Blackwell Reference Online

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Television (pronunciation: tl-vzhn) n . [French télévision: télé-, far (from Greek tle-, tele- ) + vision, vision ] 1 The transmission of visual images of moving and stationary objects, generally with accompanying sound, as electromagnetic waves and the reconversion of received waves into visual images. 2 a. An electronic apparatus that receives electromagnetic waves and displays the reconverted images on a screen. b. The integrated audible and visible content of the electromagnetic waves received and converted by such an apparatus. 3 The industry of producing and broadcasting television programs. ( The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language , fourth edition, 2000) Television? The word is half Greek, half Latin. No good can come of it. C. P. Scott, English journalist (1846–1932) What is television, how can we understand it, and why should we bother? Ultimately, these questions lie at the heart of this volume, which features original essays by an international collection of media scholars who have studied various aspects of television. But even these experts do not offer easy or conclusive answers to these key questions, for television presents a complex phenomenon that has become a ubiquitous feature of our modern world. Television is a multifaceted apparatus. Most simply, it is a technological process, an electronic device, a system of distributing images and ... log in or subscribe to read full text