Television & Radio
Is it true that video killed the radio star? When broadcast radio came into prominence early in the 20th century, it delighted the public by providing news and entertainment with an immediacy that had been unimaginable beforehand. Radio developed into the first electronic mass medium, but broadcast radio's popularity was eclipsed by television, which appeared about 1945. Television, which was originally conceived as a potential medium for education and interpersonal communication, ultimately evolved into a vibrant broadcast medium that offered a diverse slate of news and entertainment to people all over the world. By the early 21st century, the Internet made it possible to watch TV anywhere, anytime, on small portable devices.
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National Broadcasting Co., Inc.
National Broadcasting Co., Inc. (NBC), major American commercial broadcasting company, since 2004 the television component of NBCUniversal, which is owned by the Comcast Corporation. The oldest broadcasting...
Motorola, Inc.
Motorola, Inc., American manufacturer and one of the historic brands of wireless communications and electronic systems. In 2011 it split into two companies: Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions. Its...
Philips
Philips, major Dutch manufacturer of consumer electronics, electronic components, medical imaging equipment, household appliances, lighting equipment, and computer and telecommunications equipment. Philips...
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live (SNL), American sketch comedy and variety television series that has aired on Saturday nights on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) network since 1975, becoming one of the longest-running...
Late Show
Late Show, American late-night talk show that began airing on the CBS television network in 1993, with comedian David Letterman as host, and won numerous Emmy Awards for its innovative, frequently off-the-wall...
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation, major American mass-media company that operates the CBS national television network and that includes the Simon & Schuster publishing groups and the Showtime cable network, among other...
WarnerMedia
WarnerMedia, one of the largest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world. It was founded as Time Warner following the merger of Warner Communications and Time Inc. in 1990, and after becoming...
British Broadcasting Corporation
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), publicly financed broadcasting system in Great Britain, operating under royal charter. It held a monopoly on television in Great Britain from its introduction until...
Mad Men
Mad Men, American television drama series that aired (2007–15) on the American Movie Classics (AMC) cable network and was widely praised for its nuanced representation of social life in the 1960s and for...
Disney Company
Disney Company, American corporation best known as a purveyor of family entertainment. During the 20th and early 21st centuries, it became one of the world’s largest media conglomerates, with such holdings...
HBO
HBO, American cable television company that arguably became the leading premium cable station for its mix of movies and innovative original programming. It was founded in 1972 by Time Inc. The company’s...
Communications Act of 1934
Communications Act of 1934, U.S. federal law that provided the foundation for contemporary U.S. telecommunications policy. The Communication Act of 1934 established the Federal Communications Commission...
Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), private, nonprofit American corporation whose members are the public television stations of the United States and its unincorporated territories. PBS provides its member...
Glee
Glee, American musical comedy television series that aired on the Fox network (2009–15). Its inventive blend of broadly satiric humour, heartfelt drama, and dynamic musical productions earned it a loyal...
Television in the United States
Television in the United States, the body of television programming created and broadcast in the United States. American TV programs, like American popular culture in general in the 20th and early 21st...
MTV
MTV, cable television network that began as a 24-hour platform for music videos. MTV debuted just after midnight on August 1, 1981, with the broadcast of “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. Following...
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks, American television drama that was broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) network (1990–91) and Showtime (2017). It garnered critical acclaim and a cult following with its unconventional...
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show, long-running American late-night television talk show. Airing since 1954 on NBC, it is the standard against which others of its genre are judged. The show has won multiple Emmy Awards....
American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company (ABC), major American television network that is a division of the Disney Company. Its headquarters are in New York City. The company’s history traces to 1926, when the Radio...
American Idol
American Idol, American reality television series in which aspiring singers competed for a recording contract and a shot at wealth and fame. Following its debut on the Fox network, American Idol (2002–16)...
Television & Radio Subcategories
![radio](https://cdn.britannica.com/59/95459-050-2C61EC63/family-radio-console.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
Articles
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Motorola, Inc.
American company
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The Tonight Show
American television program
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Public Broadcasting Service
American organization
![Rush Limbaugh](https://cdn.britannica.com/53/214853-050-83FFCDD8/American-radio-personality-Rush-Limbaugh-2010.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
Articles
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Alex Trebek
Canadian-born American television personality
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Studs Terkel
American author and oral historian
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Yair Lapid
prime minister of Israel