JACK: TV studio? Has the ABC always had a TV studio? Maybe there's someone in there that could tell me about television? Whoa what's going on?
GEORGE GEORGE: Cool your jets Jacky boy, welcome to the magic of television.
JACK: Who are you?
GEORGE GEORGE: I'm George George from the tonight show with George George.
JACK: Who?
GEORGE GEORGE: So, you want to know what's the dealio with telly?
JACK: How did you know that?
GEORGE GEORGE: I work in television, It's my job. Try the 1920s.
As that very stylish and sophisticated George George pointed out, the first time a moving image was transmitted onto a television was in the 1920s. While there were a number of scientists who'd been experimenting with this sort of technology. Most people credit the American inventor Philo Fransworth as the OG Telly guy. In 1927 he successfully transmitted this. It might just look like a bunch of wiggly lines, which it is, but at the time it was a technological breakthrough and pretty soon this new technology saw TV stations popping up in the UK and the US. Like the BBC and CBS, which are both still around today.
It wasn't until 1956 that Australia got its own TV stations, including TCN - 9 AKA the Nine Network and the ABC AKA - oh it's still the ABC. Over the years TV's changed quite a bit. These days, thanks to the internet, we can consume TV just about anywhere and on anything.
JACK: But the one thing that hasn't changed is its purpose and that's to provide entertainment, communicate important information.
GEORGE GEORGE: And connect us to the world around us.
JACK: Hey, that's my line.
GEORGE GEORGE: Don't blame me Jacky boy, I'm just reading a script.
JACK: Yeah so am I.
The UN started World Television Day to celebrate the impact TV has had on the world. Whether it's bringing together hundreds of millions of people to watch incredible accomplishments, more attention to conflicts or providing a platform to influence social and political change. TV's had a huge effect on our world and the UN says it's not going anywhere. In fact, more people are buying TV's than ever. In our kids talk survey, you told us it's the number 1 place you get your news from by a pretty big margin. I wonder if that's because you're watching BTN on a TV.
JACK: Gee thanks for your help George George, but I better get back to the real world.
GEORGE GEORGE: Any time Jacky boy and remember, television is - oh he's gone. Jas, get me a latte and for the hundredth time this is not my news scarf, it's my cruise scarf. does it look like I'm going on a cruise?
