- Box 3.1 American Bandstand
- Networks versus independent broadcasters
- Television paralleled the trends in radio
- Major labels dominated the music played on network TV and network radio
- More conservative mainstream pop was preferred by more conservative advertisers
- Directed at more conservative middle-class tastes
- Independent record labels built affiliations with local radio and local TV
- Newer styles were presented on these programs
- Rhythm and blues, country and western and, of course, rock and roll
- Popular local disk jockeys were hired to appear on local TV shows dedicated to these styles of music
- Shows featured dancing, comedy, short films
- There were dozens of these local shows on the air during the 1950s
- Bandstand was originally a radio show hosted by Bob Horn on WFIL AM in Philadelphia
- He was asked to convert it to television in 1952
- Emphasis on dancing
- Horn was replaced by Dick Clark in 1956
- The became very popular and was picked up by ABC and broadcast nationally in 1957
- Bandstand becomes "American Bandstand"
- Within a month it was the top rated daytime television show in America
- Continued to be produced in Philadelphia
- Dick Clark given an unusual amount of freedom to pick songs he wanted on the show
- Clark presented a balanced amount of black and white performers
- This helped soothe racial tensions in a unique way by approaching it from the young person's viewpoint
- American Bandstand remained on the air until well after the appearance of MTV in the 1980s
