As the economy boomed after the Second World War, America hungered for entertainment. Some 78 companies were selling nearly 200 different models by 1948, and nearly 600,000 TV sets flew off appliance store shelves. Each day, an estimated 1,000 new sets were being installed." An avalanche of applications for broadcast licenses hit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which became so overwhelmed with technical and policy issues to create a national broadcast system, it simply stopped granting new licenses altogether. The freeze lasted for four
years, and in the meantime, the 108
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