160 | Mass Media and Historical Change
(ibid., Vol. 1: 254). However, television probably had such an impact precisely
because this influence was ascribed to it; and people, not only politicians,
adapted to it for that reason.
In respect of its content, television became a medium for politics at a
late date and in limited measure. In every country, including most dictator-
ships, entertainment shows without direct political relevance were the most
prevalent in television, although sports reports and crime stories were often
presented within a political framework in dictatorships. During the 1950s,
political commentaries, even on the BBC, were not written by the stations
themselves but by politicians. Political journalism was again pioneered by
American television. As early as 1947 there was a U.S. political talk show
with journalists (Meet the Press), which was later adapted in other countries
(Internationaler Frühschoppen in West Germany from 1953). Since newspa-
pers were considered political media, television took over their culture of
debate, which was still strictly regulated in the Federal Republic (Verheyen,
in Bösch and Borutta 2006). Television in the United States also adapted
some political magazine programmes from radio formats, for example See It
Now (CBS, 1951–57), which took a stance on policies with its investigative
reporting and helped to bring about the downfall of the communist-hunting
Senator McCarthy. This format was picked up by the BBC with its Pan-
orama (from 1953), which then in turn appeared under the same name in
Germany after 1961 and established critical investigative journalism on
German television. Even television in the GDR aired Prisma (after 1963),
a moderated political magazine programme that allowed at least limited
(consumer) criticism and therefore had very many viewers. It would be an
important research task to do an international comparison of the style and
impact of these political magazine programmes, as they doubtless contrib-
uted decisively towards politicising television and society during the 1960s
and were therefore fiercely fought over by political parties. In West Germany
in particular, moderators were continually being transferred, and competing
programmes like Report, Monitor and the ZDF-Magazin were launched as a
means of channelling criticism along party lines.
Furthermore, television transformed the ‘old’ media, which were now
obliged to reposition themselves. Since television dominated the evenings,
radio developed into an entirely ‘incidental medium’, primarily listened to
during the day at work or in the car. It was only now, at the end of the 1960s,
that the proportion of entertainment and music grew and more Anglo-Amer-
ican music was aired (Dussel 1999: 213). Since adolescents were buying more
records, radio stations attempted to hold on to this listener group. The intro-
duction of new radio programmes facilitated this change, since ‘serious’ music
and cultural programmes could now be moved into time slots of their own.
All this has led to a significant increase in radio listening since the mid-1970s.