The BBC

Television, also called TV, is one of our most important means of communication. It brings pictures and sounds from around the world into millions of homes. People with a television set can sit at home and watch the President make a speech or visit a foreign country. They can see a war being fought, and they can watch government leaders try to bring about peace. Through television, viewers can see and learn about people, places, and things in faraway lands. In addition to all these things, television entertains. The entertainment programs include dramas; comedies; soap operas; sporting events; cartoon; quiz, and variety shows; and films.

Nearly all the families in the USA have at least one TV set. On the average, a TV set is in use in each home for about 7 hours each day. As a result, TV has an important influence on how people spend their time and on what they see and learn.

Many scientists contributed to the development of television, and no one person can be called its inventor. Experiments leading to the invention of TV began in the 1800's, but progress was slow. Television as we know it today was not developed until the 1920's, and it had little importance in communication until the late 1940's. It gained importance in most countries in the 1950's. Since then, television has become part of most homes in many countries of the world. In addition, many organizations, such as businesses, hospitals, and schools now use television for their own purposes.

Television stations broadcast many entertainment programs. They include variety shows; films, including some made for television; quiz shows and soap operas; cartoons and other children's shows. Another kind of television program is the documentary. It entertains as well as informs. Documentaries include travel program about people and animals, alcoholism, drug abuse, etc. Television stations broadcast many talk shows. On these shows, a host interviews people from many walks of life - including athletes, authors, motion-picture and TV stars, and politicians.

Television covers almost every kind of sports event. Every four years, TV brings its viewers the colorful Olympic Games.

All stations broadcast brief summaries of local, national, and international news every day.

Television broadcasts educational programs on a wide range of subjects. It also offers many programs that combine entertainment and cultural enrichment. It telecasts such things as plays by leading dramatists, ballets and symphonies, and surveys of art and history.

Advertising makes up an important part of commercial television. Television commercials appear between.and during most programs. The commercials urge viewers to buy some kind of product. At election time, many political candidates buy advertising time on television to ask people to vote for them.

Large numbers of people like what television offers. Even so, many people criticize its coverage. They say that TV shows too many programs designed only to entertain, and not enough programs that inform, educate, or provide cultural enrichment.

There is little agreement about how television affects young people. Parents have long been concerned about the amount of time young people spend watching TV. Studies have linked watching a lot of television with poor performance in school.

Other studies suggest that television encourages aggressive behavior by showing so much violence.

The government of every country regulates broadcasters in some ways. There are commercial stations and public stations. Commercial stations sell advertising time to play for their operating costs and to make a profit. Public stations are nonprofit organizations that generally rely on business, government, and public contributions to pay their operating costs. In general, democratic governments allow broadcasters much freedom. Undemocratic governments tightly control broadcasting. They use TV as a tool to promote the government's beliefs and policies.

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