The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, took place in a radically different era. The adoption of radio in the 1920s and television in the 1950s created a nationwide audience for news. Word of the shooting in Dallas spread within minutes over both broadcast media. People not only heard about the tragedy in their homes or workplaces, but the development of affordable portable radio receivers meant that people in cars or in other outdoor areas could also listen to the latest bulletins. The broadcast audiences then verbally spread the news to other people directly or via telephone.
