Prior to the 1950s and 1960s, most radio listening occurred in the home because

monopolies  came to the united states with the colonial administration. the large-scale public works needed to make the new world hospitable to old world immigrants required large companies to carry them out. these companies were granted exclusive contracts for these works by the colonial administrators. even after the american revolution, many of these colonial holdovers still functioned due to the contracts and land

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