Industry research comparing th
Industry research comparing thAs I began this assignment I expected to find some drastic differences in each of the mediums during this five-year period. While many of the changes that I anticipated did occur, there were many more that came as a surprise. From 1948 until 1952 there was a freeze on licenses being issued by the FCC. Thus, I expected to see a large growth in the number of television stations and anticipated a slight decline in the number of radio stations.
However, as I examined the radio listings I was shocked to discover that the number of radio stations increased from 12 AM and 12 FM stations in 1949 to 21 AM stations and 14 FM stations in 1954. The total number of hours that local radio stations aired programming per day extended from 17 hours in 1949 to 22 hours in 1954. There was a large variety of programs being broadcast on radio in 1949; including short news bulletins, hour-long news broadcasts, sitcoms, sketch comedies, dramas, quiz and game shows, and recorded music. The total amount of space, or column inches, devoted to radio in 1949 was 210 and 194 in 1954. It is interesting to note that while the number of radio stations and the number of broadcast hours increased significantly between this period, the number of column inches devoted to radio listings actually decreased slightly from 162 to 160. The number of reviews for radio decreased dramatically over the period, dropping from 8 in 1949 to only 2 in 1954. The total amount of space devoted to radio in the New York Times for Sunday, May 15, 1949, was 210 column inches. For the same time in 1954, Sunday May 16th, the total space was 194 column inches.
During this period the number of television stations, 6, remained the same, which was somewhat of a surprise to me. The number of hours that television was broadcast per day increased from 13 in 1949 to 18 in 1954. It is interesting to note that in 1949 the broadcasts did not begin until 10:00 AM and was off the air by 11:15 PM, while in 1954 television was being broadcast as early as 7:45 AM and as late as 1:45 AM. The genres that were represented in television in 1949 were somewhat more limited than what appeared in 1954. A television viewer in 1949 could find news, sports, kids shows, music, a few sitcoms; comedy shows such as Comics on Parade, and even roller derby. In 1954, viewers were treated to a much larger variety of each of those genres and also saw the addition of news shows such as Meet the Press, dramas, many more sitcoms, sketch comedies such as Your Show of Shows, cartoons, variety shows, game and quiz shows, and serials. It is interesting to note that the serial Guiding Light was a radio show in 1949 and by 1954 it was broadcast daily on television at 12:45 and played on radio at 1:45. Another interesting trend that had developed in television by 1954 was the increase in the number of stars that had made the transition from radio to television. Staples of radio in 1949 such as Walter Winchell, Lucille Ball, Perry Como, Red Skelton, Guy Lombardo, and shows such as Our Miss Brooks and Your Hit Parade, were now all seen on television. The television listings for 1954 also carried two things that were not part of the 1949 listings; color television listings and a schedule note regarding the television coverage of the McCarthy hearings. The total amount of space devoted to television listings increased dramatically from 36 column inches in 1949 to 132 in 1954. The total amount of newspaper space devoted to television increased from 234 column inches in 1949 to 290 in 1954. The number of television reviews also increased from a mere 4 in 1949 to 10 in 1954.
In contrast to the drastic changes in television, the number of film theaters dropped only slightly from 139 in 1949 to 125 in 1954. The number of times a film was shown each day ranged from 1 to 6 in 1949 and from 1 to 7 in 1954; while the average number of times a film was shown increased dramatically during this period from 2 per day in 1949 to 5 per day in 1954. It should also be noted that many more theaters opened for matinees in 1954 than in 1949. The total amount of newspaper space devoted to film in 1949 was just over 554 column inches. Although the number of theaters did not drop significantly between 1949 and 1954 the amount of newspaper space devoted to film dropped to 396 column inches in 1954. The number of reviews did not change noticeably - 18 in 1949 and 17 in 1954, which would indicate that the number of theater advertisements decreased dramatically during this period.
I was hoping that by looking at the market in New York City there would be a great explosion of new television and radio stations. As I went through the available listings I realized that the market in the New York City metropolitan area was fully saturated in 1949 and the relative changes in media outlets had more to do with changes in the economy and population than the release of new broadcast licenses. Of greater interest was the transitioning of shows and stars from radio to television. The standard fare of news, comedy, and quiz shows was in full swing by 1954.
I suppose the goals are different in a saturated market, it's more about moving listeners and viewers from one source to another rather than creating a new demand. To illustrate, the number of movie theaters was virtually unchanged over the five years, yet the number of showings per day at each theater more than doubled, and the advertising promoting reduced price showings and "Late Showings" increased as well. I suspect, although without evidence that the total number of patrons didn't double, but rather since the availability of screenings had increased, the opportunistic viewer had more choices and was more inclined to attend spontaneously. I believe that I might have seen more dramatic changes if I had looked at a smaller market that was not on the cutting edge. Overall, it was very interesting to look at the changes that took place throughout the entertainment industry during this time period.