The Audience: The Videophobes

Since the spread of cable TV systems, the U.S. has been buried under a blanket of television. According to the Nielsen ratings service, approximately 95% of U.S. households have TV sets. But what of the remaining 5%? Some live in mountain areas like Appalachian Georgia, or the new ski-resort town of Vail, Colo., where cable TV has not yet penetrated. Some Americans cannot afford to buy a TV set, although more American homes have TV than have telephones or bathrooms, and, as the Kerner Commission reported, television is "the universal appliance in the ghetto." Thus, many of the 5%...

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