty of TV is that it never does
anything intentional, but people use it to intentionally further a
political or social agenda.

For insurgents too, the media are seen as instruments for

fighting a propaganda war (Smith pg 240).

Many believe that mass media adds to the already heavy

presentation of propaganda in many countries just by stating
what is going on or what the stand for.

Such kidnappings of prominent figures, and hostage-taking

more generally, were major focuses of media attention and one
of the key ways in which terrorism first came to be
represented on television (Smith pg 242).

By presenting such media accounts to the public about

kidnappings and hostage takeovers, that was the first way in
which terrorism was shown to the public.

The picture of terrorism offered by television has tended to be

seriously distorted, since the repressive actions of states
against their citizens have been largely invisible (Smith pg
256).

Mass media tends to focus on one story when other stories are
often overlooked or ignored altogether. Terrorism is what the
media focuses on while oppressive states are not presented in
media.

Pages 270-400

The major studios, after years of shunning the Audio-visual

medium that was that stealing their audience and causing
neighborhood theatres to close around the country, began to
see financial salvation in television (Smith pg 270).

I find it interesting how major Hollywood Studios didn't utilize

the practicality of TV. The TV industry make billions of dollars a
year, personally, I would've jumped on the TV bandwagon a
long time ago, had I been born during that time.

Television in Japan from its beginning in 1953 was regarded

primarily as an entertainment medium (Smith pg 298).

Japanese people became heavily influenced by Western

culture after WWII and found TV to be a great medium for
expanding that western influence across their country.

Newspaper business in fact felt both hope and fear about TV

(Smith pg 302).

TV has weeded out many other communication mediums such

as the radio and the Newspapers business. It is sort of what
the Internet is doing today, how it is weeding out TV as a
primary medium for millennials

but it can be safe to assume that a good 2.5 billion people in

the Third World have regular access to television, and this is
the majority of the global viewing public (Smith pg 309).

Television wasn't a luxury that only developed countries have

had the pleasure of enjoying. TV became more of a necessity
over time, everyone needed a TV and everyone had access to
TVs, including those in less developed countries.

By the mid-1970s virtually every country of the Third World

with a population over 10 million had introduced television

like stated above, television became more than just a luxury,

eventually, everyone had a TV. Less developed countries

(Smith pg 312).

especially had access to them.

Viewers in the Third World were less susceptible to

manipulation than some have hoped(Smith pg 316).

Many people thought that the Third World population would be

easily manipulated but that was false.

There were many hopes and many fears attached to the

introduction of television in Third World(Smith pg 323).

Many people in many Third World countries have a more

cultural connection, having the introduction of technology that
is considered western may have had them either hope that it
will developed their countries as well or fear that it would
disrupt the cultural connection.

Historically, geographically and politically, [Africa] is the

epitome of diversity(Smith pg 358).

Africa is a growing continent of diversity, many people of many

races and ethnicities are residing there, making it a hub of
different cultures.

In this regard, each society must decide for itself how it sees
its culture and how television can play a positive role in the
management and promotion of that culture(Smith pg 372).

This is important to know how different cultures can utilize

television to expand its cultural customs as well as not have it
be a disruption to their own culture.

One more generation from now and, despite massive changes

in technology as well as the business involved, we could feel
that nothing has really changed(Smith pg 390).

This is an interesting point because personally, I believe that

technology may change and so will business, one thing is
certain, we as people do not change. We may continue to do
great things but in the end, it all stays the same.