FROM RECEIVER TO : THE TV SET Sept. 14 through Nov. 25, 1990

Exhibition conceived and organized by Matthew Geller

THE NEW MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART A LOOK AT THE TV SET

One role of art museums is to coll ect, preserve, and exhibit that would do for the eyes and ears what the automobile had works of art. Another is to help us understand who we are done for feet. No claim seemed too extravagant to describe as individuals and as a society by looking at the culture that its potential. Portrayed as an aid to global we produce and which in turn shapes us. In the twentieth and an instrument of global conquest, represented century this includes mass culture-industrially produced another step forward in the mastery of time and space. material intended for mass consumption. One of the most Yet the utopian rhetoric of television promotions was not influential mechanisms of mass culture is television. matched by television sets developed for the consumer While each of us may have our own favorite television market. For example, the for interactive or two- programs, as well as criticisms of the content of TV, we tend way television had existed since the 1920s. But this potential to pay little attention to the itself. Frorn Receiver remained largely unrealized. Exploited in early marketing to Rernote Control: The TV Set asks us to shift our gaze from campaigns to garner support for the medium, it was ulti- the TV screen and consider the TV set as an object in the mately incompatible with other socioeconomic agendas. home. What can the history of television set design tell us As soon as television became a viable consumer product, about the roles TV plays in our lives? What can the ways we governmental regulators stepped in and consolidated broad- incorporate TV into our homes reveal about our fami li es, cast power in the hands of a few large companies. Ostensibly, our relationships, and the culture in which we live? How their aim was to establish quality standards and protect con- h ave developments in TV technology affected the ways we sumers. But the decision also dictated television's fate as a experience a sense of community? primarily mercantile medium and prohibited unmonitored uses. One of the many stories that this exhibition tells is how "I can imagine no greater scientific a.ccomjJlishment than the broadcast of social forces condition technological developments. sight ... When peoples of the earth can hold instant converse with each other and TV's strategic location in the home and its economic depen- at the same time behold each other's faces, the world of tomorrow will become de nce on commercial advertisers made it a home appliance indeed a friendly world in which many of our present-day ills will vanish." that could be used to sell other appli ances and consumer Grover Whalen, President of the 1939 New York World's Fair products. Viewers were encouraged to compare their lot with Why was television invented? In its early days, manufactur- that of TV characters and to identify with game show ers positioned television within the history of great scientific contestants who were constantly engaged in dramas of advances-a product of Western progress and a tool for its consumption. In the postwar years, TV became a critical link continuation. TV was promoted as an extension of the body between industrial society and personal life. A TV CHRONOLOGY

19 21 First home radio sets go on sale 1939 David Sarnoff, President of RCA, 1945 With the war over, RCA begins in the U.S. introduces all- electric TV at New York mass producing TVs , licensing patents 1926 RCA, CE, AT&T, and Westing- World's Fair. Franklin D. Roosevelt from Philo T. Farnsworth. house, leading manufacturers of becomes the first president to be seen NBC, CBS, ABC, and DuMont begin radios and , join together to and heard on TV. TV program services. form the first television network, 1940 Condensed version of the opera 1946 10,000 U.S. households own National Broadcasting Network (NBC). I Pagliacci is broadcast in New York. television sets. By 1948 this number 1927 Columbia Records institutes the 1941 Federal will climb to one million; by 1955, Columbia Broadcasting Sys tem (CBS). Commission (FCC) permits TV 35 million; and by 1976, 150 million Radio manufacturers begin selling commercials. One of the first ads con- or 98% of all U.S. homes. mechanical TV kits (complete assem- sists of the NBC network's test pattern Early TV commercials take the form bly required). in the form of a Bulova clock face. of product demonstrations on sets The image remained on screen for 1928 27 television stations go on the simulating home environments. one minute while the second hand air in the U.S. using mechanical 1947 DuMont airs interracial dancers made its sweep. cameras. However, within two years on Look Upon a Star and is barraged only one survives the Depression. 1942 FDR bans commercial TV due to with angry protest calls from white threat of war in Europe. Radio 1929 First radio broadcast rating viewers. factories are diverted for military use. service, Crossley's Cooperative Analysis The first family situation comedy, Television technology is used to of Broadcasting (CAB), originates the , goes on the air. develop radar. concept of "prime time." 1948 First show, To the Queen's 1943 etwork TV begins with NBC 1936 NBC conducts experimental all- Taste, is broadcast. transmitting sports telecasts to stations electric broadcasts in New York . in New York and Philadelphia. 1949 The Nielsen Ratings Service Programs originate from Radio City begins using sampling techniques to FCC orders BC to divest itself of one and are transmitted from the Empire measure television viewership. State Building. of its radio networks. NBC Blue becomes the American Broadcasting 1950 First non-commercial station, Company (ABC). WOI-TV in Ames, Iowa, is li censed.

1928 Radio News (magazine cover, detail) 1949 DuMont promotional photograph 1951 Coast-to-coast TV network service Political TV ads are launched by the 1957 Singer Nat King Cole becomes the begins in the U.S. Edward R. Murrow's Democratic party. first African-American television show See It Now broadcasts simultaneous live 1954 First TV dinners are introduced host, but only lasts one season because pictures of the Golden Gate and by Swanson. advertisers refuse sponsorship. Brooklyn bridges. 1955 Zenith introduces the first 1959 Philco introduces th e "Safari" Almost all television report a 20 wireless remote control device, but battery-powered portable television. to 40 percent drop in movie attendance. quickly discontinues it when the 1960 Gallup poll shows 28% of In non-television cities attendance light-activated mechanism proves Americans describe watching television remains unchanged. susceptible to stray sunlight and light as their favorite way to spend an The New York Public Library reports a beams. The remote is refined and evening. By 1974 this figure will climb drop in book circulation. reintroduced on a mass scale in the to 46%, but by 1986 drop to 33%. I Love Lucy becomes the first successful 1960s. 1962 First satellite is launched, enabling filmed (rather than live) TV series. One of the most popular childrens' live broadcasts around the world. In 1953 Lucille Ball gives birth to Desi shows ever presented, The Mickey 1965 CBS and ABC begin color pro- Arnaz,Jr. The same evening viewers Mouse Club, goes on the air. gramming on a regular basis. tune in to I Love Lucy to watch the TV 1956 The Republican National Sony introduces the 1/2" portapak Lucy have a baby. Convention in San Francisco provides (precursor to the camcorder) and the First color telecast made from CBS's the impetus for transcontinental first home videotape recorder. Grand Central Station in New York broadcasts. 1966 Color television set sales surpass features Arthur Godfrey. DuMont network, unable to obtain black and white. 1952 DuMont and Motorola television access to transcontinental cable, goes 1967 Television news covers civil rights set catalogues offer decorating tips on out of business as a television network. demonstrations and rioting throughout integrating TVs into home interior Ampex Corporation introduces the the U.S. design. first videotape recorders, radically TV coverage of the VietNam War First national issue of TV Guide is reducing the time needed between causes it to become known as the published. actual events and broadcast. "living room war."

1955 Zenith promotional photograph 1960 Bride with RCA Victor television rece iver 1975 General Electric promotional photog raph 1967 Public Broadcasting System (PBS) families: All in the Family, Sanford and 1982 HDTV (High Definition Televi- is established with federal funds. Son, and The Waltons. sion), developed injapan, is demon- 1968 CBS introduces demographics First domestic U.S. satellite dish strated in the U.S. into audience survey research, dividing becomes available. 1983 Home banking in the form of viewers into separate marketing 1975 Beta and VHS 1/2" videotape direct access is introduced categories by age, sex, and income. formats are introduced for consumer by Chemical Bank. 1969 135 million people watch astro- and industrial markets. 1984 Sony introducesJumboTRON, naut Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. 1977 36 million households, almost a huge outdoor video display screen 1972 HBO, the first successful cable one half of the U.S. population, tune used in sports stadiums. network, is launched. in to watch the mini-series Roots, 1985 Home Shopping Club enables A report to the U.S. Surgeon General which portrays the history of an viewers to purchase items directly off is published on the effects of television Mrican-American family from slavery the TV screen. violence on childre n. through the present. 1988 53% of U.S. homes in 23,000 Pong, the first home video game, is Soap, a satire of family soap operas, communities are wired for cable invented by Noland Bushnell. features one of the earliest gay TV television and able to access m'ore than characters played by Billy Crystal. 30 channels. 1973 The Loud family of Santa Bar- bara lets a documentary camera crew QUBE, the first interactive cable TV 60% of U.S. households own VCRs. into its home. For twelve weeks system, is tested in Columbus, Ohio. 25% of people with remote controls PBS chronicles the real lives of family 1980 Close-captioned TV is made report following two television pro- me mbers, ending in the pare nts' available for the hearing-impaired. grams at once. 13% follow three or decision to divorce. BET (Black Entertainment Network) more programs. National Black Media Coalition is begins on cable television. 1990 Dramatic "reenactments" of real founded to advocate the rights of 1981 MTV goes on the air on cable events become an established tele- Mrican-Americans in broadcasting. television, providing 24 hours of con- vision genre with shows like America's 1974 The three most-watched prime- tinuous music videos. Most Wanted and Rescue 911. time television shows feature TV

1989 Hitachi promotional photograph 1990 RCA promotional photograph THE NEW MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART 583 Broadway New York, 1\TY 10012 (212) 219-1222

HOURS: Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday 12-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday 12-8 p.m.

Integrating the TV set into the home was initially an un- HOMEMADE TV Directed by Branda Mi ller fami liar experience. Physically, early televisions resembled Homemade TV offers Museum visitors the opportunity to radios with small viewing screens or were hidden within participate in a collectively generated video project on cabinets to minimize disruption of home decor. Ads and the uses and functions of television. Visitors will be able owners' manuals aided the u ni nitiated by offering deco- to borrow camcorders and make their own videotapes in rating tips and providing instructions on how to watch TV, the exhibition, exploring how they incorporate the TV including the proper viewing distance from the screen, how set into their li ves and what television means to them. to ligh t the room, and how to supervise children. As screen Camcorders are available during all Museum hours on a size increased, magazine articles fostered comparisons first come, first serve basis. between the home and the theater. In the "home theater" Hands-on editing sessions will be conducted every the television set became an object of display, reflecting the Sunday from 1:00-5:00 p.m. (except September 30 and owner's taste and economic status. November 11). These sessions wi ll reveal the absu-act, constructed nature of the television image. Anyone Today, 98% of U.S. households own one or more television interested in participating or observing is invited to sets. In the U.S. alone TV offers over 40 channels and 1,200 attend. The tapes edited in these sessions will be shown stations in 23,000 communities. In combination with com- in the exhibition. Hands-on editing sessions require puters and other accessories TV now perforn1s a variety of advance registration. Please inquire at the Homemade TV functions from home banking to home shopping, which desk in the exhibition. literally turn the home into a site of commerce. Techno- logical advances like portable TVs, the remote control, VCRs, camcorders, and cable television have expanded viewers' GROUP VISITS choices of how, when, and where to watch, although central- Guided group visits are available for adults and for ized broadcast TV remains the medium's dominant mode. studen ts grades 7 through 12. For more information call Some psychologists and cultural analysts now claim that Phyllis Gil bert, Docent and Group Tour Coordinator, viewers produce their own TV culture in the different ways at (212) 219-1222. they respond to what they see and in the various ways they incorporate TV into their lives. By looking at the television set this exhibition aims to understand what we make of tele- TEACHER AND STUDENT WORKSHOP vision, rather than what television makes of us. TV or Not TV: Perceptions of Television within the Home, Susan Cahan Curator Family, and School Wednesday, October I 0, 4- 5:30 p.m. For more information or to register please call the Funding for From Receiver to Remote Control: The TV Set was provided by the Design Education Department at (212) 219-1222. and Museum Programs of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Architecture and Design Program and the Museum Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the j erome Foundatio n. Special support was provided by Manhattan Cable Television. Add- EXHIBITION CATALOGUE itional assistance was provided by Bang & Olufsen; Casio, Inc.; Emerson Radio T he book, From Receiver to Remote Control: The TV Set, Corp.; Fosgate/ Audionics; JVC Company of America; Mitsubishi Electronic Sales edited by Matthew Geller and Reese Williams, and America, Inc.; Monste r Cable® Products, Inc.; Consumer published in conj unction with the exhibition, is avail- Company; Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.; RCA / Thomson Consumer Electron- able at the Museum's Admissions Desk. ics, Inc.; Sharp Electronics Corporation; Sony Corporation of America; Vidikron of America, Inc.; Zenith Electronics Corporation; and Materials for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The Museum wou ld also like to For further reading on the social history of television, extend special thanks to Ri chard Ekstract, Arnold Chase, and Ell i Buk. please consult the Museum's Soho Center Library.