Advantages Of TV
Often called the “idiot box” or the “boob tube” because of the amount of trivial programming believed to be shown, many people tend to overlook the advantages of TV in their lives. Many of the world’s greatest moments have been captured by television cameras to be shared with the rest of the population.
Television could be considered to be a baby boomer, as its emergence occurred during the same period as the birth of these members of the population. In its infancy, the television was relatively inexpensive, ranging from $100 to $350.00. Of course, there was little to view on the box in those early years, as broadcasts were limited to two hours in the afternoon followed by an hour or so in the evening. It was a trendy fad in the beginning; certainly not the mainstay in homes as it is considered to be nowadays. The novelty of the television quickly grew to gain a solid popularity following, however, with television shows such as “Howdy Doody”, the “Kraft Television Theatre” and “Meet the Press” gaining a fan following among the early viewers. As time went on and the television proved that it was more than just a fad, many important radio personalities showed their faces for the first time on the home front as they left the voice media for television.
As more and more homes acquired televisions, the service was quickly recognized as a means of getting information out to large numbers of people at one time. Manufacturers saw a wonderful means of demonstrating their products to the public; Westinghouse was one of the first to capitalize on this as they used a well known personality to hawk their appliances on television. A feature that was deemed as highly important, however, was the ability to get valuable world news to the population. Some of the biggest events were captured live and replayed over and over again as the anxious and curious viewers soaked in quick updates of the news as it occurred. Most notable events that caught the world’s attention were the “I have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King, the first step and walk on the moon by Neil Armstrong, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the killing of John F. Kennedy’s assassin and numerous natural disasters that devastated homes and lives.
The diverse offerings of television programming are among the biggest advantages of TV to viewers. Programs that broadcast news events, shows that are designed purely for entertainment and educational telecasts featuring animals, geographical locations and history can be found on a variety of channel selections at just about any hour of the day. The recent popularity of television “reality” shows offers the average individual the opportunity to become part of a program through some talent like singing, cooking or even by the desire to lose weight; thereby enjoying their fifteen minutes of fame. An abundance of children’s programming serves as a type of babysitter for busy or exhausted parents, and can actually teach the kids fundamentals such as colors, shapes, alphabet letters and numbers.
When a cause such as world hunger, poverty, or the devastation of an area due to a natural disaster is being sponsored by an individual or an organization, one of the best ways to raise money and needed items is to publicize the cause. With the ability to reach millions of people in a single message, television provides the perfect medium to broadcast the need to the public and the method for contributing to it. This type of publicity is of great advantage to the people who are receiving the aid.
Though there may be a good deal of mindless entertainment, there are also many advantages of TV that help to keep people educated and informed of the events occurring in the world around us.