Friday, March 27, 2020 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

[jeff6286]

Oof! Yes, these last couple of days have not been game play at its finest, but this did seem to be a nadir, redeemed mostly by Khalila as a player. FJ was tougher then yesterday’s gimme, but still easily reasoned out.

I knew the Emmy Awards began in 1949, but I recently learned that the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (which today gives out the Emmys) wasn't formed until 1955, as apparently the first 5 years of Emmys were given by the Los Angeles–based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Now burdened by this knowledge, I picked Eisenhower over Truman, thinking that even though I know TV is around in the late 40s, it may not have enough nationwide outlets and/or homes with sets to justify showing the State of the Union. I figured I wouldn't be shocked if it was anywhere from 1949 to 1959, and Eisenhower gave me a wider range. But hey glad to hear that I should have "easily reasoned it out".

[AFRET CMS]

I unfortunately reasoned the reverse way, thinking that Truman was probably the negbait since TV was pretty well established in households by the late forties. I knew the first broadcast station had been in operation since even before FDR's first election, and that sporting events and news programs were being broadcast before the Pearl Harbor attack. Interesting that it took almost 20 years from the inception of commercial broadcasting to decide that a presidential SOU address might be a worthwhile public interest event.

Commercial radio broadcasting began on November 2, 1920 (KDKA in Pittsburgh, the night of the Harding-Cox election), and the first State of the Union broadcast on radio was 1922, with the first national broadcast in 1923 (on an ad-hoc network -- the first permanently established nationwide network, NBC, began operations November 15, 1926).

There had been experimental television broadcasts beginning in the late 1920s, but commercial TV broadcasting didn't start until July 1, 1941 (the stations now known as WCBS and WNBC in New York), and it was pretty close to dormant during World War II. For various reasons, there were some decent-sized cities that didn't even have any TV stations on the air into the Eisenhower administration. (The first TV station serving my hometown, for example, went on the air May 5, 1953.)

https://bebusinessed.com/history/histor ... elevision/:
"The First Television Stations in America

The world’s first television stations first started appearing in America in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

The first mechanical TV station was called W3XK and was created by Charles Francis Jenkins (one of the inventors of the mechanical television). That TV station aired its first broadcast on July 2, 1928.

One of the world’s first television stations, WRGB, has the honor of being the world’s only continuously operating station since 1926 to the modern day."

and (same source)

"America’s First Television Commercial

The first television station in America started broadcasting in 1928. For the first 13 years of its existence, television remained blissfully commercial-free. The first commercial broadcast in America did not take place until July 1, 1941, which is when the first American advertisement aired. The ad was for a Bulova watch and lasted for 10 seconds. It aired on NBC."

Penn State University estimates that there were over 10,000 TV sets in private homes by 1940.
(http://www2.york.psu.edu/~jmj3/sna_bas4.htm)

I didn't use the term "commercial," but I do have to stand by my statement that "the first broadcast station had been in operation since even before FDR's first election, and that sporting events and news programs were being broadcast before the Pearl Harbor attack."

[Woof]

Oof! Yes, these last couple of days have not been game play at its finest, but this did seem to be a nadir, redeemed mostly by Khalila as a player. FJ was tougher then yesterday’s gimme, but still easily reasoned out.

I knew the Emmy Awards began in 1949, but I recently learned that the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (which today gives out the Emmys) wasn't formed until 1955, as apparently the first 5 years of Emmys were given by the Los Angeles–based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Now burdened by this knowledge, I picked Eisenhower over Truman, thinking that even though I know TV is around in the late 40s, it may not have enough nationwide outlets and/or homes with sets to justify showing the State of the Union. I figured I wouldn't be shocked if it was anywhere from 1949 to 1959, and Eisenhower gave me a wider range. But hey glad to hear that I should have "easily reasoned it out".

This is one of those instances where you were burdened by too much knowledge. To my simplistic way of thinking, TV was in its infancy in 1945 and a popular medium by 1953. Had I known all of what you considered, I would doubtless have been less sure of my decision.

[twelvefootboy]

We just watched this game and it was a hoot. I'll take this anytime over a James-interrupting-Alex-beatdown. The Veni-vidi-vinci clue was SNL funny. You can't script this. They all seemed to have fun with their chaotic performance.

On FJ, I decided to take the angle that the timing wasn't based on the arrival of television, but on the newsworthiness and popularity of the SOTU. Which president would be media savvy enough to have this dreck broadcast? I couldn't see Truman or Ike being that self-indulgent and decided on JFK. I suppose the radio era made this become must-hear listening, so I should have gone with the broacast TV timing and stuck with HST.

[Golf]

I don't think I would've celebrated quite that much for winning $399 more than the second place player, but hey, maybe she'll do better in the next episode. Somebody has to!

Technically, she guaranteed herself $1399 than the 2nd place player. But when you win a game of Jeopardy, it's cause for celebration, something very few will ever do. To some it's the goal of a lifetime. And I'd bet that if you won a game of anything on stage with millions watching on TV that you would be quite celebratory as well.

We just watched this game and it was a hoot. I'll take this anytime over a James-interrupting-Alex-beatdown. The Veni-vidi-vinci clue was SNL funny. You can't script this. They all seemed to have fun with their chaotic performance.

She did seem to have fun and that's a good thing. But I'd rather watch a well-played strategically smart game vs. what we saw today.