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Mass Media Timeline
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Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914
In 1914, under President Wilson, Congress passes the Federal Trade Commission Act to protect consumers against deception in advertisement. This act was passed as a business reform to prevent unfair and untruthful advertisements, forcing businesses to be upfront and truthful about their products. -
First TIME Magazine Launched
The popular weekly news magazine, TIME, was first published in New York City, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden on March 3, 1923. TIME Magazine became the first weekly new magazine in the United States, circulating through radio and movie theaters. The magazine features their annual "Person of the Year", "Time 100" (100 most influential people of the year), and worldly news that impacts the United States. -
Federal Radio Act
In 1927, The Federal Radio Act was put into place to regulate radio in the United States -
Television
The first regularly scheduled television service in the United States began on July 2, 1928, fifteen months before the United Kingdom. For the first eighteen months, 48-line silhouette images from motion picture film were broadcast. Now, television has hundreds of thousands of channels and services as well as internet aces and 24/7 airtime. -
Fireside Chats
During the nations hardships in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt held what is known as fireside chats. This was a series of radio broadcasts where FDR would talk and reassure Americans during hard times such as the recession, the New Deal, and World War II. -
Federal Communications Commission
In 1934, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was founded to regulate interstate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. This commission replaced the Federal Radio Act. -
Communications Act of 1934
The Communications Act of 1934 is a United States federal law, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 19, 1934.The Act replaced the Federal Radio Commission with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It also transferred regulation of interstate telephone services from the Interstate Commerce Commission to the FCC. -
Local Newscasts
In the 1940s, originally, the only main source of news on television was local news broadcasts relative to the area in which people lived. It wasn't much, but before national broadcasts, like CNN or FOX, it was all people had. -
NBC News
NBC News was founded in 1940, originally on the radio as a news station. It has since then progressed to television and is a leading name in the news industry. -
ABC News
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) was founded by Disney Media Networks in 1945 to convey news to the media. ABC is one of the biggest news broadcasters currently. -
First Computer- ENIAC
In 1946, the very first computer was built initially for number calculations to be used by the United States Military. It was funded by the United States Army, Ordnance Corps. Now, the computer is used for an infinite number of things, and not just for calculations. -
First Computer- ENIAC
In 1946, the very first computer was built initially for number calculations to be used by the United States Military. It was funded by the United States Army, Ordnance Corps. Now, the computer is used for an infinite number of things, and not just for calculations. -
Cable TV
Cable Television was first introduced in 1948, in Arkansas, Oregon and Pennsylvania. cable originally brought distant over-the-air television signals from miles away to mountainous or geographically remote areas. In the 1960s and 1970s, cable TV expanded into bigger cities and major metro areas. -
First Televised Presidential Inauguration
In 1949, President Harry Truman's inauguration was the very first televised inauguration. -
First Coast to Coast Broadcast
In 1951, President Harry S. Truman’s opening speech before a conference in San Francisco was broadcast across the nation, marking the first time a television program was broadcast from coast to coast. The speech focused on Truman’s acceptance of a treaty that officially ended America’s post-World War II occupation of Japan. -
First televised Presidential Debate
In 1960, in the running for president, the very first presidential debate changed the game for how voters got to know their candidates. Richard Nixon and JFK went head to head in this debate, however this televised event may have helped JFK win. Because this event was televised, many believe that it made Nixon clam up and get nervous, making him look ill and not confident. On the other hand, John F. Kennedy was calm and collected, making him more appealing to voters. -
First Presidential Inauguration Broadcast on Color Television
On January 21st, 1961, when John F. Kennedy was sworn into presidency, it was the first to be broadcast on color television. -
Broadcast of Moon Landing
In 1969, history was made when the first ever broadcast was made to the public, from the moon. When Apollo 11 launched into space, almost every American was watching it live on TV as man stepped foot on the moon for the very first time. This event also sparked a lot of controversy, many believing that this moon landing was fake. -
Apple Inc. Founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, & Ronald Wayne
Apple is one of the largest technology companies in the world at the moment. In 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded this company that manufactures one the most popular and well-known smart phones to date, the iPhone. It is the most widely used piece of technology that almost everyone relies on for social connection, world connection, and personal use. -
ESPN
In 1979, sports media had changed forever when ESPN was founded in Connecticut by Bill Rasmussen. This brought a constant update of sports news and entertainment to the public. -
First CNN Broadcast
In 1980, the well-known news broadcast, CNN, aired for the first time on television. -
Infotainment
Infotainment aka 'soft news' is a type pd media on television that provides a combo of information and entertainment. This type of media was first launched in 1980. -
MTV
MTV first aired in August of 1981. This Music network changed the way that music news and entertainment was brought to the public by airing music videos and artist interviews. -
Internet Invented
in 1983, the internet was mainly used for email among researches, rather than the plethora things it is used for today. -
Challenger Disaster Broadcast
In January of 1986, a disaster was witnessed by billions on live television. Mainly children were traumatized when the Challenger space shuttle launched into the air, containing several astronauts and first ever private citizen and teacher, Christa McAuliffe. Upon launch, the shuttle exploded, killing all passengers aboard. Many students everywhere ha been eagerly watching in their classrooms, and had unfortunately witnessed their teacher die. -
Persian Gulf War is Broadcast on Live TV
At the time of the Persian Gulf War in Iraq, coverage of conflict had only been on radio and film. However, in 1991, the very first live war coverage was broadcast on television. Viewers could see conflict unraveling live for the very first time. -
O.J Simpson Coverage
One of the most well-known crime coverage on live and regular television is the O.J Simpson trial. The football star was charged with killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Live helicopters were following Simpson as he fled in a high sped chase from police. Millions of people watched the events unfold live on their TV's. Cameras where allowed in the courtroom which made it all the more exciting for viewers. The trial is known as the "Trial of the Century". -
Monica Lewinsky Scandal
For the first time ever, politics and a sex scandal made its way into the media. Media had never covered a story about a case like this before, and when it hit the media, it made history. The scandal involved President Clinton, and his alleged infidelity with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Since Clinton's presidency was at stake, this was not just a gossip story, and ultimately he ended up being impeached. -
Internet Explorer
In August of 1995, one of the very first web browsers invented was Microsoft Internet Explorer. This web browser was the first of its kind to open the gates to the world wide web and allow fast and easy access to millions of websites. This easy access then made it possible to receive news and other information via the internet. Today, its popularity has declined as faster browsers have developed, but it is still a very well-known browser of its time. -
Fox News
In 1996, the American basic cable and satellite news television channel, Fox News, was founded by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, to be a counter to popular news network, CNN. The network soon became the number one news cable channel. -
Telecommunications Act
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of telecommunications law. The goal of this new law is to let anyone enter any communications business compete in any market against any other. -
News Bloggers
It wasn't until 1997 when the term, 'weblog' and 'blog' were coined. It was the late 90's when people would use the internet to post weblogs about news, or events, or personal opinion. Bloggers would use platforms such as WebEx, CompuServe, and Bulletin Board Systems. Today, blogging has gained a lot more respect as more credible sources for news and entertainment have risen. -
Covering 9/11
One of the country's worst disaster was covered on the news. When the terrorist attack occurred, it changed the way that threats were reported in the news. Since the country is now on edge, the media now covers any threat to country seriously. No matter how minute that threat might be, post-9/11 news is now careful to alert the public about any potential threat. -
Facebook was Invented
The social media site, Facebook, was invented in February 2004, by Mark Zuckerburg, and his Harvard College roommates. This social media site was initially designed for Ivy-League students, but later progressed to public use. This status-updating site now has over 2 billion active users. -
YouTube
YouTube is one of the largest companies in the world, being the world's most popular video sharing websites of our time. YouTube was initially made as a free-range video-sharing service, but is now regulated by Google, and gives creators the opportunity to make revenue, and post high quality production content. YouTube is used for music, entertainment, and news. -
Twitter was Invented
Twitter is another status-updating, news, social media website that was invented in March of 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams. Twitter now has over 319 million active users. -
First iPhone
The first generation iPhone was made in June of 2007, and since then has become one of the most popular smart phones ever. Almost everyone relies on them for communication, directions, weather, news, and entertainment. There are currently over ten models of the iPhone. -
Instagram Invented
Instagram was invented by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, and launched in October 2010 as a free mobile app. Instagram is a social media site that is designed for picture status updates. It now has 800 million active users. -
ALS Challenge
In 2014, social media was big on internet challenges. However one came up that would become a widespread challenge that would go toward a great cause. The ALS ice bucket challenge was a challenge that would help raise money and awareness for ALS. This was the first time an internet challenge swept social media and led to countless donation to the organization. -
Net Neutrality
A big 2017 controversy was the repeal of Net Neutrality. The FCC chairman decided to repeal all internet regulations set in place by former president, Barack Obama. Net Neutrality would create equal opportunity for internet users, however it would require internet service companies to charge users more to see certain content.
