ABSTRACT
For convenience, the beginning of a revolution can be placed in the late summer of 1929, when millions of Americans, with more money to spend on recreation than they had ever had before, spent nothing because they were staying home to be entertained by the Amos ’n’ Andy radio program. A few years later it was so far on its way to becoming the first universal entertainment that churches postponed midweek gatherings and movie houses delayed their evening shows long enough for people to listen to the Amos ’n ’ Andy program at home or, in many places, announced that the program would be heard before the beginning of Bible class or the feature picture. That change—from radio as a carrier of news and ideas to radio as a virtually endless entertainment—is another aspect of the revolution.
