The Reintroduction of Television to the Fallout Wasteland

What would be the main use of the Television?

  • Advertisements

    Votes: 3 16.7%

  • General programming such as soap operas or series oriented shows

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Faction propaganda

    Votes: 9 50.0%

  • Public Service Announcements

    Votes: 3 16.7%

  • Horrible Horrible things (please elaborate below)

    Votes: 1 5.6%

  • Religious or cult programming

    Votes: 1 5.6%

  • Warnings and threats

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Total voters
    18
  • Poll closed .
Einhanderc7

Einhanderc7

Vat dipped, grown and still oozing with perfection
Hello everyone,
Today I wish to initiate the exploration of a luxury we take for granted today; in a scenario such as the Fallout wasteland.

Imagine if you can for a moment that someone, out in the far reaches (or not so far) of the blasted landscape has managed to start manufacturing television sets for general public use. Because of the reintroduction of this pre-war tech; new programs, commercials, and public service announcements begin to flood the airwaves. (This topic has no relation to Fallout 4's settlement TV's, but feel free to include Fallout 4 material if you do so choose.)

What kind of shows, advertisements, and PSA's do you think would populate the available channels?
(Please feel free to give your renditions or pitch your very own ideas.)
Could the programs be heavily influenced by factions, beliefs, or potentially greedy individuals?
What kind of interesting dynamic would this mean for the denizens of the local where this is available?
Or could this be a scenario where the Television is mostly used as a pacification device for early warnings of attacks or for law enforcement?
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I greatly enjoyed the Fallout 2 pre boxing match advertisements the ring announcer would orate before the blood started flying. I was always rather curious to know what the TV commercials would have looked like.

Bear in mind this is a universe completely without censor or broadcasting rules, which of course programmers are completely free to broadcast anything from completely harmless shows to literal murders or other debauchery. (Within lore acceptable limitations of course.)

As this is a exploration, and not a debate I ask those participating to refrain from engaging in inflammatory remarks that are not related to the question(s) being discussed. Having said that; I encourage everyone to express their thoughts in any manner they choose.

Considering that most individuals who frequent this site tend to be a bit more intelligent than the run of the mill internet passer by, I'm expecting some very interesting ideas.
 
Fallout is something of a pulp setting. In Fallout 1 we saw a fairly functional yet isolated community, a giant trading city, a scrapmade almost western-feeling town. In 2 we saw a fully functioning republic, a high-tech isolationist slave-owning city and a gambling paradise owned by powerful families, in New Vegas we saw the introduction of a totalitarian regime run in the style of the Roman Legions, ect.

Since the Wasteland doesn't have one unified culture, but is incredibly local, I don't think there would be one outcome to that scenario. For example TV in the hands of The Masters Army would almost certainly be used to spread propoganda, since he is very focused on uniting the wasteland, TV in the hands of the NCR almost definitely be privately owned, Caesar's Legion would probably be heavily in to censoring it if they even allowed it to begin with, ect.

There is no one simple answer to this question.
 
My vote is for PSAs, initially anyway. We know that films are recorded in the Fallout world, but we don't know how they are distributed. (Golden Globes Porn), so that would probably also find its way to television, as well as factional propaganda in those places where a faction is inclined to such.
 
I would expect a lot of advertisements to be available almost immediately. From home grown awkward cringe worthy attempts to higher production values.

Some random commercial ideas:
Gun Runners
Commercial begins:
Starts with explosions and a small child armed with a stick fending off some raiders.
Need a gun?
*Kid nods to the affirmative*
*flying text runs across the screen* "Gun Runners" -Text is voiced with a low baritone.-
Need some lead?
*Kid now armed with a sub machine gun nods again to the affirmative, with distress on their face*
*flying text runs across the screen* "Gun Runners" -Text is voiced with a low baritone.-
Need an adult?
*Kid looks at the door then back at the camera, nods again to the affirmative panic stricken, with a single tear running down their face*
*flying text runs across the screen* "Call your mommy!" -Text is voiced by a sultry sounding female.-

"We got guns, not your mom." -Voiced with a low baritone.-
"Gun runners, arm up at a location near you" -voiced by a sultry sounding female.-
Commercial ends.

Sunset Sarsaparilla
Commercial opens with with a field of growing smilax ornata plants moving to a gentle breeze. A distant guitar plays in the background.
A Dusty cowboy sits in a rocking chair on the patio of a wooden house sipping on a sunset sarsaparilla with a refreshed look fixed on his face.

The cowboy looks at the camera, winks, and then returns to drinking and rocking in silence.
*Sunset Sarsaparilla, a singularly delicious beverage." -Voiced with a soft southern baritone.-
End of commercial.
 
Einhanderc7 said:
I would expect a lot of advertisements to be available almost immediately. From home grown awkward cringe worthy attempts to higher production values.
Click to expand...



This also reminds me of another thread asking about music in the Fallout world

Since music styles younger than the time of divergence would not necesarily exist, we can still assume music to go through generational revolutions. Bethesda pounded in the "50s music", while New Vegas brought back a more credible and fitting selection, a lot of country music for example.
Most overlooked is the electronic ambience of FO1 and 2, for example the deep beat of "Khans of California" or sci-fi sound of "All Clear Signal", and although merely my own preference, I like to imagine that they are examples of music that do exist in the world itself.

I guessed I veered a little off topic there, but TV would probably be an outlet for musical expression as well (and certainly in ads and propaganda)
 
I could see Mr House using TV broadcasts throughout the more developed parts of the NCR to advertise travel and tourism to the Vegas Strip for example. Maybe even variety shows made up of acts from the various casinos.


Ein, your post remined me of this
 
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A big part of Fallout New Vegas, and perhaps the biggest PR asset for the NCR is their constant use of propaganda.
The player character, unless if preset on joining up with Caesar, has little draw to the Legion in any way, in due part to having seen their use of wasteland justice firsthand (at Nipton) and having interacted with the NCR for a good majority of the first-half of the game.

I think a mixture would be nice, maybe a single T.V station that uses a mix of new programing by their favored faction and stock footage from pre-war storage.
 
I definitely see House using resurrected television broadcasts for advertising New Vegas and the mentioned variety acts that take place in the casinos such as the shows at the Tops.

The NCR would probably use it for propaganda and biased news that puts them in a good spotlight and perhaps a number of local made entertainment programs for the citizens as well as recovered pre war television shows and movies.

There might be some private channels within NCR territory but only if the people who run it can afford the equipment and electricity, otherwise people who want to make programs would probably have to work with the NCR's media division.

Edit: both NCR and private channels would probably have the suggested advertisements for various companies and stores, their quality of production and acting strongly varying.

I think the Followers would probably be able to set up a broadcasting station as well, focusing primarily on informative and educational programs as well as news broadcasts on their own that are more objective in tone than those of the NCR.

Most likely there will also be a religious channel or at least a religious program but I think the NCR would stick to established religions such as Christianity rather than giving post war cults such as the ones worshiping brahmin or rats any airtime.
These cults' followers probably don't know what television is and the NCR would probably consider it both ridiculous to be so accepting of these religions to put them on television to try to convert more people, and a waste of time.

The BOS would not make any programs of their own but I can imagine its members watching television between duty shifts. They probably were already watching series, shows, and movies from their own archives before television came back.

The Legion would not make any programs for their own troops and citizens, considering it a waste of time and money, but if the Dissolute watch television they would probably set up a station to air propaganda videos such as showing battlefields were NCR army members got butchered, people put on the cross, and of course threats, anything to damage the morale and unity of NCR's population.
 
Yeah I could see the Legion having broadcasts that mimic NCR but just list criticisms of thier government all the time, further undermining faith and confidence in the institutions all while pumping up the Legion across the river to further demoralize. I could see frumentarii making all sorts of false programs on said channel and attributing it to say the FoA or Brotherhood to further cause confusion. They could broadcast NCR dissidents and fromer disgruntled veterans to further cause morale to drop. They could call it CT, or California today.
 
Something I could imagine that I think would be rather interesting.
We all remember Tabitha right?

Imagine if Tabitha had access to TV broadcast equipment instead of a radio?
Comparatively I could easily see Tabitha hosting a "good morning Mojave" show that constantly devolves into a slapstick mess of humor and stupidity. I think it would be rather safe to assume that the ratings for such a show would do very well.

Or better yet a learning hour with a super mutant that has difficulty even understanding the basics of everything they encounter. Kind of like Bill Nye the science guy except with a super mutant that can't even grasp the concept of the scientific theory. I sure would watch it, wouldn't you?
 
The funny thing is that TV would be rather easy to bring back, now that they already have the tech and knowledge.

It'd also have good use for education.
 
@Einhanderc7 Your Gun Runners commercial just makes me think of AT4W's 90s Kid.

"DUUUUUDE!!! Do you need TOTALLY RADICAL guns? Then come check out THE GUN RUNNERS!!! Remember: what you see is what you get."

As for my opinion on post-apocalyptic TV, I expect certain channels to be privately owned with original programming and commercials, certain ones to be faction propaganda, and certain channels to be mostly PSAs.
 
"Crazy with low prices on Wind-Brahmin. You buy one! All caps!"

640
 
Hmm was thinking about private channels and would consider some sort of payperview events broadcast out of The Thorn that would work too.
 
I'd like to think the NCR would constantly be pushing for more patriotism and enlistment like it's some 1984 hellscape.

"In other news, water reserves have increased by 10%. That is a 2 point rate increase from 12% earlier this week."
"NCR soldiers have taken several territories once held by the Legion with a 20 to 15 casualty rate, so remember to hail the heroes on a job well done and any able aged men to join the ranks to grow our wonderful empire!"
"A 4% surge in sarsaparilla supplies sets a record high this month. Citizens will now be issued 3 bottles per person per week which is an increase from 4."
"And remember, don't tread on the two headed bear."
 
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