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March 1948 Radio-Craft
 [Table
of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Craft,
published 1929 - 1953. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.
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Significant advances in electronics
- and all other kinds of technology for that matter - occurred during World War II,
which in conjunction with the U.S. government selling surplus equipment at the end
of that war at very low prices, cause a boom in consumer electronics markets. The
established radio business and the fledgling television markets were abetted by
quickly expanding numbers of broadcast stations. This chart appearing in Radio-Craft
magazine from early 1948 show the number of currently licensed AM, FM, and TV stations,
with projections out 20 years to 1968. I don't have the data from 1968, but almost
certainly the numbers were much larger than predicted, fueled largely by portable
radios in automobiles and hand-carried models. Transistorized circuits (the
transistor was invented in 1947, just a month before this chart
was made) with their smaller size, smaller battery requirements, more rugged construction,
improved circuit designs, and higher reliability provided another major kick to
the market in the early-mid 1960s.
U.S. Radio and Television Stations January 15, 1948
 This chart shows the new high to which the
number of U.S. AM, FM and television stations has risen. Besides those shown there
are over 30,000 radio-equipped police cars and an ever-growing number of mobile
installations in taxis, trucks and other privately-owned vehicles. Educational stations
are also at an all-time high, with 32 AM and 38 FM licenses.
U.S. Radio Stations Jan. 15, 1948
Television Stations
Posted November 24, 2023
(updated from original
post on 4/19/2017)
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