From Philo Farnsworth’s first breakthroughs to today, thousands of people helped shape American television — yet much of that history, like so much programming, has been erased or forgotten. One person, Bobby Ellerbee, has spent years gathering, documenting, and preserving the details of those innovations, creating the only comprehensive resource that captures the true institutional memory of the industry.
Eyes of a Generation is the only resource of its kind where both those who lived a part of that history, and those who have interest in the 100 years of broadcasting that it covers can relive and learn about the industry’s advancements, large and small. No other repository of information comes close in its scope or its graphic illustration of the countless threads that combine to form the rich tapestry of the combined business and art of television. While many who participated in and witnessed the significant achievements in engineering and programming may be gone, this site speaks for them in depth, with clarity and in living color.
As a career broadcaster with over a half-century behind microphones and in front of cameras at all four broadcast networks, and as an author, as well as a guest in classrooms, on panels and at conventions, I know the value of Bobby’s vast collection, firsthand. When redevelopment plans for Television City threatened its landmark legacy, the research available through Eyes of a Generation helped me present a compelling case that led to a major redesign. Later, when the revised project went before the Los Angeles City Council, that same history supported a unanimous approval. It continues to guide my work on From Television City in Hollywood: Behind the Scenes at the Great TV Factory.
Bobby’s humility in his accomplishment belies the value of the gift he has created and continues to refine for those who share his passion for television’s glorious history. Mine is just one voice in the large chorus of deserved praise for Eyes of a Generation, as it will, no doubt, continue to celebrate broadcasting for generations to come.
