Rethinking TV History

Abstract

The writing of the early history of U.S. television has long concentrated on the rise of dominating national networks. Based on principles of social, demographic, policy, and urban history, I propose we rethink historical analysis, and begin at the local level. To illustrate the power of this approach, I offer a case study of the place of Washington, D.C., as a site for network news. In the mid-1950s, it was also an important example of live locally produced country music. As a community, Washington presents an important site where forces such as migration and suburbanization shaped the early history of television.