SMST216-08B Lecture 2 (Week 30)

1
SMST216-08B Lecture 2 (Week 30)

• Part I The History of Television
• A Short History of Television in New Zealand
• Geoff Lealand

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There are two major strands of television
history

• The American history, concentrating on inventors
  and the development of television technology
  video Television Window to the World
• The British history, concentrating on the
  development of broadcasting institutions eg Asa
  Briggs, The First 50 Years of the BBC
• Note there are two general histories of
  television in NZ Robert Boyd-Bell (1985), New
  Zealand Television The First 25 Years, and
  Patrick Day (2000), Voice Vision A History of
  Broadcasting in New Zealand. See also Lealand
  Martin (2001) Chapter 1

3
Who invented television?

• Three hundred is, in fact, a conservative figure
  since it took nearly a century of research before
  Milton Berle could show up in your living room in
  drag
• TV historian Jeff Kisseloff
• (Q. Who is Milton Berle?)

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The inventors of television

• Philo T. Farnsworth (USA) - scanning lines
• Vladimir Zworykin (USA) -cathode ray tube
• John Logie Baird (Britain) - mechanical
  transmission of images over wire
• The first TV remote (called Lazy Bones) was
  developed by Zenith Electronics (US) in 1950

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Television history timelines

• Broadcast History Timeline
• www.tvhandbook.com.History/History_timeline.htm
• History of Television Timeline
• http//inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_te
  levision_timeline.htm
• History of Television in New Zealand
• http//corporate.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_detail/0,22406,11
  1544-247-252,00.html
• TVNZondemand.co.nz

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The American model of television

• From the early 1950s, television networks grew
  out of radio networks, controlled by large
  corporations (NBC,CBS,ABC)
• Minimal regulation/government control (Federal
  Communications Commission)
• primary content of television was
  domestically-based entertainment
• primary purpose and funding of television was
  commerce (delivering audiences to advertisers)
• video The Peoples Century Picture Power

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The British model of television

• Television was modelled on state-owned radio
  (BBC), with a strong public service remit (eg the
  BBCs original remit to enlighten, elevate and
  educate)
• Television was initially funded by fees a mix
  developed with the introduction of commercial
  television (ITV) in 1955
• British television developed as a duopoly
  Channel 4, Channel 5 pay-TV added from the
  1980s
• External regulation of commercial TV
  self-regulation of the BBC (Charter)

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But the distinctions are blurring

• The BBC is still regarded as a public service
  broadcaster, funded by a general broadcasting fee
  (120 pounds annually), to inform, educate and
  entertain. Nevertheless, it makes substantial
  profits from programmes it exports (eg NZ300
  million from Teletubbies), and formats it owns
  and exports (eg Dancing With the Stars)

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The Australian model of television

• 1956 Public service, state-funded broadcaster
  (ABC) developed from public radio two
  commercial channels.
• Commercial channels developed into Nine Network
  and Seven Network Nine Network added in 1970s
• 1979 Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) set up
  1990 Imparja TV regional TV
• Satellite critical to national channels digital
  switch-off 2012 regulation thru ACMA
• Pay TV Foxtel, AUSTAR, Optus

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The New Zealand model of television

• grew out of state-owned radio Television New
  Zealand remains state-owned television (currently
  a Crown-owned company)
• from the beginning, there was a mix of public
  service broadcasting (fee) and commercial income
  (TVCs)
• video 40 years of ONE)
  
  
  
• introduction of privately-owned channels (TV3)
  in 1988 and pay TV (Sky) in 1990

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Part II Television in New Zealand in 2008

• Television in New Zealand, in 2008, remains a mix
  of public service objectives (a prime
  responsibility of Television New Zealand), and
  commercial interests (overseas-owned channels
  pay TV ). There are structures and processes
  unique to television in this country.
• Set-top box, commercial-free digital service
  (Freeview) began in 2007, screening free-to-air
  channels, including TVNZ6 and TVNZ7

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Television New Zealand

• A Crowned-Owned Company (CROC), operating TV ONE
  and TV2 under the TVNZ Charter. The transmission
  service BCL is now operated separately, as Kordia
• Funded primarily through advertising revenue
  (90) Charter funding from the Govt (16m in
  2005) programme subsidies through NZOA and Te
  Mangai Paho
• 67 share of the FTA audience (2007). Dominates
  ratings (esp TV ONE)
• Pays dividend on profits to Govt

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TV3 and C4

• Majority shareholder formerly CanWest Global
  Communications (Canada). 90 takeover by
  Australian private equity firm (Ironbridge
  Capital) in 2007. Financed through advertising
  NZOA programme subsidies
• Operates TV3 (FTA channel, with younger
  demographic) C4 (music video programming
  strands). 19 FTA audience share (2006)
• CanWest also owns a large share of the NZ radio
  market (RadioWorks, Radio Pacific, More FM)

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Prime TV

• Previously owned and operated by Prime Networks
  Australia purchased by Sky Network Television in
  2005. Financed through advertising revenue. Up to
  5 FTA audience share.
• Sky uses Prime for FTA replays of the significant
  sporting fixtures it has exclusive rights to
  (rugby)

15
Maori Television Service

• State-funded national channel,with a brief to
  preserve and promote te reo Maori . Launched June
  2004, and attracts between 50-70 non-Maori
  viewers, broadcasting up to 8 hours daily.
• Programming is 90 locally produced
• Second channel Te reo launched in 2008

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Sky Network Television

• Pay TV service, providing 80 channels of
  terrestrial satellite digital service radio
  channels.. 78 owned by Independent News Ltd
  (INL) 8 Commercial Bank of Australia. In 46
  of NZ h/hs subscribers720,919, Dec 2007 ),
  After years on continuous losses, Sky made 35m
  profit in 2004. Currently 5 of income comes from
  advertising. 23 of the total NZ television
  audience (2006) 19 share of 20-54 year olds
  (April 2008) Introduced PVR (personal video
  recorders) as MySky in 2006 currently adding
  HDTV
• 44 owned by Rupert Murdochs News Corporation

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Other television

• Regional television eg NowTV, CTV (Christchurch),
  Nelson (Mainland TV). Channel 9 (Dunedin)
• Community television eg Triangle (Auckland and
  Wellington)
• From 2005, some funding available from New
  Zealand On Air to regional TV

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Funding Agencies (1)

• New Zealand On Air (under Ministry of Culture and
  Heritage) est. 1989, with responsibilities for
  social and cultural objectives of broadcasting
  (radio TV). Directly funded from Treasury
  (127.5m in 2008/9 64 allocated to funding TV
  programmes). Contestable funding, concentrated on
  threatened or non-commercialgenres
  (drama/comedy, childrens, documentaries). Does
  not fund news/current affairs nor sport.
• Broadcasting slot required to receive NZOA
  funding.

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Funding Agencies (2)

• Te Mangai Paho (under Te Puni Kokiri). Promotes
  Maori language and culture through providing
  funds for programming--primarily to Maori
  Television Service (more than 20m annually, with
  50 te reo Maori targets)

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Regulation Agencies (1)

• Broadcasting Standards Authority (under Ministry
  of Culture and Heritage) . Est. 1989.
  Govt-funded, complaints-based content regulator.
  Regulates radio and TV, through codes of
  broadcasting practice, developed in conjunction
  with industry. Deals with around 200 formal
  complaints annually (average upheld21).
  Conducts audience research (as does NZOA)

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Regulation Agencies (2)

• Advertising Standards Authority. Industry-based,
  self-regulatory body responding to advertising
  complaints. Incorporates Advertising Standards
  Complaints Board and Advertising Standards
  Appeals Board (both with public members)

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To conclude .

• The major avenues for funding television are
• advertising (buying airtime, sponsorship, naming
  rights)
• fees or taxes (eg the former Public Broadcasting
  Fee)
• direct government funding eg MTS and NZOA in NZ
  ABC in Australia)
• funding mixes (eg TVNZ)
• Pay TV--pay service, channel subscriptions

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The manner in which television is funded
determines what kind of television eventuates

• commercial television eg American networks
  NBC/ABC/CBS/Fox Channels 7/9/10 in Australia
  TV3/C4/Prime in NZ
• public service television eg BBC, ABC
  (Australia), NHK (Japan), YLE (Finland)
• pay TV eg Foxtel (Australia), Sky (UK), Sky (NZ)
• mixed systems (public funding advertising) eg
  Television New Zealand

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The current NZ model (1)

• In effect channels are settling into three types
• Type 1 comprises the major free-to-air national
  channels (TV One, TV2, TV3)
• Type 2 consists of the smaller broad-service
  channels with mainly national reach (Prime, Maori
  Television)

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The current NZ model (2)

• Type 3 comprises channels broadcasting regionally
  and/or to special interest audiences, whether on
  UHF, Freeview or pay TV platforms (such as the 16
  regional channels, C4, TVNZ6, TVNZ7, Juice TV,
  Stratos, Parliament TV, Alt TV)
• The Sky TV subscription services collectively of
  course is a major competitor to the Type 1
  channels in particular, but its individual
  channels mostly fall into Types 2 and 3, with the
  possible exception of sports.
• From New Zealand On Air Statement of Intent
  2008-11, Wellington 2008

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The future of television?

• The Personal Video Recorder (PVR) aka Digital
  Personal Video Recorder (DVR) or MySky
• The PVR makes timeshifting much easier, can
  pause live TV, provide instant replay, and the
  ability to skip advertising .
• Analogue TV switch-off (NZ 2012? USA 2009
  Finland 2007),complete shift to digital TV
• New forms of delivery eg TV on mobiles, webTV

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Questions

• What other factors have shaped the history and
  development of television in New Zealand?
• Is it possible to fund television differently
  from the methods described here?
• What might be other futures for television?
• What dilemmas does broadcasting regulation face
  in the near and distant future?