The convergence of computers and television has been prophesied for years. One of the primary benefits of this development is said to be “interactive television” where viewers will have unprecedented abilities to alter on-screen content. This panel explores the long history of interactive broadcasting and examines various phenomena to reveal that, in some form or fashion, broadcasting has always contained elements of interactivity.
Moderator: Noah Arceneaux, San Diego State University
Panelist: Anne F. MacLennan, York University; Radio Live! Performing and Listening to Canadian Radio in the 1930s
Mary E. Beadle, John Carroll University; Winky Dink and You: The Beginnings of Interactive TV
Noah Arceneaux, San Diego State University; QUBE: Interactivity and the Growth of Cable Television