1. Beginning, 2. Golden Age, 3.Competition

2. Golden Age

With the rapid growth of TV in the US in the late of 1940s, the need for programming material to fill expanding schedules was tremendous. As in radio, the big production centers were in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The TV industry grew and flourished. The country was in a postwar boom economy, and the public was eager for consumer goods. These included TV sets and also all other goods and services that manufacturers wanted to advertiser. Because it was built on the established of the radio industry, the TV industry was made operational very quickly (Smith, 1995). "By the end of 1952, the number of TV household grew to 20 million, up 33% from the previous year. US advertisers spend a record $288 million on TV time, an increase of 38.8% from 1951" (The History of Film & Television).

Number of TV Households in America

Source: http://www.tvhistory.tv

With its increasing power as mass media, TV was expanded into US a famous political campaign, the 'Great Debates' between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960. Also, the speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, "I have a dream" was watched on TV by millions in the US in 1963. In 1968, spending for TV in presidential campaign increased to $27 million, form $10 million in 1960. Finally, in 1963, TV surpasses newspapers as an information source for the first time according to the Roper poll. The poll indicated that 36% of Americans found TV a more reliable source, compared with the 24% who favored the print media. Thus, televisions skyrocketed, affecting other forms of entertainment available to the public. This time period witnessed, for example, the closing of many movie theaters, as motion pictures competed with television for consumer attention (Ad*Access Project).

With color TV technology, TV became the more influential medium. "In 1965, color TV boomed as NBC leads the way and began to use the phrase , and by the end of the year, 96% of NBC's nighttime schedule is broadcast in color, along with all major programs, sports events and specials, and later in 1977, more than 75% of TV-equipped homes were able to receive color on one or more sets" (The History of Film & Television).

Number of Color TV Households in America

Source: http://www.tvhistory.tv