Why was the television an important item starting in the 1950s?

TV really didn't begin until the late 1940's and became popular in the 1950's. There were only 3-4 stations that were on air from 6 am to 12 pm. It changed the way people saw the world and how they lived. Things like TV dinners were created because people were watching shows while eating on TV trays. News gave people views of other places and people so the world widened for people and instead of just hearing popular shows from radio they could see the actors. The actors became celebrities and people began to follow their lives. Color TV didn't come out until the 1960's so all the early shows were in black and white. I remember wondering what the Wizard of OZ looked like in color. Sports didn't come about until the 1970's and popular shows in the 1950's were variety and game shows.