The first transformative communication technology enabled by electricity was radio. Commercial radio broadcasting in the United States began in 1920 and by the 1930s had become the nation’s primary form of mass media.[79] Unlike newspapers, which were mainly limited to a single metropolitan area, radio broadcasts could reach audiences across the country. This spurred development of a truly national media culture, as people from California to Maine heard many of the same political addresses, news reports, and entertainment programs. By 1950 more than nine out of ten American households had a
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