Television inherited the practices of radio listening. It was born within the institution of radio and when it appeared, it appeared within the preexisting, fully established context of advertising-supported network broadcasting. The television set arrived on the market as a fully developed appliance. There was no period of amateur experimentation and no crystal-set phase. It moved immediately into the living room, becoming the new hearth around which the family gathered. While people were intrigued by television, the level of amazement in no way approached that of the 1920s. Television was simply radio with a picture.

Nevertheless, it moved in quickly. NBC estimated there were 60,000 television sets in the United States in July 1947. By 1950, 9 percent of all U.S. households had a television; by 1955, 64.5 percent. It spread faster than radio. In the first ten years, 1948-58, there was one television set for every four Americans, versus one radio for seven Americans in the comparable decade of 1922-32.

As with radio, the early television audience was skewed upscale. High prices for early televisions retarded sales and restricted it to the affluent. The cost of televisions ranged from $100 to $4,100 in late 1948 with an average sale price of $375. Short supply of all but the most expensive sets also restricted sales to high-income groups.