Invention to institution: A comparative historical analysis of television across three national sites

This Thesis explores the protracted emergence and early development of television as a viable commercial medium. It assesses the role played by key individuals in television’s prehistory, across three national sites: Britain, the United States and Australia. After comparing and contrasting seminal developments in Britain and the United States, the Thesis addresses the issues of globalisation and localisation of television in an Australian context. The Thesis argues that current research associated with Australian television history focuses on developments subsequent to the introduction of television in 1956. Consequently there is a lack of conversation about Australian television’s pre-history. This includes the narrative associated with Australian inventors whose achievements were influential not only in Australia, but also impacted the development of television internationally. The Thesis concludes by providing an assessment of the international influence on the local Australian industry during the introduction of television. The later chapters show that while the technology of television introduced to Australia was comparable to that of Britain and the United States, its adoption was shaped by the local, social and political factors of the time.