A Quick History of Broadcasting

picture of a telegraph

Up to this point, I have mostly been releasing calmer, less serious, and more fluff articles up on my website. As I delve down into deeper topics of media, entertainment, and technology, simple concepts that I will be presenting in this article will be important in your understanding of my future posts, so listen up! This is your quick history lesson for the day.

So you’ve herd of television, telephones, and telemarketing, right? Telecommunication is the umbrella principle that governs all of these things, and more. Telecommunication is any communication done at a great distance, and by extension, is the communication with the assistance of some sort of technology. In this case, the prefix tele- means at a distance. Early telecommunication (or telecom, if you prefer the shortened term) involved mostly visual and audio signals, such as signal fires, drumbeats, and beacons. In addition, the communication needs to be long distance, and needs to be happening simultaneously with two or more parties. Other early communication systems such as letters and messenger birds do not count as telecoms, because they do not involve the active use of a tool or machine, as well as, not being instant, as both take days to arrive at their destinations. In this case, a signal or drum would count, because a drum is a complex tool and a beacon is a “simple machine”, although these are not as technically advanced as some more modern solutions. On that note, the rapid advances in technology that began in the early information age, or computer age, quickly changed the way we communicate long distance. Today, modern messaging almost always takes place electronically, with the exception of course rural areas, such as mountain ranges, where it is hard to have electronic signals transmitted.
 
The first step taken towards fast transmission was the birth of telegraphy, or transmission of a text or symbolic message without a physical exchange, as in a letter. The electric telegraph, was a big innovation in the field, and allowed the first transatlantic communication. It wasn’t long before wireless telegraphs, such as the one made by Guglielmo Marconi, became all the rage. This tech was soon followed by the first audio messages through the brand new telephone, and later by mass media broadcasting via radio. Later images were added via a specialized screen called a television, and even later, the innovation of the internet would make the previous processes obsolete, or so it would seem.
 
Recently, there has been a notable decline in legacy, or traditional media. When it comes to most modern telecommunication, they also fall under the category of mass media. The three main forms of old media are newspaper, radio, and television. They are revived by new media, which can also be argued that it’s just old media 2.0, as pretty much all new media is just an upgrade to its predecessors. Either way, every time a new form of media has been introduced, the predecessors have almost always suffered anywhere from a slight decline, to being entirely outmoded. We've all heard the song “or maybe just the expression” video killed the radio star, and now it seems that the golden age of television is coming to a rapid end at the hand of on demand services. However, many would argue that this just is not the case. If you’ve seen my first editorial, up on my website, then you know that this doesn't mean television programing is at an end, not by a longshot. Some of the best TV ever created is coming out right now, however the concept of curling up on a couch, remote in hand, and chips in the other, is starting to die out. Our world has been put into fast motion, which I will be talking about in my first futurist article in a week or so, and a world where we take time to relax is becoming absurd. Video on demand has become increasingly popular in the last few years, now generating a significant portion of the TV industry's total revenue. Why watch commercials when you can just watch the show and get it over with. As a side note, I’m still a member of the rare race of humans that enjoys watching the commercials, but I can clearly see why they bug some people.
 
So in short, some examples of modern telecommunication are: cell phones, the internet, televisions, radios, and satellite communication. For more information about specific topics relating to the subject of media and entertainment, please check out some of the articles below. For more information about what telecom is check out some of these articles: (Merriam Webster) for the official definition of the word and its origins. (Wikipedia) For the history of and societal impact of telecommunication. (Search Telecom) for a more technical aspect of the subject.
 
Thanks for reading. This article was designed mostly as an introduction to some topics I’ll be discussing more in-depth next week, and as always, I look forward to your input. Pease leave likes when appropriate, and comments that are informative, and I’ll be seeing you TWO more times today. In addition to this side article, there will still be another full editorial, and a Levengood Today coming out later, so don’t go away! I’ll be back soon!