When Old Becomes New Again: The Emergence of Classic TV Broadcasting

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the reemergence of decades-old television broadcasts and the growth in popularity of those classic shows in the United States over recent years. The research will showcase early television with a comparison to current television broadcasts. Answers to questions as they relate to how programming has evolved and how audiences influenced the change(s) are addressed to set a foundation for the current interest in previously aired broadcasts. The term ‘reruns’ and a brief explanation of ‘residuals’ (paid/unpaid) will be included as well. The information presented in this research has been located in several areas. The obvious place to begin was to investigate documentation that pertained to the emergence of new broadcasting entities such as MeTV (2010) and The Decades Channel (2015) that showcase what is now coined as Classic TV. Archival footage along with that documentation was found through such resources as The Museum of Broadcast Communications and The Broadcast Pioneers of Television. Additional information was also gathered from interviews of the staff of those stations and organizations as well as from veteran broadcast personalities who have witnessed the transition from early television to the reemergence of classic shows. Contact and interviews were made in person, by email and by phone conversation. Other areas of interest for research were discovered in viewer analytics and sociology as they relate to the changing world of media (how it is perceived, positive/negative impacts, the public's need for entertainment). It has been noted that (Keilbach, 2013) most current viewers initially disregard previously aired television programming as old or not interesting. This research shows how people considered the age of a program, in years, along with something they have not yet been exposed to when making the decision to watch vintage shows. The benefit of this research to professionals in the television industry would be to uncover ways to change the current assumption of the viewing audience surrounding vintage programming to be more of a positive experience through exposing these audiences to diverse entertainment. It may also be proven that exposure to less complicated and lighthearted programming may invite families to gather together in front of their favorite show as once was the custom. A final benefit would be geared toward the audience itself. Simply watching previously aired programming that concern subjects that relate to history, prominent personalities, technological advances, and others would increase general historical knowledge for the viewer(s) with little effort. Some studies suggest that more of what is learned/studied can be retained for a longer amount of time if a sense of interest or enjoyment is present.M.S., Television Management -- Drexel University, 201