More fun for the consumer: CB explodes and home video games capture the consumer's fancy

Consumers, always eager for something new, useful, or just plain fun, were served a double helping of technical treats over the past 12 months. Erupting from a highway subculture, citizens band radio became such a hot item during 1976 that on January 1, 1978, the old 23-channel service was broadened to 40 channels in an attempt to alleviate congestion and mutual interference. A second, but no less significant, sensation was the home video game that rang up heavy sales during the 1976 preholiday season, with the promise that even more imaginative, challenging games will be marketed during 1977.