Prior to the creation of television and television stations, consumers had a choice of either attending live performances, going to the movies or staying home and listening to the radio. The technology of television allowed individuals to remain at home and have the entertainment brought to them, just like in radio, but with pictures. This required those within the entertainment industry to master new skills associated with television broadcasts.
With the increase in television transmissions came an increase in regulations for those in the TV entertainment industry. The Federal Communications Commission, for example, established regulations for television programming for children through the Children's Television Act of 1990. Under the Act, all television stations had to provide 30-minute segments of educational or informational programming for children three times per week. In addition, these programs had to be aired regularly and they had to be shown between 7 A.M. and 10 P.M.
Television initially created new job opportunities for performers. Former radio comedians like Milton Berle and Steve Allen suddenly were able to host their own television shows and become household names with recognizable faces. Journalists became recognized performers in their own right, hosting evening news programs and conducting interviews that could be seen. Over the course of television's history, however, the nature of performance has also changed with the development of reality television shows. Those in the entertainment industry have found that performers do not have to be specially trained actors or singers to draw an audience's attention, but can be any individual placed in an interesting situation.
In the early days of television it was common for theatrical performances to be shown for audiences. Variety shows, political speeches and news programs were also regularly scheduled. However, the development of television has allowed those within the entertainment industry to broadcast programs about almost any topic including history, music and art. This has broadened the scope of shows that are produced by entertainment professionals, as well as challenged those professionals to continually pursue new topics for entertainment on television.