Editing Dick Clark (section)

== American Bandstand ==

Richard Wagstaff Clark was born on November 30, 1929, in Mount Vernon, New York, entering broadcasting after college before joining Philadelphia's WFIL-TV in 1952. He became host of "Bandstand" in 1956, assuming leadership of a local dance show that would soon achieve national syndication and cultural significance. The August 5, 1957 debut on ABC transformed a Philadelphia phenomenon into a national institution.<ref name="shore">{{cite book |last=Shore |first=Michael |title=The History of American Bandstand |year=1985 |publisher=Ballantine Books |location=New York}}</ref>

The show's format—teenagers dancing to popular records while artists lip-synced their hits—created a template that television has never entirely abandoned. Clark's persona—clean-cut, articulate, appealing to parents who feared rock and roll's influence—made the show acceptable to advertisers and networks despite the music's perceived dangers. This acceptability enabled national exposure that more controversial hosts could not have achieved.<ref name="jackson"/>

Philadelphia's role as Bandstand's home made the city central to American popular music during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The teenagers who appeared on the show became celebrities, while Philadelphia-area artists including Fabian, Bobby Rydell, and Frankie Avalon benefited from Clark's promotional power. The show's influence extended beyond exposure to include shaping tastes that determined which records became hits and which artists achieved success.<ref name="shore"/>