Adjusting with our Antennas
What was watched and the way it was watched on TV has presented a significant impact on the medium's influcence over time. Join the lifelong television enthusiast identified as the frequency BAF in a journey through various decades of that medium where the reception came from the antenna. The episodes cover shows, genres, personalities and how not just antennas but how audiences have received them through the airwaves over time.
Produced by Benjamin Fronczek
Our Theme Song: Good Ol Days - 2024 Remaster by Beat Mekanik is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License.
Episodes
46 episodes
Television and the Bicentennial
With the approach of the America's semiquincentennial (250 years), BAF takes a look back at the Bicentennial celebration in 1976 and the role televison played not just that on Sunday, July 4th of that year but months even years before.
Appealing Through Our Antennas
With all the different types of programming the television brought, fund raising played a part and so entered the telethon. Addressing many charitable causes including medical research, support for arts and culture, and hunger relief, BAF explo...
Tuning in to Celebrate with the Celebrities
In the 1950s, awards shows started being televised. Beginning with the Academy Awards (or Oscars) and continuing with the Emmys, Grammys, and ultimately Tonys these programs celebrating achievement in Cinema, Television, Music, and Stage laid t...
The Sunday That Became More Super - Special Bonus Edition
Revisiting bonus coverage through The Prime Time Players introduced last year, BAF presents special bonus content from last year's Super Bowl history episode that covers the evolution and emergence of America's championship game. The e...
How Soap Commercials Turned to Melodrama
The soap commercials first from the radio then television aired during daytime hours, eventually forming a genre known as soap opera and extending into Prime Time. BAF interviews podcaster James Lott, Jr. of JLJ Media, tapping into Lott's exten...
How Television Made a Team Brand
With the NFL season in full grind and approaching the playoffs, BAF looks at the Dallas Cowboys and the highly visible impact and history of their popularity on the air. He is joined by longtime Cowboys fan, Kaete, who represents a solid exampl...
America Loves a Parade, Especially on Television
Parades are a longtime occasion to celebrate and honor. BAF explores how the presence of television has heightened the experience. This involves eliminating the factor of traveling the distance to see the spectacle, bringing amazing views close...
When Television Entered Another Dimension
The 1950s brought science fiction to television, but in October of 1959 a new program took elements of that genre to another level with a new anthology titled "The Twilight Zone." Created, produced, and narrated by Rod Serling this program expl...
From the Mountain to the Prairie
The 1970s were a changing time for television bringing in a mix of new sitcoms and variety shows involving satire and social issues along with new trends and images in action shows and crime dramas. As the curtain closed on the era of western-b...
The Games Experiened Around the World
No, it's not an Olympic year and half a year away from one. But the purpose of having an Olympic Games sustains through time. BAF admits that in starting the podcast in 2024 he neglected last year's summer games in lieu of prepping introductory...
Watching the Spies
In this bonus coverage, BAF peeks into the television shows of the 1960s decade that centered on espionage. Inspired by the release of the early James Bond films, spy-themeed programs began their mission with The Man from U.N.C.L.E. an...
The Opening Theme: Going But Not Forgotten?
BAF explores a nostalgic subject for many when it comes to television programs - the opening theme. The early programs focused on the announcement of the show and its primary sponsor(s) but over time has helped introduce the setting and charact...
Serving Up Tennis On Television
With this year's Wimbledon Grand Slam Tournament in the books and looking ahead to this year's U.S. Open , BAF explores the history and impact of tennis on television from its roots in the 20th Century. Loc, a well-received guest from last seas...
Seasons Start, Seasons End, Seasons Change
The evolution of television programming was greatly influenced by the structure of the television season. BAF explores how it started out in experimental forms with early programming before eventually developing a fall through spring-summer mod...
Putting the “Breaks” on the Air
Commerical breaks that is! BAF explores televison advertising from its earliest days and how it has evolved and changed. From its earliest days of sponsors promoting cigarette smoking to anti-drug public service announcements. From the earlier ...
The Late Night Legacy on Saturday Night
BAF continues his exploration of changing comedy-variety shows with a look back at Saturday Night Live. Now in its 50th Season, the legendary sketch based program followed the a new wave of parody and issue-oriented comedy shows that c...
The Changing Nature of Variety in the 60s and 70s
As Saturday Night Live celebrates 50 years, BAF explores comedy-variety sketch shows that aired in the 10 years before it premiered. Such programs themeed their content around current events of the day, popular culture, and parodies of...
Subscriber Bonus Coverage: On the Job, On the Air: For the Defense...
As additional testimony to what was presented in the episode On the Job, On the Air: In the Criminal Justice System, BAF investigates more law enforcement officials outside the positions of police detective and prosecuting attorneys. I...
Subscriber Bonus Coverage: On the Job, On the Air: In the Criminal Justice System...
After taking a look through the lens of the "Law & Order" setup (police investigators and prosecuting attorneys, BAF looks at the private investigation component. Some notable examples occured between the 1960s-80s decades with Mannix, ...
Subscriber Bonus Coverage: The Sunday That Became More Super
A value to members of The Prime Time Players: Hear bonus content of the latest released episode that covers the evolution and emergence of America's championship game with further details on how it came to be named the Super Bowl, some...
How March Became Mad on the Air
With the entrance of March comes the excitiement and anticipation of the annual NCAA College Basketball Tournament, Teams qualify, brackets are formed, and eventually a national champion is declared. But of all those who compete on the court, t...
A New Path for Network TV
During the late 1980s, segments of a new television network started budding then blossoming into the regular lineup of shows. Before FOX television became a larger enterprise it worked its way into antenna television with some unique programs. ...
On the Job, On the Air: In the Criminal Justice System...
One of television longest running and most popular crime dramas is Law & Order, and it has given the genre a whole new meaning not to mention to concept of branding off into other series. Before it came to be though, the television...
The Sunday That Became More Super
It's more than just a championship game and BAF explores why. It doesn't need a seven-game series, home field advantage, or a dominating superstar athlete. With a blend of exciting play, diverse commercials, and engaging performance, the Super ...