A History of Broadcasting in the United States

by Gomery, Douglas

• ISBN13: 9781405122818
• ISBN10: 1405122811
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-04-07
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

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. 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.

Author Biography

Douglas Gomery is Resident Scholar at the Library of American Broadcasting, University of Maryland. His credits include 19 books and more than a thousand articles. He won national book awards for his Shared Pleasures and Who Owns the Media? and he has recently been declared the winner of the distinguished scholar award from the Broadcast Education Association.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Preface: Why a History of Broadcasting in the USA?

Introduction: Broadcasting's Beginning: The Big Bang!

The Network Radio Era 1921a??1950

Industrial Innovation & Diffusion: The Radio Networks

Radio's Social, Cultural & Political Impact: The First Mass Medium

The Development of a New Aesthetic: Sounds

Transition 1945-1957

TV Replaces Radio in the Living Room

Radio Re-invents Itself: Top-40 and Beyond

Network Television Dominates 1958a??1982

CBS, NBC & ABC Covering the USA

Network TV's Social, Cultural & Political Impact

The Genre Machine: From Maverick to M*A*S*H

Contemporary History 1982-1996

Radio: The FM Era

Television: Remote Control Paradise

Epilogue: Still a Broadcasting Nation: 1996 and into the Future

Endnotes

Index

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