ABSTRACT

American television has long served as either a model for emulation or a target of derision for other countries. Surely the largest system in terms of number of stations (1,750 in 2005) or revenue (nearly US$55 billion in 2004), commercial broadcast and cable television remains the primary U.S. entertainment medium, a role it has served for nearly six decades. Based on advertiser support, supplemented by a weaker educational/public television sector, and very limited regulatory oversight, American television nonetheless faces substantial change in coming years, a transition that is already evident.