After World War II, an explosion of
new technology entered American homes. Among the most revolutionary was the
television, which still has influence today.
Regina remembers her first time
experiencing the television in person was as a young teenager, when a delivery
truck from a department store pulled into her driveway one morning. "We
had no clue what it could have been," she says. To the surprise of her and
her family, it was a brand new television set, a gift from her father. As they
went to set it up, “we spent the whole afternoon gathered in the living
room, just sitting there excited,” she says. “Getting a TV was really a big
event.”
Among the differences between TV now
and then, she remembers for a time only receiving one channel, CBS. She also
mentions that “there was no remote control” and “the dials were under the
screen.” As for the effect of the new TV set on her family, it was engaging
like the radio; however TV was different: “the pictures were right there in
front of you,” she says. “When our shows were on, everyone in our house was
watching.” Some shows she watched regularly were I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, and
Leave it to Beaver. She preferred shows that were funny, or had romantic
elements. “TVs are so big nowadays!” she adds. Color TV and the invention of
cable are two milestones that enhanced the TV experience by offering a variety
of entertainment to more audiences in visually appealing color. She remembers cable bringing about some of her
favorite channels like TV Land and Lifetime, marketing to specific viewers and playing
reruns. She says that today,
there are more channels that air programming all the time meaning you don’t have
to wait for something to come on.
Another difference in television then
were the commercials. “The advertisements had more jingles that you could
remember,” she says. “You don’t hear much anymore.” Advertisements also
featured television stars that endorsed products—Andy Griffith for Corn Flakes
and mascots like the Alka-Seltzer man were big sellers for audiences.
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