TAKE HOME EXAM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

TAKE HOME EXAM - Essay Example Kennedy, on the other hand, wore some make up and as a result, the lights favored him as he seemed cooler as well as more collected than Nixon. In this paper, I will look at ways in which television revolutionized politics and how it ushered in a new political environment since the presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon. For the individuals who watched the debate on TV, most of them believed that Kennedy came out the victor of the debate. This was mainly attributed to the way he presented himself. People tend to pay more attention to someone who presents himself as a neat and orderly person than to an unconditioned and shabby looking person especially if he is vying for the presidency. For those who listened to the radio, Nixon won the debate because of his deep and strong radio appealing voice. This debate was historical not only because it was televised but also because before the debate Nixon was the favorite candidate but after the debate, everything changed. Kennedy was e lected president thanks to his captivating performance in the televised debates (Philips, 1960). As a new medium, television changed presidential elections as radio voice was no longer convincing enough as compared to television campaigns. From this moment on, politics underwent significant revolutionary changes as television became central to shaping the political landscape. Elected officials and qualified candidates vying for office began using television as a way of speaking directly to the electorate in the 20th century. Producers and network executives used this opportunity to introduce programs in which they host politicians in their bid to win over millions of people. This has led to a generation of sound bite shows, talk shows and massive political news coverage on television. Notably, political spending has immensely increased with a lot of it spent on advertising campaign aired on television. It, therefore, goes without saying that television plays a pivotal role in politi cs as a general sector, as well as individual political careers. The introduction of television into the political scene was a timely feature as it changed the packaging of political news. The way politicians look as they deliver their political message is very important since no one would want to repeat Nixon's mistake. The image they display on the screens as they convince people about their agenda is central to attracting and maintaining the attention of the viewers (Lang and Lang, 2002). Most of the politicians spend their time searching for funding for their campaigns. Clearly, their success in elections depend their ability to pay for airplay for their commercials on television because they use it to advertise their virtues as well as their agendas to the electorate. However, the cost of these advertisements has become so high that it determines the success or failure of a candidate. According to Hewitt (2000), the involvement of television, and politics was the result of that memorable debate between Kennedy and Nixon in 1960. That was the moment legislators realized that television could make one's political career a success. Television moguls were also not left behind as they saw an opportunity to make a lot of money from political advertisements. Ever since television could be used in