This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 99: New Year's 1948 On The Air

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On New Year's Day, 1948 As Hollywood’s Open House featuring Jim Ameche signed on NBC at 7:30PM eastern time, the four major networks had every reason to celebrate. In the past five years, total radio revenue had almost doubled. 97% of the nation’s AM stations were now linked to one of the big four.

NBC, ABC, and CBS would use the profits to launch full force into the Television era. On New Year’s Day in 1947 there were only 12,000 TV sets in the US.

By New Year’s Day 1951 there were ten million.

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At 8:30PM eastern time, live from Los Angeles, Burns and Allen signed on for Maxwell House. With it being the new year, George Burns and Jack Benny both resolved to be taken seriously as musicians.