All The Violent Shows On TV in Chicago, One Day In 1954

All The Violent Shows On TV in Chicago On One Day In 1954

This chart was used in Senate hearings on television and violence held in October 1954. It shows a day’s television programming in Chicago, and highlights in red the programs with plots centering on crime and criminals. (Here’s another chart using the same color-coding to illustrate programs aired in Washington, D.C., during a sample week.)

These early hearings on TV violence were held during a period of rapid adoption. In 1946, 6,000 homes had television sets; by 1955, TV could be found in one half of American households. While this chart may look humble to us when compared to our endlessly scrolling cable menus, this slate of programming represents a huge growth in entertainment options in a very short time.

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