Overview

The Rise of Mass Media.

The 1930s made a lasting impact on American mass media. Despite the Depression several of the mass media in the United States underwent considerable growth during the 1930s. Even though their numbers decreased, newspapers maintained their readership. In 1920 the United States had 2,042 daily newspapers with a total circulation of 27,791,000. By 1930 there were a thousand fewer dailies, but their circulation had risen to 39,589,000. In 1939 the number of papers had dropped to 1,888, but those papers had 39,671,000 subscribers. The enormous growth of radio in the 1920s continued during the 1930s. In 1930 there were radios in 29 million households, less than half the households in the United States. Ten years later 80 percent of American households (35 million) had radios. The 1930s were a heyday for magazines. In 1935 there were 6,546 in the United States—half monthlies and one-quarter weeklies. Pulp fiction,...