Abstract
The writing of the early history of U.S. television has long concentrated on the rise of dominating national networks. Based on principles of social, demographic, policy, and urban history, I propose we rethink historical analysis, and begin at the local level. To illustrate the power of this approach, I offer a case study of the place of Washington, D.C., as a site for network news. In the mid-1950s, it was also an important example of live locally produced country music. As a community, Washington presents an important site where forces such as migration and suburbanization shaped the early history of television.
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