Question: Cost of non-commercial TV and radio

there are three figures that i am accustomed to quoting to press and when
speaking to people about media issues, but i do not know where i got these
figures, and whether they are still accurate. Help!

The average american home has 9 radios.

The average american pays $250 per year for commercial tv, but it is hidden in
the price of all the things we buy, like candy bars, sneakers and cars, which
are, in aggregate, $250 more expensive than if we did not have the commercial
television industry.

By the same token, americans pay $70 per year for commercial radio- whether
they listen to it or not. In fact, they may listen to a noncommercial
community station and never pledge money, but they are actually paying for the
commercial stations that they do not listen to.

How much do non-commercial TV and radio cost the average american?

And finally, how much does the average american pay for all forms of
advertising, through increased prices of products?

Partial answer

The average U.S. family of four pays $1,000 a year for commercial television, as a result of the addition of advertising costs to the prices of brand name products and the deduction of advertising costs from corporate federal tax obligations.


source: George Gerbner, The Global Media Debate: Its Rise, Fall and Renewal. Ablex, 1993.

The average American household had five radios in 1994.


Source: Portrait of the USA. Chapter 12. United States Information Agency.