February 13th, 2010 | 
Author: I am writing a short story in the genre of futuristic, sci-fi on the topic of pandemic for school. My idea for a disease is one that is transmitted through the electronic waves TVs use. Two questions: 1) What type of electronic waves do TVs use? 2) Is this feasible, or totally completely unbelievable to the point where you don’t even think it’s worth reading.
Posted in Q&A | 
Tags: electronic waves, genre, pandemic, sci fi, tv signals, tvs, worth reading, writing a short story
TV signals are not transmitted by light waves – if that were true, then you’d have to have a direct line of sight to the tv station – a simple shadow would block your signal.
TV signals are transmitted by radio frequency waves.
No, it is not at all believeable to transmit an infectious disease this way – it could not be done.
What you’d want is to cause some other problem – like epilepsy (seizures CAN be caused by rapidly blinking lights in susceptible individuals). perhaps some other mind control mechanism.
Unfortunately this has been done before – one of the Halloween sequels — maybe number 3 – did exactly this, via TV waves. Check into that plot before writing your own story
Televisions use light waves…
And, it is ALMOST completely unbelieveable… but that’s what makes a good sci-fi. I would read it. Goodluck.