The invention of the teleprompter followed the early days of human prompters and hand-written cue cards. Ultimately the technology changed not only how news anchors communicate with their audiences but also influenced politics, corporate presentations and entertainment.
TV Actor Invents First Teleprompter
The first teleprompter traces back to 1948 when Broadway actor Fred Barton Jr. was transitioning to a television career and worried about delivering his lines.
Barton teamed with Irving Kahn, an executive at 20th Century Fox, and engineer Hubert Schlafly to create an alternative to cue cards, resulting in the first teleprompter. Barton (under his legal name, Fred Barkau) submitted a patent application for the “TelePrompTer” on April 21, 1949, and received the patent four years later, on April 24, 1953.
“The machine unrolls a script, which is typewritten in jumbo letters, near the camera and at several points around the room,” the New York Times reported in a 1953 article about the patent. “Mr. Barton intended the invention primarily for the relief of his fellow artists, but it has been used at political conventions and at many sales meetings.”
The first models were simple, manually operated mechanical devices, such as a roll of butcher paper housed in a suitcase, says Neta Alexander, assistant professor of film and media at Yale University, who has studied the history of the teleprompter.
“Hubert Schlafly's early teleprompter focused on efficiency, aiming to streamline the delivery of lines for actors and, later, public figures by displaying the script in real-time in a way that was hidden from the home audience,” she says. “His design included a mechanical speed controller to align the script's scrolling speed with the speaker's delivery pace.”
Barton, Schlafly and Kahn started the TelePrompTer Corporation and their invention was first used live on December 4, 1950, during the soap opera “The First Hundred Years.” The technology then evolved quickly, and in 1955, prolific inventor Luther George Simjian patented an in-camera teleprompter, allowing for more natural reading.
Teleprompter Transforms News Delivery
It didn’t take long for newscasters to begin using teleprompters instead of relying on paper scripts, cue cards or even Braille scripts that allowed them to look into the camera without relying on visual cues, Alexander says.
“The teleprompter fundamentally transformed how news was delivered on television by allowing news anchors to read scripts seamlessly while maintaining eye contact with the camera,” she says. “This created the illusion of memorized speeches and direct communication with the audience.”
Alexander adds that the transition from paper to screen-based technology significantly improved the efficiency of news production, reduced rehearsal times, and standardized the aesthetics of televised news.
Will Mari, associate professor of media history and media law at Louisiana State University, says the teleprompter made it much easier to deliver the news in a seemingly honest and genuine way—much like radio news announcers had done for years, especially during World War II.
“The generation that first watched TV news had heard it first on the radio, and so authenticity was just as important to them as it is for our generation,” he says.
Political Figures and Teleprompter Mishaps
Political figures began using teleprompters in the early 1950s, according to Alexander, with former President Harry S. Truman among the first to use one for his 1951 State of the Union Address.
“However, the teleprompter gained national attention during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1952 campaign speech, where a technical mishap caused him to utter the famous line, ‘Go ahead! Go ahead! Yah, damn it, I want him to move up!’ on national radio, revealing the behind-the-scenes technology and altering public perception of its use,” she says.
According to Mari, by the 1970s and 1980s, teleprompters had become ubiquitous in political life, and it's now very rare for an elected official not to use one.
“For better or worse, audiences now expect a certain amount of polish and delivery in the speeches of public officials," he says. Still, Mari adds, not all politicians are skilled in teleprompter use. “It's sort of like that person in a meeting or wedding who says they don't need a microphone to talk. They probably do.”
But while teleprompters have allowed political figures to deliver more detailed speeches with precision, Alexander says their reliance on the technology has led to memorable failures.
“For example, during Bill Clinton’s 1994 State of the Union address, a mix-up with the teleprompter’s script caused him to restart his speech, creating an awkward moment,” she says. “In 2019, Donald Trump made headlines during a July 4th speech when his teleprompter malfunctioned due to rain, causing him to reference the American military ‘taking over airports’ during the Revolutionary War, an obvious historical error that became a media spectacle.”
Criticism of teleprompters in politics often stems from the perception that they detract from the speaker’s authenticity, Alexander says.
“Critics argue that when politicians rely on teleprompters, they may appear disconnected from the message, lacking spontaneity and emotion,” she says.
However, Mari says how politicians act and engage with voters and fellow lawmakers is more important than whether or not they use teleprompters.
“Some presidents, such as Reagan and Clinton, were especially skilled at both,” he adds. “Reagan, in particular, was able to use his TV- and movie-career abilities at vital moments— though he was also helped by talented speechwriters such as Peggy Noonan.”
Technological Advancements
Since its invention, teleprompter technology has evolved significantly. Modern teleprompters use glass panels to reflect text while remaining invisible to the camera, while innovations such as voice recognition and automated scrolling have made teleprompters more seamless and reliable.
“These developments have made teleprompters less visible, more reliable, and easier to use, ensuring that speeches are smooth and appear more spontaneous, even when heavily scripted,” she says.
Alexander says that the influence of teleprompters extends beyond politics into corporate settings, entertainment, education and social media.
“The technology standardizes public speaking by eliminating speech hesitations, silences and mistakes,” she says. “But it can also create a distance between the speaker and the audience when overused or relied on too heavily.”
Ultimately, Mari adds, using a teleprompter alone won’t make the delivery remarkable. “Only practice, prep and a good team of writers and advance staff can do that,” he says. “Teleprompter or not, you have to work hard to speak well, it turns out.”
