Tedium Highlight in Television: What happens when “lost” films and television shows become found once again—and what that does to the work’s cultural legacy. 

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Tag results: Television

Party In The Rear

Considering the legacy of rear-projection TVs, the most efficient route to a big-screen TV in the pre-LCD era.

Dead On A Friday

The Friday night death slot, and why Fridays carry such a hard-to-shake reputation as a place where good broadcast television goes to die.

Paramount Concerns

In an immediate austerity measure after a failed merger, Paramount kills a ton of online content—an ironic move for a brand that has long exploited nostalgia.

Retro Zeitgeist

Jon Stewart’s fascinating late-career return to The Daily Show is further evidence that linear television is no longer what it once was.

California Nearly Killed HBO

The surprisingly true story of how the state that has arguably benefited the most from the pay-TV industry … once voted to ban it. Blame an effective slogan.

Tune-In

Laugh-In creator George Schlatter finally gives his long-lost show Turn-On the official release it deserves. He loves that the internet noticed his white whale.

Next-Gen Roadblock

A patent holder successfully gets one of the biggest advocates of next-gen television to retreat, and other companies could be next.

Network Lobotomy

After nearly two decades as the primary broadcast channel for teens, The CW, under new ownership, wants to be something else. It may be a hint at what’s next for linear television.

Turn-On’s Turning Point

The infamous cancelled-during-the-first-episode show, a lost-media legend, is on YouTube, which makes it the perfect time to analyze its legacy.

Films on Wheels

Pondering the under-the-radar legacy of the TV cart on wheels, a simple object as known for its substitute-teacher value as its risk as a tip-over hazard.

UHF 2.0

In a world of overwhelming media conglomerates, do regular folks have a shot at building TV for themselves anymore? In one rural Georgia mountain town, the answer is yes.

The Coronation Will Be Televised

How the British public overturned a live television ban on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II—a monarch who showed a surprising embrace of technology during her long reign.

From Cable to Local

It’s not common for cable networks to pivot to traditional antenna-driven broadcast networks, but it’s been known to happen—especially if said network can be directly monetized.

All Over the TV Dial

Like reading about odd broadcasting and television standards? Perfect—this post is for you. We’re starting in Jamaica.

Cathode Ray Context

A few ways cathode ray tubes were used that you might not have been aware of by simply watching the boob tube.

Painting With Light

How a little box and stylus revolutionized television graphics. You may not know but the Quantel Paintbox is, but you’ve seen its impact.

Repetition, In Four Parts

Pondering the issue of repetition in four different ways, in an effort to not repeat myself. Ever feel like you’re repeating yourself? Read this.

This Old Scandal

Why Bob Vila, perhaps the most famous handyman in history, may have set the stage for a digital era in which stars aren’t afraid to cash in on their names.

Package Deal

Why did the television industry put so much energy into combining TV sets with VCRs, anyway? It seems like they were everywhere for a while.

Hesitancy On Display

Why the active-matrix LCD panel, despite largely being invented and developed by American companies, was never really manufactured in the United States.
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