| The first television sets were part | | | | |
| electrical and part mechanical, consisting of | | | | Wheaton, Maryland, Charles Jenkins' W3XK |
| spinning discs that replicated the action of | | | | transmitter started tests followed by |
| a larger spinning disc in the studio. The | | | | |
| first moving images - of a ventriloquist's | | | | regular programs in July 1928.These |
| dummy - were transmitted by Scot John Logie | | | | broadcasts were never really meant or |
| Baird in 1925.In 1927 the first tv show was | | | | designed for wide public consumption, |
| aired. It was a demonstration by Bell | | | | |
| Telephone | | | | however, some enthusiasts managed to build |
| | | | crude receivers and got to enjoy the |
| Labs and AT&T with contributions from | | | | |
| various executives of these companies | | | | output. Charles Jenkins' estimated that W3XK |
| | | | had an audience of 20,000.Many incorrectly |
| and a speech by the secretary of commerce, | | | | quote the BBC's The Man with the Flower in |
| Herbert Hoover.This was followed by many | | | | his Mouth from |
| ad-hoc broadcasts from Whippany, N. J. These | | | | |
| were | | | | 1930 as being the first broadcast play, but |
| | | | it was actually The Queen's Messenger, |
| experiments and were picked up by just one | | | | |
| tv set - at Bell Laboratories, New | | | | written by J. Harley Manners and directed by |
| | | | Mortimer Stewart. This was aired on |
| York City. These broadcasts consisted of | | | | |
| images transmitted using radio waves | | | | WRGB in 1928.It must be noted that in those |
| | | | early days television screens were about 3 |
| and sound transmitted via cable. They were | | | | |
| not entertainment shows - just | | | | inches by 3 inches. So small, in fact, that |
| | | | most output consisted of a person's |
| a few engineers and scientists testing out | | | | |
| the new medium.The first shows that aired to | | | | upper body. "Radio with pictures" is what it |
| the public were those of WRGB (known | | | | was called, and that was |
| officially | | | | |
| | | | not far off! The images consisted of varying |
| as W2XB but popularly known as WGY's | | | | shades of pink or brown, depending |
| Television). Broadcasts were | | | | |
| | | | on the illumination used. The presenters and |
| beamed locally to Schenectady, N.Y. This | | | | performers would often need to wear |
| happened to be the home town of | | | | |
| | | | dark lipstick and green makeup so that their |
| television (and radio) pioneer Ernst | | | | features would not be bleached in |
| Alexanderson. Schenectady was also the home | | | | |
| | | | the extremely bright studio lights. True |
| of just four television receivers. The early | | | | color television came later. The |
| WRGB broadcasts usually consisted of a | | | | |
| | | | spinning discs were eventually replaced by |
| person sitting in a chair not doing very | | | | all-electric systems. All tv shows, |
| much except the odd hand or face | | | | |
| | | | including dramas, were live to air - there |
| movement or a drag on a cigarette. In fact, | | | | was no videotape or digital recording |
| watching people smoke cigarettes | | | | |
| | | | in those days!These pioneering broadcasts |
| seems to have been the main feature of early | | | | were effectively experiments (and were |
| tv test transmissions!The first scheduled tv | | | | licensed |
| shows, and from what I can make out, the | | | | |
| world's first | | | | as such by the federal government). Most |
| | | | viewers were either wealthy and curious |
| regular tv shows were farming and weather | | | | |
| bulletins aired twice a day, 3 days | | | | or were hobbyists. It is unlikely that |
| | | | television had any real worth as an |
| per week on WRGB. These broadcasts were | | | | |
| simply extensions of the output of radio | | | | entertainment or information medium in these |
| | | | early days. The extent to which |
| station WGY. The first remote location | | | | |
| broadcast, or outside broadcast, took | | | | television could expand and could be |
| | | | networked was severely hampered by a lack |
| place in 1928, once again by WRGB. The | | | | |
| subject of this broadcast was Governor Al | | | | of a national standard for telecasting. |
| Smith's | | | | There were also many technical |
| | | | |
| acceptance speech of the Democratic | | | | difficulties not least with the revolving |
| nomination for office President of the United | | | | disc system. It wasn't until the |
| States. | | | | |
| | | | forties when these issues had been ironed |
| Due to inclement weather, the ceremony was | | | | out that tv took off in earnest.The rest, as |
| switched from outside to an indoor | | | | they say, is history, but a very rich history |
| | | | indeed. Have a look |
| location and the short notice didn't allow | | | | |
| enough time to test the lighting and | | | | at and you see what I mean.Vernon Stent is |
| | | | the marketing consultant to |
| equipment. Hence the resulting live pictures | | | | |
| were of poor quality. Meanwhile, in | | | | specializing in old tv shows. |