This program details the history of this dynamic medium from its modest beginnings. In 1949, cable meant television for locations that had very poor reception or were inaccessible to broadcast signals. By the mid-1970s, cable service began to expand rapidly due to the easing of government restrictions and the use of satellite transmissions. Fiber optics, new cable-ready TVs, and an explosion of programming by an ever-growing number of networks helped...

This program chronicles the golden years of network news and the birth of the satellite age, as "going live" became the order of the day and anchormen and anchorwomen became mega-stars. We watch as television news becomes a force in foreign policy in Tiananmen Square and at the Berlin Wall, as images are used to affect the tide of public opinion. Shortsighted competitors predict little success for television mogul Ted Turner's new international news...

Technological advances are rapidly redefining the news industry-and raising critical ethical concerns. Is the Internet's ability to deliver instant news and to track audience behavior resulting in lower news standards? And is TV news blurring the line between hard news and infotainment? In this two-part NewsHour program, syndicated columnist Richard Reeves; former broadcaster Marvin Kalb, of the Shorenstein Center; Ann McDaniel, Washington bureau...

This program takes us on a tour of what has become one of the most popular and prolific beats in television, on both the network and local levels. The depth and range of medical reporting have grown considerably in the last decade, but, with few exceptions, we were tragically late in reporting the scope and severity of the AIDS story. Controversial cures and dubious wonder drugs have always gotten lots of air-time, but television has dallied in addressing...

When John Logie Baird's invention finally came to fruition in 1936, today's multichannel satellite era was light years away. This program recaptures the spirit of the early days of television with previously unseen footage. It also charts the technical history of TV, provides a probing look at its future, and asks who, among modern communication innovators, will guide the medium into the 21st century?

The father of television journalism and an exemplar of integrity, Fred Friendly was a war correspondent in World War II, the producer of Edward R. Murrow's popular documentary show "See It Now," and the maverick president of CBS News. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel examines the contributions of a man who helped radio news make its quantum leap to the TV screen in the early 1950s and who challenged decision-makers of all types to think-and...

With operations in Australia, Britain, and the U.S., the Murdoch media conglomerate occupies leading positions in the world of print and broadcast news. This program traces the story of the three-generation Murdoch media dynasty through interviews with a rich cast of family members and their associates, including Ed Koch, former mayor of New York City, and Andrew Neil, former editor for The Sunday Times (London) News clips and home video footage of...

This film pays tribute to the oldest and most ambitious independent, community-based media in the world, KPFA radio. Novelist Alice Walker narrates the vibrant and stormy history of the first listener-sponsored station. The film recounts how KPFA transformed itself into a voice for the radical movements of the 1960s. It surveys the station's spirited coverage of such events as the Civil Rights Movement, the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, the campus...

In recent years, podcasts and streaming internet content have been challenging AM radio for listeners. Now, there’s another threat: electric automakers are installing radios without the AM band in new vehicles, citing interference from EV motors. But critics say limiting AM radio’s reach will have repercussions for politics and public safety. Journalist Katie Thornton joins John Yang to discuss in this NewsHour program.