No. 1440. Selected Communications Media: 1920 to 1998

Year

Percent of households with— Percent of TV households with— Commercial television stations Cable television Daily newspapers

Telephone service 1 Radio 2 Television 3 Cable

TV 4 VCRs 4 VHF 3 UHF 3

Systems

(number) 5

Households

served 6

(mil.)

Number 7

Circulation 7

(mil.)

1920 . . . . . 35 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) 2,042 27.8 1925 . . . . . 39 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) 2,008 33.7 1930 . . . . . 41 39 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) 1,942 39.6

1935 . . . . . 32 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) 1,950 38.2

1940 . . . . . 37 73 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) 1,878 41.1

1945 . . . . . 46 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) 1,749 48.4

1950 . . . . . 62 91 9 (NA) (NA) 98 - (NA) (NA) 1,772 53.8 1955 . . . . . 72 94 63 (NA) (NA) 297 114 400 0.2 1,760 56.1

1960 . . . . . 78 94 85 (NA) (NA) 440 75 640 0.7 1,763 58.9 1965 . . . . . 85 95 90 2.3 (NA) 481 88 1,325 1.3 1,751 60.4

1970 . . . . . 91 99 95 6.7 (NA) 501 176 2,490 4.5 1,748 62.1 1975 . . . . . 95 99 97 12.6 (NA) 514 192 3,506 9.8 1,756 60.7

1980 . . . . . 93 99 98 19.9 1.1 516 218 4,225 17.7 1,745 62.2 1985 . . . . . 92 99 98 42.8 20.9 520 363 6,600 39.9 1,676 62.8

1990 . . . . . 93 99 98 56.4 68.6 547 545 9,575 54.9 1,611 62.3

1991 . . . . . 94 99 98 58.9 71.9 547 551 10,704 55.8 1,586 60.7

1992 . . . . . 94 99 98 60.2 75.0 551 567 11,035 56.4 1,570 60.2 1993 . . . . . 94 99 98 61.4 77.1 552 585 11,108 57.2 1,556 59.8 1994 . . . . . 94 99 98 62.4 79.0 561 584 11,214 60.5 1,548 59.3

1995 . . . . . 94 99 98 63.4 81.0 562 599 11,218 63.0 1,533 58.2

1996 . . . . . 94 99 98 65.3 82.2 554 620 11,119 64.6 1,520 57.0 1997 . . . . . 94 99 98 66.5 84.2 558 619 10,950 65.9 1,509 56.7

1998 . . . . . (NA) (NA) 98 67.2 84.6 562 642 10,845 (NA) 1,489 56.2

- Represents zero. NA Not available. 1 For occupied housing units. Census years as of April 1; all other years as of March.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1970 and 1980 Census of Housing, Vol. 1; thereafter Federal Communications Commission, Trends in Telephone Service, July 1998. 2 As of December 31, except as noted. Source: Radio Advertising Bureau, New York, NY,

through 1992, Radio Facts, annual, (copyright); beginning 1993, Radio Marketing Guide and Fact Book for Advertisers, annual,

(copyright). Number of stations on the air compiled from Federal Communications Commission reports.

3 Through 1970, as of September of prior year; all other years as of January of year shown. Excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Source:

Television Bureau of Advertising, Inc., Trends in Television, annual (copyright). 4 As of February. Excludes Alaska and Hawaii.

Source: See footnote 3. 5 As of January 1. Source: Warren Publishing, Washington DC, Television and Cable Factbook

(copyright). 6 Source: Nielsen Media Research, Nielsen Station Index, November diary estimates (copyright). 7 As of

September 30. Source: Editor & Publisher, Co., New York, NY, Editor & Publisher International Year Book, annual (copyright).

Source: Compiled from sources mentioned in footnotes.

20th Century Statistics 885

U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1999