What was the impact of network television?
The three major networks—NBC (National Broadcasting Company), CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System), and ABC (American Broadcasting Corporation)—rose to power in the 1950s and dominated television for the next two decades. During this period they captured more than 90 percent of the total viewing audience and attracted almost the entire radio audience. Television was so popular that it became an American obsession, as many people were watching an average of twenty-five hours a week by the late 1940s. A decade later more than 50 million families owned a television, and they had little time for other recreational pursuits. Television had a permanent impact on the radio industry. Radio network revenues were cut in half almost overnight as audiences and advertisers turned to television, and major stars of popular radio programs were seduced by the new medium. As a…
