History of Television

Brian's song was the moving story of two football players who bridged the racial gap. So good was the TV Movie that it garnered what prestigious award?

BOTH (NAACP Commendation and Peabody Award)

David Sarnoff and RCA out-foxed AT&T and the birth of the broadcasting business was at hand. What was the leverage Sarnoff used to win the arbitration?

Anti-Semitism

The Philco Radio Company had demonstrated a keen ability to make radios faster and cheaper than RCA. Who did they partner up with to move their radio business into television?

Farnsworth

On TV in the 1950's it was almost as if black people did not exist. Between 1953 and 1965 only one African-American starred in a prime time TV show. Who was it?

Nat King Cole

In 1939, television was introduced to the world. Where was the demonstration observed?

New York World's Fair

While Alexander Graham Bell first showcased the telephone in 1876, what invention (created 1884) established a scanning technique as a step toward transmitting images

Nipkow Disc

Though Television reigns as the 14th most important event of the millennium, thirteen other events were rated more important. What event was rated Number One by Life Magazine?

Printing Press

NBC attempted an early excursion to the world of sports, teaming up with Gillette razor blades to televise what sporting event for veterans in hospitals home from WWII.

Prize Fights

In 1951, Actor Philip Loeb was accused of being a Communist sympathizer. Loeb swore that he was not a member of the Communist Party and the allegations against him were never proven. What TV show had he starred in?

The Goldbergs

While independent woman like Mary Tyler Moore and Candice Bergen went on to have storied careers, it was Marlo Thomas who starred in the first socially conscious sitcom on TV. Name it?

That Girl

Walking in the internationally famous footsteps of James Bond, NBC capitalized with 'I Spy' in 1965, the first "spy series" on TV. For what other "first" is the series recognized?

1st black/white co-stars

Since the beginnings of network broadcasting, the relaying of programs from station to station had been hampered by the fact that radio wars travel linearly, unable to bend with the curvature of the earth. This problem is known as what?

Line of Sight

Who said it: "Political Pigs your days are numbered. We are the second American Revolution- and we are winning. Yippy!"

Abby Hoffman

The 1950's might best be defined by which of the following handles

White Men on Horseback

What year did televisions first go on sale nationwide in the United States

1946

How many people does television reportedly reach each and every day?

2 Billion

After viewing the 1971 pilot of All In The Family, TV Guide boldly stated that the landmark series would "open up a whole new world for television." In that pilot episode, how would you best describe its protagonist, Archie Bunker

ALL THREE (Anti-Semitic, Racist, Condescending)

Roots producers felt White viewers would have trouble watching a 12-hour mini-series where Blacks were the heroes and Whites the villains, yet nothing could have been further from the truth. What story element helped draw White audience tot he series in record numbers?

ALL THREE (Family oriented, Plight of the underdog, All-Star TV Cast)

In 1952, this family-sitcom jumped from radio to television and run on ABC, unobstructed, for the next 14 Years and 435 episodes. What was the series called?

Adventures of Ozzy & Harriet

Lifesaver magnate Edward Nobel bought NBC's Blue Network for $8,000,000. What did he rename it?

American Broadcasting Company

The radio series that started it all for NBC was one brought to the NBC Blue Network in the summer of 1929 by the sponsors of Pepsodent Toothpaste. The series was called what?

Amos 'n' Andy

Though CBS grudgingly pulled the series from TV in 1953, after only two seasons, it ran continuously on radio from 1929-1960, uninterrupted. What was the series called?

Amos 'n' Andy

David Sarnoff's bright idea turned hostile competitors into friendly customers. Which idea below would that be?

Licensing

In an era of TV cowboys who were often rootless loners, there was one TV western -the first in living color- that centered on family. What was the series called?

Bonanza

In 1938, CBS Radio News aired what would become the longest-lasting continuous program of any kind on radio or TV in the annals of broadcast history. What was this news show called?

CBS World News Roundup

Lucile Ball refused to reprise her radio show on TV until CBS committed to what?

Casting husband as Co-Star

September 26, 1960, John F. Kennedy and VP Richard M. Nixon faced off in the first night of what newscasters were calling The Great Debates. The four debates took place in different cities, but the first took place in:

Chicago

In 1926, fortune struck William Paley, whose end of a public stock offering from his father's company netted him one million dollars. In what business had Paley's father (Sam) struck it rich?

Cigars

The catalyst for both Cosby and Carroll starring in their own series can be traced back to 1963, when a Black preacher form Mississippi lead a march on Washington to kick off what American movement?

Civil Rights

Acronym CBS stands for the Columbia Broadcasting System. What was the company initially called?

Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System

At one point during the'75-'76 Tv season, creator Norman Leer had five show sin TV's Top Ten. Which series below was not among them?

Cosby

In October, 1962, America was riveted to their TV sets as President Kennedy spoke to what urgent matter of global importance?

Cuban Missile Crisis

With 350 million global viewers, one TV series in 1980 was on everyone's mind. That fall, a single question arising from that series created an international buzz. 'Who shot JR?' defines what series to this day?

Dallas

CBS newsman Dan Rather was injured by riot police while speaking to anchorman Walter Cronkite on the air in front of 50 million prime-time viewers. What was the venue at which Mr. Rather was struck?

Democratic National Convention

In 1958, Carl Reiner created a new television program called "Head of the Family"- a situation comedy about the life of a comedy writer that would one day air under what title?

Dick Van Dyke Show

After four years of high TV ratings, NBC wanted to make it's hit cop show a part of the color broadcasts it was planning for 1955, but the show's creator said no. He thought the show looked grittier and more real in no frills black and white and fought to keep it that way. Name the show.

Dragnet

This man earned his stripes as the first lunatic car salesman in LA. When he changed his spiel from automobiles to TV sets, he sold four million of them in less than a year. Find his name below.

Earl Muntz

An early 1935 hire at CBS quickly became the Director of Talks, and then CBS's European News Director. In time, he would help create the "Six O'Clock NEws." Find his name below.

Ed Murrow

In 1906, inventor Lee DeForest came up with the Audion tube-able to transmit voice and music over the same air waves. Two years later, what famous monument did DeForest broadcast from to demonstrate his invention?

Eiffel Tower

In 1968, Diahann Carroll became the first Black Actress to star in a prime-time series in 15 years. Who was the very first African-American woman to star on prime-time TV?

Ernestine Wade

In 1961, the FCC cracked down of TV violence by "taming scripts" with simple stories void of real controversy. Critics referred to this monochromatic view of life in America as what?

Escapism

In the film 'Color Adjustment', the lead TV actress from Good Times had this to say about the "television domestic"...'You made her so happy and so unaware of her own children- that's a Hollywood maid.' Name the actress below who said it.

Esther Rolle

Reginald Rose, author of the controversial teleplay Thunder on Sycamore Street, was ordered by CBS to remove the Negro Neighbor from the teleplay and make him something else. How was the Neighbor rewritten?

Ex-Convict

The Federal Radio Commission was formed in 1927. What government body would the F.R.C. ultimately become?

F.C.C.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show broke new ground and won a record (at the time) 29 Emmy Awards. What '90's sitcom went on to break that Emmy record?

Frasier

In the I LOVE LUCY episode recently viewed entitled "Lucy Does a TV Commercial", Lucy runs into trouble selling the product when she finds herself plagues with a personal problem found below:

Gets Drunk

In 1895-96, what inventor took a quantum leap forward in the field of science after sending the first wireless message from his family's estate?

Guglielmo Marconi

On September 10, 1955, western icon and legendary actor, John Wayne, strolled onto a CBS set to pitch what new series?

Gunsmoke

What future President first appeared as an image on mechanical television in 1927?

Herbert Hoover

In 1907, the word TELEVISION was first used in the magazine Scientific American to describe what new technology

Image Transmission

Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, fires and looting broke out in over 10 cities across America. Which city below was NOT among them?

Indianapolis

Consummate attire for many of the ABC series in the mid-to-late 1970's included loose-fitting garments that allowed female stars to move in a rather lascivious way. What was the brand assigned these shows?

Jiggle TV

"The essence of free communication must be that our failures as well as our successes will be broadcast around the world..." who said this?

John Kennedy

In 1968, Diahann Carroll starred in a short-lived NBC series whose wholly integrated cast treated all characters as equals for the first time. What was the name of her series

Julia

In the historic 1977 mini-series, Roots, author Alex Haley searches for his ancestral connection to Africa. what is the true-life name of the ancestor who connects Haley directly to that heritage?

Kunta Kinte

Arriving to NBC in 1968, this TV show brought an anarchic energy to the screen that perfectly captured the new day in late-'60's America. which series below fits that bill?

Laugh-In

SNL, NBC's long running late-night TV comedy series, can have its pedigree traced back to what 1960's variety series?

Laugh-In

The Waltons, a dramatic series set in the 1930's, crossed type by concentrating on the struggles of the poor rather than those of the rich or middle class. Which series below emulate The Waltons?

Little House of the Prairie

'Auto Smash-Up', one of the two comedy sketches viewed on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, while hilarious to watch, served what 1950's stereotype?

Male Supremacy

By 1945, with the victorious troops coming home from WWII, America was poised to enter an era of prosperity and growth unparalleled in history, creating a new socio-economic grouping. What was it?

Middle Class

Among the early variety shows was the Texaco Star Theatre, hosted by an unsuccessful radio entertainer who liked to cavort in funny clothes. He would soon come to be known as Mr. Television. Who was he?

Milton Berle

In the episode "Andy discovers America", Sheriff Andy Taylor steers his son Opie back into the good graces of his teacher by having his son and other boys form a history club. What did these North Carolina kids call themselves?

Minutemen

A new network was officially launched on November 15, 1926, and ownership was divided among the principles: RCA (50%), General Electric (30%), and Westinghouse (20%). What was the new network called?

NBC

In 1952, Vice Presidential Candidate Richard Nixon went on television to defend himself against accusations that he accepted illegal campaign contributions. What was this now famous broadcast called?

Nixon's Checkers Speech

August 8, 1974, television witnessed another historical first when it broadcast one of the following events

Nixon's Resignation

If Martin Luther King was the "quarterback" who launched the Civil Rights Movement at television in the 1960's, who was the TV exec who caught the ball and ran with it for six uncontested touchdowns in the 1970's?

Norman Leer

In 1948, the Supreme Court forced Hollywood studios to divest themselves of their theater chains. Who was the plaintiff (U.S. vs. ?) in that decision?

Paramount Pictures

By 1920, radio had officially come of age. On election day of that year, the first radio station in America went on the air. In what city did this occur?

Pittsburgh

David Sarnoff's success in radio stemmed from the fact that he was the first to see the new medium as a

Point-to-Mass Product

The networks lost $10M during their four-day coverage of an event listed below, but in doing so, network TV became legitimate in the minds of Americans. Never again in the 20th century would print media challenge TV for media supremacy. Name the event.

Presidential Assassination

Once upon a time, advertisers brought their own series ideas to the networks and sponsored the entire show. Which event below altered this paradigm and reduced sponsor control cross the dial?

Quiz Show Scandal

In its basic form, a color transmission can be created by broadcasting three separate monochrome images, one each in blue, red an green. This image is referred to by what terminology?

RGB Image

In 1916, David Sarnoff had a vision of what radio could be and put forth this prophecy to his bosses at American Marconi in what famous memo?

Radio Box Memo

In 1919, the U.S. Navy formed RCA so that all of the wireless transmitting stations could be put into one corporate basket under its control. What does the acronym R.C.A. stand for?

Radio Corporation of America

In The Honeymooner episode titled "Letter To The Boss", Ralph writes his infamous letter in response to what personal catastrophe?

Ralph's Firing

"People will watch a train wreck if there's a camera lying around," said one former President. "It's up to us to properly promote it." Which President said it?

Richard Nixon

The top writer of TV's Golden Age, was already a multiple Emmy winner when he created The Twilight Zone at the age of 34. Who was he?

Rod Serling

In 1955, a young black woman refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus and changed history by taking her case to the U.S. Supreme Court. What was her name?

Rosa Parks

The American series Stanford & Son was based on which 1960's British TV Series?

Steptoe and Son

In 1962, John Glenn became the first American to be shot into orbit around the earth. What was the significance of this launch for TV?

TV invited to Cover Launch

In the late 1940's, Bill Paley wooed top talent away from NBC in what came to be known as the Paley Talent Raids. How was he able to do it?

Tax Incentives

"The Sketch" made by 15 year-old Philo Farnsworth on the blackboard of his high school science class was the centerpiece for what mind-boggling technology

Television

Issued by the right-wing journal Counterattack on June 22, 1950, the pamphlet-style book titled "Red Channels" named 151 actors, writers, musicians, and broadcast journalists, purported to have communist ties in the entertainment industry. What common name was ascribed to this pamphlet?

The Hollywood Blacklist

One of the sketch-comedy skits on the Cavalcade of Stars variety show was so popular that Jackie Gleason, the show's star, filmed them as a regular half-hour sitcom in 1955. What was this new sitcom called?

The Honeymooners

Which of the following series first aired on television in the 1940's?

The Lone Ranger

This TV show set the benchmark for what could be achieved by women in the workforce by using two distinct platforms in the same series. What was the series called?

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

By 1970, three great comedies had risen above the rest. Which of the following was not among them?

The Odd Couple

In "Monsters Come To Maple Street", the Twilight Zone episode screened recently, the series masked which one of the following 1950's stigmas behind an eerie story?

The Red Scare

In 1971, Fred Silverman took over programming duties at CBS and began canceling the network's hit shows in an effort to reach a younger demographic. What did this programming move come to be called?

The Rural Purge

In 1912, the first piece of regulatory communications legislation in American history was passed- The Radio Act of 1912. What incident of the day sparked the need for this legislation?

Titanic Sinking

In one 18-month period between 1928-29, RCA entered into 3 transactions with corporations that transformed the company into the media kingdom. Which corporation below was NOT a part of this windfall?

United Fruit

In February 1968, journalist Wlater Cronkite aired a half-hour prime time special in which he criticized the government and "the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds." What was the subject to which Cronkite was referring

Viet Nam War

Big news in 1960 saw ABC rise from the cellar on the back of its hit series, The Untouchables. In just six months the gangster series rose to Number One. To what was this rise in popularity attributed?

Violent Stories

In Summer of '64, three freedom marchers were murdered in Meridan, Mississippi. Two were white/one black. What was their primary reason for being in Meridian that summer?

Voter Registration

The fight for electronic color television would determine the future of computers, satellites and space exploration as well. What man below was pushing MECHANICAL COLOR television instead?

WILLIAM PALEY

In 1938, young actor Orson Wells made quite a splash on CBS Radio with his now infamous Halloween broadcast recreating what famous book?

War of Worlds

One of the most significant true-cime scandals of the 20th century began as a two-bit burglary at the Washington Hotel. Name the hotel that ID's the scandal.

Watergate

In 1968, Mark Rudd, a student-activist at Columbia University, co-founded which radical-political group below

Weather Underground

By 1960, color television was slowly being unleashed on the viewing public and no TV genre looked better in color than this one.

Westerns

In October, 1947, NBC teamed up with DuMont TV to present the first ever network telecast of a PUBLIC event. What was it?

World Series