Adjusting with our Antennas

Tune in with your feedback Whether it is those who teach or those who learn, the school setting represented a signficant television community of characters. Schools have been shown in various shows but specific ones used the setting as a centerpiece. BAF welcomes back Early Childhood Teacher Krysti to review some of these programs through the decades starting with the 1950s sitcoms Mister Peepers...

Tune in with your feedback In the continuing series On the Job, On the Air BAF explores shows that centered on the ficitious media and how some interacted with reality and issues of the day. Specifically noted is Mary Tyler Moore's portrayal of the more independent professional woman through her own series The Mary Tyler Moore Show and how that character lineup in an American televison newsro...

Tune in with your feedback We interrupt this podcast to bring you a recap and some special updates. This episode presents a brief yet informative review for current, new, and prospective listeners alike as BAF summarizes past episodes with a couple of new annoucements. So take 10 to tune in!  Support the show

Tune in with your feedback BAF continues his exploration into workplace settings on television through the decades. This episode travels to hosptality venues such as the 1970s Phoenix diner in Alice and the 1980s Boston bar Cheers . It hits the high seas with The Love Boat crew and docks in San Francisco at the St. Gregory for Hotel . It flies the friendly skies and lands at Tom Nevers Field for W...

Tune in with your feedback BAF begins a series covering workplace settings, as shown on television programs. With that exploration are the characters and their occupations, how they interact on the program, and how these characters and occupations have been perceived over time by viewers with commentary. It starts out with medical dramas during the 1950s and 1960s set in hospitals such as Medic an...

Tune in with your feedback This episode is released near November 11th to align with the observance of Veterans Day and pay tribute to how the U.S. Armed Forces have been portrayed on television through the decades. BAF begins with early documentaries and anthologies such as Victory at Sea and Navy Log then recalls the early sitcoms of the army with The Phil Silvers Show (originally You'll Ne...

Tune in with your feedback BAF welcomes the show's first guest, an early education professional, Krysti, to discuss television programs designed for children. The shows discussed start with those in the early days during the 1940s with puppet-based programs such as Puppet Televison Theater with Howdy Doody and Kukla, Fran, and Ollie . Early educational programs are also explored as well as th...

Tune in with your feedback In this episode BAF explores how television took a different turn with more cultural, educational, and informative programs. The programming started as early as the 1950s but became part of a more formalized network that was funded and operated differently and officially classified as public television. The emergence of PBS brought Julia Child and Bob Ross, Mister Rogers...

Tune in with your feedback Starting with the early talk shows of Joe Franklin, Merv Griffin, and Phil Donohue, it was beyond the news: it was interviews and feature stories and news magazine shows such as 60 Minutes, 20/20, and Dateline NBC , and hosts such as Sally Jessy Raphael and Oprah Winfrey expanded those boundaries. More programs pushed the limits! Support the show

Tune in with your feedback BAF follows up a past episode The People Next Door with a further look into the changing household beyond just the nuclear family. Social roles played a key part over time in defining what households in sitcoms were portrayed to audiences from the late 1940s all the way into the early 1990s. It starts out with those of servants in the early sitcoms The Laytons, Beulah, M...

Tune in with your feedback With movies already being shown on television, especially those made exclusively for the small screen, the miniseries soon evolved with a limited number of episodes airiing consecutive evenings or weeks. BAF explores the very first telecast of one in the United States in 1973 titled The Blue Knight based on a book of that title. The formula of converting memorable books...

Tune in with your feedback The ability to view movies dates back over a 100 years and we have now reached that milestone for television. Cable and streaming have brought television movie viewing a long way from the early telecasts of The Wizard of Oz , the network-based movies and premieres from Brian's Song to The Day After , and Disney films. In an modern enivronment where movies on TV are...

Tune in with your feedback The medium of television has brought scenes of reality into American households. From the 1940s through the decades to follow, BAF explores the journalists who reported the news plus specific programs. Whether they were in Prime Time, daytime, or in the field around the world, they brought true scenes that have created exposure and shaped American experiences and viewpoi...

Tune in with your feedback BAF contrasts the celebrity-lifestyle centered programming from the prior episode with a look into everyday lives of families. The exploration begins with how more traditional American nuclear families (two parents and their children) such as those on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Father Knows Best evolved over time in shows such as Family Ties and Roseanne . ...

Tune in with your feedback Nothing like a good western. Starting with moral shows like Hopalong Cassidy and The Lone Ranger and continuing with more realistic and historic mainstays such as Gunsmoke and Bonanza , BAF explores how this genre kept TV audiences saddled up during the 50s and 60s decades and why the momentum eventually shifted back into the stables of time. Support the show

Tune in with your feedback To start out the podcast, BAF opens with a preview of what to expect along with a few historical notes and perspectives on the impact of television’s introduction.  Support the show

Tune in with your feedback Following the conclusion of World War II and the popularity of radio, BAF explores how personalities like Ed Sullivan, Milton Berle, and Red Skelton brought the live stage into American living rooms and how other shows and their hosts made a mark in decades to come. BAF looks at stylistic differences, scheduling challenges, and even how advertising and social factors aff...

Tune in with your feedback BAF continues his exploration of television’s venture and growth into America’s living rooms with the introduction of the first situation comedies. Starting with the very first sitcom, this episode focuses on early stars, the situations in their shows, and how American viewers were invited into their celebrity lifestyles.  It also centers on the importance of Desilu and...