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 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. Preface: Why a History of Broadcasting in the USA?. Acknowledgments. Introduction: Broadcasting’s Beginning: The Big Bang. Part I: The Network Radio Era, 1921–1950 . 1. Industrial Innovation and Diffusion: The Radio Networks. 2. Radio’s Social, Cultural, and Political Impact: The First Mass Medium. 3. The Development of a New Aesthetic: Sounds. Part II: Transition, 1945–1957 . 4. TV Replaces Radio in the Living Room. 5. Radio Reinvents Itself: Top 40 and Beyond. Part III: Network Television Dominates, 1958–1982 . 6. CBS, NBC, and ABC Covering the USA. 7. Network TV’s Social, Cultural, and Political Impact. 8. The Genre Machine: From Maverick to M∗A∗S∗H. Part IV: Contemporary History, 1982–1996 . 9. Radio: The FM Era. 10. Television: Remote Control Paradise. Epilogue: Still a Broadcasting Nation: 1996 and into the Future. Appendix: Sorry, Wrong Number. Index

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.

"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) “The book remains distinctive on several levels. It is a somewhat provocative survey that in 357 pages effectively renders broadcasting’s first sixty years.” ( Journalism History , Spring 2009) "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) “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)