, respectively. Simply because they were broadcast on television does not make them part of television history. Television began as an entertainment medium, and continues to entertain as a primary function. The broadcast of news events is part of television, but should not be considered so important as to be included in such a compact history. This is a very closed way of looking at things, however, as these events not only changed history, including television, but changed the people who witnessed them through the eye of the television camera. Events such as the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the moon landing were viewed worldwide through the immediacy of television. These events were not changed by television; television was changed by them. The initial turning point of broadcast news was the assassination of President Kennedy. Never before had so many viewers tuned into the same program at the same time. Coverage of the tragedy lasted for four solid days. As quoted from Marya Mannes in Barnouw's Tube of Plenty, 'This was not viewing. This was total involvement.' The majority of US citizens were informed of the shootings through television, and that is what they remember of the tragedy. Television changed the way they saw the world.Current events are an extremely important part of the history of television. They not only affected millions of people in a way not possible before television, but the sight of these events on television is what impacted the people the most. Granted, these events occurred outside of a television studio and were not made for television, but they were covered by television and remain a vital part of it. The 'global village' envisioned by early pioneers of radio had indeed come to fruition through television and the news events covered by the medium. ...
