European Television History brings together television historians and media scholars to chart the development of television in Europe since its inception. The volume interrogates the history of the medium in divergent political, economic, cultural and ideological national contexts
Taking a comparative approach to the topic, the volume is organized around a set of common questions, themes, and methodological reflections
Deals with European television in the context of television historiography and transnational traditions
Case study chapters written by scholars from different European countries to reflect their specific areas of expertise
List of Contributors vii
Acknowledgements ix
1 Introduction: Comparative European Perspectives on Television History 1
Jonathan Bignell and Andreas Fickers
2 Early TV: Imagining and Realising Television 55
Knut Hickethier
3 Institutionalising European Television: The Shaping of European Television Institutions and Infrastructures 79
Christina Adamou, with Isabelle Gaillard and Dana Mustata
4 Searching for an Identity for Television: Programmes, Genres, Formats 101
Jérôme Bourdon, with Juan Carlos Ibáñez, Catherine Johnson and Eggo Müller
5 TV Nations or Global Medium? European Television Between National Institution and Window on the World 127
Sonja de Leeuw, with Alexander Dhoest, Juan Francisco Gutiérrez Lozano, François Heinderyckx, Anu Koivunen and Jamie Medhurst
6 American Television: Point of Reference or European Nightmare? 154
Ib Bondebjerg, with Tomasz Goban-Klas, Michele Hilmes, Dana Mustata, Helle Strandgaard-Jensen, Isabelle Veyrat-Masson and Susanne Vollberg
7 European Television Events and Euro-visions: Tensions between the Ordinary and the Extraordinary 184
Rob Turnock, with Alexander Hecht, Dana Mustata, Mari Pajala and Alison Preston
8 European Television Audiences: Localising the Viewers 215
Mats Björkin, with Juan Francisco Gutiérrez Lozano
9 Conclusion: Reflections on Doing European Television History 229
Andreas Fickers and Jonathan Bignell
10 European Television Archives and the Search for Audiovisual Sources 257
Andy O'Dwyer
Index 264
