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Portal:Television

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The Television Portal

Flat-screen television receivers on display for sale at a consumer electronics store in May 2008

Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, entertainment, news, and sports. The medium is capable of more than "radio broadcasting", which refers to an audio signal sent to radio receivers.

Television became available in crude experimental forms in the 1920s, but only after several years of further development was the new technology marketed to consumers. After World War II, an improved form of black-and-white television broadcasting became popular in the United Kingdom and the United States, and television sets became commonplace in homes, businesses, and institutions. During the 1950s, television was the primary medium for influencing public opinion. In the mid-1960s, color broadcasting was introduced in the U.S. and most other developed countries.

In 2013, 79% of the world's households owned a television set. The replacement of earlier cathode-ray tube (CRT) screen displays with compact, energy-efficient, flat-panel alternative technologies such as LCDs (both fluorescent-backlit and LED), OLED displays, and plasma displays was a hardware revolution that began with computer monitors in the late 1990s. Most television sets sold in the 2000s were still CRT, and it was only in early 2010s that flat-screen TVs decisively overtook CRT. Major manufacturers announced the discontinuation of CRT, Digital Light Processing (DLP), plasma, and even fluorescent-backlit LCDs by the mid-2010s. LEDs are being gradually replaced by OLEDs. Also, major manufacturers have started increasingly producing smart TVs in the mid-2010s. Smart TVs with integrated Internet and Web 2.0 functions became the dominant form of television by the late 2010s.[better source needed] (Full article...)

Dan Castellaneta voices the Robot Devil
"Hell Is Other Robots" is the ninth episode of season one of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on May 18, 1999, as the season finale of the first season. The episode was written by Eric Kaplan and directed by Rich Moore. Guest stars in this episode include The Beastie Boys as themselves and Dan Castellaneta voicing the Robot Devil. The episode is one of the first to focus heavily on Bender as he develops an addiction to electricity. When this addiction becomes problematic, Bender joins the Temple of Robotology; however, after Fry and Leela successfully tempt Bender with alcohol and prostitutes, he quits the Temple of Robotology, but receives a visit from the Robot Devil for sinning. When Fry and Leela come to rescue him, the three escape safely. The episode introduces the Robot Devil, Reverend Lionel Preacherbot and the religion of the Temple of Robotology, a Futurama spoof on the Church of Scientology. The episode received positive reviews, and was one of four featured on the DVD boxed set of Matt Groening's favorite episodes: Monster Robot Maniac Fun Collection.

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Jacob's Television Award
Jacob's Television Award
Credit: Jim Bruce

The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards. Later, they were expanded to include radio. The awards were named after their sponsor, W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd., a biscuit manufacturer, and recipients were selected by Ireland's national newspaper TV and radio critics. Jacob's Award winners were chosen annually until 1993, when the final awards presentation took place.

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  • ... that, although Self's fifth studio album was cancelled, its songs were still used in television commercials?
  • ... that singer Karin Ann made headlines after performing live on Polish state television wrapped in a rainbow flag?
  • ... that ChatGPT developer John Schulman said that his first period of serious self-directed study was inspired by the television show BattleBots?
  • ... that the rise of CONUS Communications spurred the Big Three American TV networks to subsidize the purchase of satellite trucks for local newsgathering?
  • ... that when the French web series Blow Up briefly aired on television in 2014, its allotted airtime was too short to fit some of its episodes?
  • ... that Angelito de Canal 13, the mascot of the Chilean television network Canal 13, was inspired by its creator's son?

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Orson Welles
I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can't stop eating peanuts.

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Sorkin in 2016

Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, playwright, and filmmaker. As a writer for stage, television, and film, he is recognized for his trademark fast-paced dialogue and extended monologues, complemented by frequent use of the storytelling technique called the "walk and talk". Sorkin has earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, and two WGA Awards, in addition to a Laurence Olivier Award nomination.

Born in New York City, Sorkin developed a passion for writing at an early age. He rose to prominence as a writer-creator and showrunner of the television series Sports Night (1998–2000), The West Wing (1999–2006), Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006–2007), and The Newsroom (2012–2014). He is also known for his work on Broadway including the plays A Few Good Men (1989), The Farnsworth Invention (2007), To Kill a Mockingbird (2018), and the revival of Lerner and Loewe's musical Camelot (2023). (Full article...)

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The following are images from various television-related articles on Wikipedia.
Featured lists have been determined by the Wikipedia community to be the best lists on English Wikipedia.

Television news

29 August 2026 – 2026 Nigerien coup attempt
Nigerien television confirms that dissenting elements of the Niger Armed Forces attempted a coup in the nation's capital, Niamey. Attacks are reported on Diori Hamani International Airport and the Presidential Palace. (AP) (Reuters)
31 July 2026 – Morocco–Spain relations
Spanish authorities close the Melilla border crossing with Morocco after around 400 migrants stormed the border barrier. RTVE reports the sound of gunfire and explosions. (AA)
7 July 2026 – Iraq in the 2026 Iran war
Iraqi state television says that former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei's remains has arrived in Iraq's Shi'ite holy city of Najaf for viewing following funeral ceremonies in Tehran and Qom, Iran. (Reuters)
6 July 2026 – Impact of the 2026 Iran war on Iran
Iranian state television reports that Khamenei's body arrives in Qom, where he studied, ahead of a planned procession. (AFP via Al-Ahram)
1 July 2026 – Middle Eastern crisis
Iranian state television reports that a foreign container ship was grounded in shallow waters after using an unapproved route through the strait. (MS Now)

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