Media Technologies: Television

An old stand by media technology is television. Last summer, San Antonio was in an extreme drought. The local water company, San Antonio Water System (SAWS), produced regular television commercials about the importance of conserving water. The television commercials provided information about what stage of restrictions we were in. SAWS regularly provided public service information through the local news channels to inform us which day of the week we could water our lawns and the hours during which we could water.

While television continues to be a mainstay media technology, the industry is quickly transforming. In the old days, viewers had to watch news and shows on the schedule provided by the networks.  When recording devices were introduced, viewers could record their shows and watch them whenever they wanted. They were no longer subjected to network schedules.  In addition, viewers could fast forward through the commercials. They no longer had to endure the 60-90 seconds worth of advertising.  Nowadays, however, viewers can even choose their own “content delivery systems” (Murphy, 2008). Individuals can watch television on their regular TV set, on their computer or laptop, and even on their cellular telephone. These “new media technologies have shifted this balance by offering greater flexibility  and control to the viewer, and the television industry as a whole is struggling to adjust to and address these changes” (Murphy, 2009).

Some television networks have found a way to engage viewers in a new level as a result of these technologies.  For example, American Idol now allows viewers to text their votes. Television news stations conduct viewer polls by proposing a question over the newscast and asking viewers to log on to their website to vote. By doing these types of things, networks are ensuring their Internet sites receive traffic. While on the site, a viewer may see an advertisement for a product or service and click on that site as well, generating advertising dollars for the network in the process. 

While the television industry is in transformation, the technology itself will not go away any time soon. Networks are getting smarter about how to integrate the new media technologies with the old. Television sets are becoming multi-use tools, allowing viewers to download films and games right onto their TV set.

Sources

Murphy, C. (2008). The television will be revolutionized. Velvet Light Trap, (62), pp. 82-84. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from ProQuest database.