How many channels were available in the 1950's?

Answer 1

There were 18. They are the Anguilla Channel, Bashi Channel, Beagle Channel, Coco Channel, Columbus Channel, English Channel, Jamaica Channel, Kennedy Channel, Malta Channel, Martinique Channel, Mozambique Channel, Nicholas Channel, Old Bahama Channel, Robeson Channel, Saint-Barthélemy Channel, St George's Channel,Saint Lucia Channel, and the Yucatán Channel.

Answer 2

This question is difficult to answer because in the early fifties, there were very few; but by 1958-1959, a large number of additional channels had gone on the air. The reason for the difference was the so-called "Television Freeze of 1948." The Federal Communications Commission put a stop to all new TV licenses while they did further study on the technology. It was supposed to be a short delay, but it lasted till 1952, which meant that cities already possessing a TV channel kept it, but those who didn't have one yet had to wait. In Boston, which had TV, there were only two channels until about 1955, when a third went on the air. Most medium-sized cities of the early 50s only had one channel. So, in, let's say, 1953, there may have been fewer than 75 TV stations in the entire US.

But by 1958-59, TV had expanded in popularity and many cities now had more choices. A quick count from my 1958 TV Annual shows close to 500 TV stations nation-wide, the majority of which had gone on the air since 1954. Unlike the early fifties, when many states had no station due to the TV Freeze, now every state had at least one and some states had many. (Note that there was still no cable TV yet. These were all regular broadcast channels, generally from channel 2 to channel 13 on your television.)