Contributions of Charles Francis Jenkins to the Early Development of Television in the United States.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the contributions of Charles Francis Jenkins to the early development of television in the United States. Jenkins fostered this development through his work as a promoter for the advancement of television technology, as an inventor of early television devices, and as a pioneer in the area of television broadcasting. Jenkins played a key role in the development of the motion picture projector from 1893 to 1896. He postulaled a crude television system in 1894, and he renewed his interest in television in 1913. In 1916, Jenkins founded the Society of Motion Picture Engineers which later, in 1950, became the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (S.M.P.T.E.). The early meetings of this organization served as arenas for the exchange of ideas among scientists and engineers concerned with the problems of television as well as motion pictures. Today, the S.M.P.T.E. continues as a powerful force for the advancement and st and ardization of motion picture and television technology. Jenkins opened the Jenkins Laboratories in 1921 and concentrated on developing a television system. In 1923, he achieved the first demonstration of mechanical television in the United States. In 1925, he accomplished the first wireless transmission of a moving picture with a device he later developed into a complete television system. Jenkins received the first license for television broadcasting in 1927. His station, W3XK, went on the air with silhouette movies and became part of the Jenkins Television Corporation in 1928. This company manufactured cabinet and kit television receivers, started station W2XCR, and later experimented with sound movie transmissions. The Jenkins Television Corporation was absorbed by the DeForest Radio Company in 1930 and bought by the Radio Corporation of America in 1933. Jenkins died June 6, 1934. This study examines the life, inventions, prolific writings, and early activities of Charles Francis Jenkins, establishing this long neglected innovator as one of our most forceful and important television pioneers.