A History of Broadcasting in the United States
This powerful history of broadcasting in the United States goes beyond traditional accounts to explore the field’s important social, political, and cultural ramifications. It examines how broadcasting has been organized as a business throughout much of the 20th century, and focuses on the aesthetics of programming over the years.\ \ \ Surveys four key broadcasting periods from 1921 to 1996, drawing on a range of new sources to examine recent changes in the field, including coverage of the...
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This powerful history of broadcasting in the United States goes beyond traditional accounts to explore the field’s important social, political, and cultural ramifications. It examines how broadcasting has been organized as a business throughout much of the twentieth century, and focuses on the aesthetics of programming over the years. The book surveys four key broadcasting periods from 1921 to 1996, and includes coverage of the recent impact of cable TV and home video. It presents new data from collections at the Library of Congress and the Library of American Broadcasting. Eschewing traditional coverage of FCC decisions and the physical nature of broadcasting, the book considers issues of race, class, and gender while situating the industry firmly within the context of politics, society, and culture.Ideal for anyone seeking a readable history of the field, the book provides the most current coverage available.
List of Illustrations viPreface: Why a History of Broadcasting in the USA? ixAcknowledgments xviiIntroduction: Broadcasting's Beginning: The Big Bang 1The Network Radio Era, 1921-1950 11Industrial Innovation and Diffusion: The Radio Networks 13Radio's Social, Cultural, and Political Impact: The First Mass Medium 38The Development of a New Aesthetic: Sounds 71Transition, 1945-1957 105TV Replaces Radio in the living Room 107Radio Reinvents Itself: Top 40 and Beyond 142Network Television Dominates, 1958-1982 165CBS, NBC, and ABC Covering the USA 167Network TV's Social, Cultural, and Political Impact 197The Genre Machine: From Maverick to M*A*S*H 231Contemporary History, 1982-1996 279Radio: The FM Era 281Television: Remote Control Paradise 299Epilogue: Still a Broadcasting Nation: 1996 and Into the Future 338Sorry, Wrong Number 346Index 353
\ From the Publisher"The book is wonderfully punctuated with rare photographs from the Library of American Broadcasting. The organization easily guides the reader through the narrative. A lot of reference source material comes from the periodicals and publications of the time. In addition to the rich collection at the Maryland Library of American Broadcasting collection, Gomery ventured into other national archives." (Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, September 2010)\ "Douglas Gomery is a master of the historical archive. This is a thoroughly researched, eminently readable book, written in a very accessible and entertaining style that holds the attention of readers, while also providing new information and documentation for scholars. A must read for media historians and media history courses." Richard Butsch, author of The Making of American Audiences\ “At once more expansive and finely detailed than almost any other book out there on the subject, this work will appeal to both experts in the field and those new to this history. A "must have" for media historians." Susan Murray, New York University\ “Gomery [is] a leading historian … .Here’s a history worth reading. Producers, undergraduates in media studies, and fans of media history should be avid readers." Television Quarterly\ \ \
