For one, the business of making people watch free TV shows had transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry (more than $50 billion as of last count) in the U.S. alone. And consciously or otherwise, television had become a touchstone of popular culture it had helped spawn through entertainment, education, news and current events, politics, sports and many other facets of modern life.
Beginnings
Since the first public demonstration in August 25, 1934 of the all-electronic TV system in Philadelphia by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, it took only a little over a decade or so (the 50s) for television to grasp the extent of its economics. Most of their revenues would come from the advertisers.
By late 1950s, live TV was out and most of the series were filmed. One big advantage of filmed TV shows would be the possibility of a rerun or syndication for re-airing at some future time (which means more income). During this time, too, westerns and detective dramas were in vogue and were top-raters.
In the 60s, newscasts were lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes. Although ratings for newscasts did not equal those of the other free TV shows (notably the entertainment sector), they earned enough viewers to attract advertisers and earn their keep.
It was also at around this time that formats for the news were changed. There came other flashier features – show business news, sports, and spectacular news like fires and crimes – incorporated into the mainstream body of news reports.
By the 80s, cable stations like CNN, ESPN, MTV and many others entered into the mainstream TV industry. Commercial TV boomed. By the 90s, almost 70% of homes had cable. However, viewer preferences were remarkably narrow. Nickelodeon shows and some sports programs led the ratings.
With the entry of cable, the networks changed their strategies in presenting the news, as we have noted. But the bigger change would be in the free shows and other entertainment programs. These shows would re-invent themselves and become more daring and audacious.
The Fox Network, established in 1986 and owned by Australian Rupert Murdoch, was the most enthusiastic of all the networks in welcoming these new loose trends in programming. Some of their comedies, action and drama series, and some reality shows crossed the boundaries of good taste. This was also in time with the relaxation of federal regulations in broadcasting.
The other networks did their own innovations along with the current trends and tastes pervading among the viewers, especially those who patronize the free shows. The old standards are still making headlines and money (series on hospitals, police procedurals, family dramas).
However, the old action and adventure segments have branched out into areas that were not heard of before, or too fantastic to imagine. At the moment, reality shows and other hybrid shows (American Idol, Dancing With The Stars) lord it over the current ratings.
The 21st century
Today, every country in the world has at least one television channel. This had enabled them to share their own culture with the rest of the globe’s citizens, and vice-versa. One example was the huge celebration in every continent in connection with the onset of the new millennium. It fulfilled an old goal of bringing the world together into one global village, in real time.
With the expected convergence of the computer and television in the near future, there may be more changes in the viewing habits of people as well as the changes in the sources of news and information and how they are to be disseminated.
For followers and viewers of free TV shows, what could be more exciting?
History of Softball
The history of softball is by far the clearest of all documented sports related histories. Meaning that football history, soccer and golf among other sports all have much more convoluted beginnings compared to softball history. It is a relatively young sport that was originated in Chicago in 1887. The story has it that after receiving the score of the Yale and Harvard football game that a group of young men jumped up and one young man threw a boxing glove at another who proceeded to hit it with a pole. George Hancock who is often credited with creating the game then drew out a diamond on the floor and took the handle of a broom to use as a stick. They tied more boxing gloves up to be used as an oversized ball. Suffice that it is odd to say that softball history originated indoors and was developed by men. The original game was loosely based on a shortened version of baseball with a smaller field and a larger ball. Shortly after this Mr. Hancock painted permanent lines in the gymnasium, prepared some new rules and coined the sport indoor baseball.
Softball history’s popularity grew rapidly and Hancock then formed a publication on all of the rules of the game. Canada adopted the sport as it was easy to play indoors. Then the game took a turn on the outdoor fields in the summer and was called indoors/outdoors.
Different teams and leagues began to grow all over the northeast. Chicago while credited with the development saw teams popping up in Minnesota, New York and Massachusetts. Then the great gold rush took easterners west to gain riches and along with them they brought there sports, which helped develop the west coasts teams.
Women’s softball was also developed in Chicago and West Division High was the first to have a team in 1895. They played mostly indoors and were not initially recognized as comparable to the men. It took the women’s leagues much longer to gain credibility and the real crossover was the growth in popularity of baseball. As baseball became much more popular the male players shifted to it while the women began to make softball there own. Now a day’s both men and women of all ages can enjoy the sport.
Throughout the 1900’s leagues and tournaments began to pop up everywhere. The National Championship was first played in Chicago in 1933 and it included both male and female competitors. The sixties and seventies saw professional leagues come and go for women. The slow pitch game evolved on the international level with the Softball World Championships in 1965. It ultimately set the platform for the Olympics which greatly improved softball history. The game began to shift as players became much bigger and stronger and less pitching and defense were incorporated. The officials and high ranking decision makers of the leagues around the world began to make a shift to fast pitch softball beginning around the 1980’s and 90’s. At first the changes were met with much resistance but the game has since embraced the changes.
Fast pitch has altered the appearance of the game dramatically. The sport is much more a game of speed and defense rather than offense and power and it has also produced much more media coverage and growth in the sport than ever.
The game of softball is appealing to so many levels of our society. Young men and women can enjoy the game on either a social or competitive level. The thousands of softball leagues around the country provide for a great social backdrop. College teams flourish and the international scene is more popular than ever. Softball history has come such a long way in the last hundred years from poles and boxing gloves to international notoriety, so goes the history of softball.
In keeping with its intention to introduce seasonal limited editions every year, and in an effort to ring in the spirit of tennis in India, TVS Motor Company has signed up a one year agreement with the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) as the official licensee for Wimbledon Tournaments. As part of this association, TVS Motor Company will bring out two excitingly designed, limited edition scooters, which are inspired by the contemporary, classic and sporty imagery of ‘the spirit of Wimbledon’.
The TVS Scooty Wimbledon Collection, namely, Wimbledon Class and Wimbledon Xtreme will be launched to coincide with the Wimbledon season, beginning June. While the former is a classic rendition of the Wimbledon colours, pristine white with purple and green flow-strokes, the latter is an exciting red bike with ‘never-before’ graffiti art that captures the sheer excitement of tennis!
“At TVS, we constantly study the leading style and fashion trends in India and abroad to assist the development of our themes every season. We observed that there is a growing trend of sports and fitness consciousness amongst young girls that is being reflected in fashion trends. They tend to identify with the tennis stars, who continue a long legacy of being style and fashion icons” said S Srinivas, General Manager Marketing, TVS Motor Company.
“The TVS Scooty Wimbledon Collection, comprising of 10,000 scooters is being brought out as a tribute to women with sporty attitude. Buyers of the Scooty Pep+ Wimbledon collection will get a complementary Scooty-Wimbledon sweatshirt and a sporty sling bag. Being a limited edition, the Wimbledon collection will retail at a premium of Rs.1599 over regular colors. ” he added.
The Wimbledon Collection endorses the fact that Scooty Pep+ is a brand that is known for style innovations and remains the most exciting two-wheeler brand for young girls. Each color in its repertoire allows the girl to express her unique style and personality. Girls can choose from Perky Pink, or Mystic Mauve or from our range of 99 colours that are customized just for her!
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ZZEBRA is an independent communication company based in Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) with Regional Headquarters in India’s top cities – New Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai. The Zzebra network also covers Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune. Founded in 2003, the core team of the firm includes CP Thomas, Pooja Chaudhri, and Prashant Shivram.
For Further Details Please contact :
Gaurav Gupta : + 91- 9833994227, gaurav@zzebra.net
Ashwin Chandrasekhar: +91-9892367006, ashwin.c84@gmail.com