Television: Innovation, Disruption, and the World's Most Powerful Medium

No medium in history can match the power of television. No product has spread so far and so fast. Nothing has had so much influence. Nothing has impacted how the world sees itself like television.

TELEVISION: Volume 1 brings together seven decades of stories on how this happened into one epic narrative.

• How did an impoverished immigrant become the king of all media, creating the first radio network and the first TV network?
• What caused the inventor of FM radio to jump out of a window to his death?
• How did NBC, CBS and ABC innovate to build their media monopolies?
• How did Star Trek create the first fan culture movement?
• What made The Mary Tyler Moore Show the first great feminist show, and #1 hit?
• What made Norman Lear the most influential TV comedy producer ever?
• How did Lucille Ball go from a washed-up B movie actress to a multi-millionaire Hollywood studio mogul?
• What makes Louis C.K. the Jackie Gleason of the digital age?

With unparalleled insider insight, it shares critical, practical, behind the scenes lessons from the business of TV. The TELEVISION series is a must-read for media executives, students, entrepreneurs, and fans.

Two-time Emmy® Award winner, author Seth Shapiro is a leading advisor in business innovation, media and technology. He is an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, a Governor of the Television Academy, and Principal of New Amsterdam Media LLC.

"If you ever wanted to know how the television industry began, this is your primer." — Garth Ancier, Former Entertainment President, Fox Broadcasting Company President, NBC Entertainment Chairman, The WB Television Network President, BBC Worldwide America

Seth Shapiro masterfully chronicles the evolution of television... It was like seeing my life pass before my eyes." — Preston Beckman, Senior Strategist, FOX Networks Group - Executive Vice President, Program Planning, NBC Entertainment

"Seth Shapiro teaches THE class on the media business. Now, he's writing THE book. He's THE expert." — Ryan Holiday, Editor-at-large, The New York Observer Best-Selling Author of Trust Me I'm Lying and The Obstacle is the Way

"Seth is a spectacular storyteller with extraordinary perspective and real world experience. If you want to truly understand the TV business, TELEVISION: Volume 1 is a must read." — Shelly Palmer, Business Advisor, Author and Commentator

"Seth Shapiro nails it. With an eye for keen detail, insider's access, and a gift for analytic storytelling, Shapiro weaves a powerful tapestry...TELEVISION: Volume 1 stands to become a must-read for all industry participants, students of electronic media, and viewers who have ever wondered how this global phenomenon called TV came to be." — John Penney, Chief Strategy Officer, STARZ

"Seth Shapiro has crafted a delightful, story-filled history of television that is as entertaining as the medium itself... a must read for all those looking to comprehend the future of video." — Jay Samit, Author of Disrupt You: Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation

Seth is the perfect author to tell the story of television. And the story is a fascinating combination of art and business, of technology and culture. — Jeff Schultz, Senior Vice President Business Development, CBS

Two-time Emmy(R) Award winner Seth Shapiro is a leading advisor in business innovation, media and technology. He has worked with many of the most innovative players in the world, including Disney, Comcast, DIRECTV, Intel, IPG, NBC, Showtime, RTL, Telstra, Universal, Slamdance Studios, Goldman Sachs, government bodies, NGOs and a wide range of new ventures around the world. Shapiro is an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, a Governor of the Television Academy, and a member of its Executive Committee. He has served as a frequent Expert Witness, including before the FCC, and has been quoted in outlets including The Economist, The New York Times. The LA Times, CNBC, The Boston Globe, Bloomberg, The Associated Press, PBS and The Daily Mail UK. As Head of Production at DIRECTV Advanced Services, he launched over 25 services, including TiVo by DIRECTV, the world's first major DVR platform. "TELEVISION: Volume 1" is the first of a series that will cover broadcast, cable, online video, Over the Top services, and virtual and augmented reality. Shapiro sits on the Annenberg Research Council and the Producer Guild's New Media Council. He is a Magna cum Laude graduate of New York University and was Adelbert Alumni Scholar at Case Western Reserve University.