So what impression is television trying to promote? First television must tirelessly defend the status quo. Television will never challenge the viewer’s mind or present controversial issues.
In 2004, television became a $52 billion industry. The networks know this fact. They know how much money is at stake and they know how much power the TV industry possesses. The huge corporations that own networks and stations know exactly how big television has gotten. There should be no doubt about the true agenda of the television industry.
The number of television sets in U.S. households in 2001: 248 million
The percentage of households with at least one TV in 2001: 98.2%
The average number of TVs per home in 2001: 2.4
The projected number of hours that adults (age 18 and older) will watch television in 2004: 1,669 (This is the equivalent of about 70 days.)The percentage of people age 18 and over who said they watched television in the spring of 2002: 94.3%
Older Americans (age 65 and over) were more likely to be glued to the tube (97 percent) than any other age group.
The projected spending per person for cable and satellite TV in 2004: $255.18
The estimated average monthly rate for cable TV in 2002: $34.71
The number of stores that primarily sold televisions and other electronic equipment in 2001: 21,724
The annual payroll for the 245,000 employees of 6,692 cable TV networks and program distribution firms in the United States in 2001: $11.7 billion