Editing Reality television (section)

=== 1940s–1950s ===
In the early 1940s the young German television station, named after ''[[Paul Gottlieb Nipkow|Paul Nipkow]]'' had  staged a show in which a young couple acted as model Aryans and presented their everyday lives without a script to the camera
(''Familienchroniken - Ein Abend mit Hans und Gelli''). Even though it was clearly [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] propaganda and the episodes were certainly affected by [[censorship]], in recent years the show has been presented more frequently as the oldest reality TV show in the world.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/3239289/Adolf-Hitler-planned-propaganda-cable-TV.html Adolf Hitler 'planned propaganda cable TV'] [[The Daily Telegraph]], vom 22 October 2008</ref>

Precedents for television that portrayed people in unscripted situations began in the late 1940s. ''[[Queen for a Day]]'' (1945–1964) was an early example of reality-based television. The 1946 television game show ''[[Cash and Carry (TV series)|Cash and Carry]]'' sometimes featured contestants performing stunts. Debuting in 1948, [[Allen Funt]]'s [[hidden camera]] show ''[[Candid Camera]]''  (based on his previous 1947 radio show, ''[[The Candid Microphone]]'') broadcast unsuspecting ordinary people reacting to pranks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infoplease.com/spot/realitytv1.html |last=Rowan |first=Beth |title=Reality TV Takes Hold |publisher=Infoplease.com |date=July 21, 2000 |access-date=May 8, 2007 |archive-date=May 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070501020323/http://www.infoplease.com/spot/realitytv1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1948, talent search shows, such as ''[[Ted Mack (radio-TV host)|Ted Mack's]] [[Original Amateur Hour]]'' and ''[[Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts]]'', featured amateur competitors and audience voting. In the 1950s, game shows ''[[Beat the Clock]]'' and ''[[Truth or Consequences]]'' involved contestants in wacky competitions, stunts, and practical jokes. ''[[Confession (American TV series)|Confession]]'' was a crime and police show that aired from June 1958 to January 1959, with interviewer Jack Wyatt questioning criminals from assorted backgrounds.<ref>Alex McNeil, ''Total Television'' (New York: Penguin Books, 1996), p. 178</ref> The radio series ''Nightwatch'' (1951–1955) tape-recorded the daily activities of [[Culver City, California]] police officers. The series ''[[You Asked for It]]'' (1950–1959) incorporated audience involvement by basing episodes around requests sent in by postcard from viewers.