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Contents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cknowledgments To my two supervisors Jan Olsson and Pelle Snickars, for their insightful comments and critical readings, and for their faith and confidence in the project, I am deeply grateful. I first met Jan when I completed my master’s degree, and he has since then been a rock-steady source of wisdom and inspiration. Jan not only introduced me to the idea of exploring early Swedish television, but also to the world of archival research, which I have come to love. Thank you Jan, for so generously sharing your knowledge, for having such a hawk-eye for details, and for your invaluable guidance. I am also grateful to have had Pelle as a supervisor, whose inspiration and incisive insights have helped me to strengthen every part of this study. Thank you Pelle, for your always quick and razor sharp responses. And thank you for telling me to take some days off this Summer, it helped me to look at the text with somewhat new eyes. A warm thank you to Per Vesterlund, who did a very thorough reading of the draft that was presented at my final seminar. His comments were vital for my last stages of writing. I would also like to thank Maaret Koskinen and Malin Wahlberg who were the review committee at the final seminar, and who gave me additional thought provoking comments and helped me steer this project in the direction it took. Malin has further, throughout my research, generously shared her insightful knowledge of early Swedish television and offered valuable tips as well as encouragement, to which I am very grateful. Many thanks to all the knowledgeable—former and current—staff at the Swedish Television Archive, and at the Document Archive at the Swedish Radio Administration who, in various stages of this project, have enriched me with their knowledge, and generously provided me with access as well as a work space. My warmest thank you, in particular, to Lasse Nilsson, Pia Hedström, Beryl Melander, Börje Sjöman, Göran Samuelsson, Christina Jernström, Bengt Lorentzon and Åsa Sandström. I feel very lucky to have been part of two research environments at Stockholm University: the Section for Cinema Studies, Department of Media Studies, and the Research School of Studies in Cultural History. My main affiliation during these years has been the Section for Cinema Studies. I want to thank all my colleagues there for inspiring research seminars, courses, and talks. A warm thank you, in particular, to John Fullerton who, on several occasions during this journey, have offered valuable feedback—not least on the short paper, which later grew to be one of the chapters of this thesis. Thank you John, for your support and interest in the project. I want to thank Tytti Soila, who offered important comments and suggestions on an early version of chapter four. Doron Galili gave insightful feedback on portions of the text, to which I am very grateful. Thank you also Doron, for your support and companionship in the world of television studies. I also want to thank my fellow PhD students, former and current, who in different ways have offered feedback and support: Anne Bachmann, Nadi Tofighian, Sofia Bull, Ingrid Ryberg, Jakob Nilsson, Ashley Smith, Kim Khavar Fahlstedt, Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén, Jonathan Rozenkrantz, Olivia Eriksson, Annika Wickman, Gert Jan Harkema, Chris Baumann, Linn Lönroth, and Mats Carlsson. A special thank you goes to Kristoffer Noheden, who I have shared an office space, as well as the many joys and woes of research with. Thank you also to Bart van der Gaag for his technical support during these years. My second affiliation during these years has been the Research School of Studies in Cultural History. The seminar at the Research School was an environment characterized by creativity and encouragement crossing over several disciplines in the humanities—an experience I would not have wanted to be without. Many thanks to the steering committee: Anders Andrén, Anders Cullhed, Eva-Carin Gerö, Peter Gillgren, Mats Hallenberg, Inga Sanner, Pelle Snickars and Birgitta Svensson for organizing the courses and seminars, and for sharing your experiences and knowledge. And to my fellow PhD students in the research school: thank you for your incisive comments and suggestions, for pointing to ideas within your own disciplines and interests that I would otherwise have missed out on, and thank you for making the seminars, courses and travels so much fun: Ingrid Berg, Robin Böckerman, Lisa Ehlin, Elin Engström, Niklas Haga, Emma Hagström Molin, Adam Hjorthén, Per Israelson, Johan Linder, Anders Lindström, Matts Lindström, Elisabeth Niklasson, Robert Nilsson Mohammadi, Elisa Rossholm, Daniel Strand, Britta Zetterström Geschwind, Frederik Wallenstein, and Adam Wickberg Månsson. To Anna Källén: my warmest thank you for not only being the administrative force—and heart—of the research school, and for always giving sharp, valuable comments on all of our presented texts, but also, on a more personal note, for caring and listening when I needed it the most, and for pushing me, in the absolute best way, to move forward in my writing process. Thank you also to Madeleine Kleberg who generously has shared her research and knowledge of early Swedish television. To Lynn Spigel for discussing my project and sharing insights during her time in Stockholm. To Stuart Tudball who did an excellent job copy-editing the text; any mistakes in late additions are entirely my own. To my dad, Leif Svensson, for his invaluable help with excel, getting all of my lists, numbers, schedules and tables into a presentable form. I also want to thank my friends for much needed support and distractions during these years—I hope to soon see more of you than what lately has been the case. To my parents, Ann-Lis and Leif Svensson: thank you for your never ending support and love. And thank you for all the help with picking up Jonatan and Arvid from preschool, allowing me to work late on several occasions. In fact, thank you for being such amazing grandparents—they adore you, as do I. Lastly, all my love and gratitude to Johan, and to Jonatan, Arvid and Elvira, for all the love, inspiration, and fun you bring into my life. You are, through it all, always closest to my heart. Stockholm, August 2018, Tove Thorslund Introduction Do You Have a TV? Did you see the Nobel Committee in session? Do you love Lucy or do you think she is a cultural menace? Were you there for the discussion about women and the every-day-scurry? Simply put: do you have a TV?1 When women’s magazine Damernas värld wrote about the—for a Swedish audience—brand new medium of television in 1956, the article managed to pinpoint something very telling regarding early Swedish television and its social impact and affects.