Barbara Moore is Professor in the College of Communiacations, University of Tennessee. She co-authored the textbook Radio, TV, and Cable Programming (Iowa State University Press, 1994)Marvin R. Bensman is Professor at the University of Memphis, a member of the board of the Broadcast Education Association, and the author of The Beginning of Broadcast Regulation in the 20th Century (MacFarland, 2000).Jim van Dyke teaches at Marian College in Milwaukee, and has published television criticism in various journals.

"Barbara Moore, Marvin R. Bensman, and Jim Van Dyke have cobbled together a compendium of thoroughly researched evidence that America's top medium for news and information got to be No. 1 for prime-time reasons. The programs, the regulations and the history of television, accompanied by a generous collection of photographs, combine for an interesting addition to the shelves of TV buffs anywhere." - American Journalism

• Introduction The Heritage of Radio Programming (1927-1947) The Experimental Days of Television Programming (1939-1947) Finding an Audience (1948-1952) The Rise and Fall of Live Drama and Quiz Shows (1953-1959) Detectives, Cowboys, and Happy Families (1960-1969) Controversy in Prime Time (1970-1984) Changes in Competition (1996-2005) Conclusion Abbreviations Bibliography

Barbara Moore is Professor in the College of Communiacations, University of Tennessee. She co-authored the textbook Radio, TV, and Cable Programming (Iowa State University Press, 1994)Marvin R. Bensman is Professor at the University of Memphis, a member of the board of the Broadcast Education Association, and the author of The Beginning of Broadcast Regulation in the 20th Century (MacFarland, 2000).Jim van Dyke teaches at Marian College in Milwaukee, and has published television criticism in various journals.

"Barbara Moore, Marvin R. Bensman, and Jim Van Dyke have cobbled together a compendium of thoroughly researched evidence that America's top medium for news and information got to be No. 1 for prime-time reasons. The programs, the regulations and the history of television, accompanied by a generous collection of photographs, combine for an interesting addition to the shelves of TV buffs anywhere." - American Journalism

• Introduction The Heritage of Radio Programming (1927-1947) The Experimental Days of Television Programming (1939-1947) Finding an Audience (1948-1952) The Rise and Fall of Live Drama and Quiz Shows (1953-1959) Detectives, Cowboys, and Happy Families (1960-1969) Controversy in Prime Time (1970-1984) Changes in Competition (1996-2005) Conclusion Abbreviations Bibliography

Barbara Moore is Professor in the College of Communiacations, University of Tennessee. She co-authored the textbook Radio, TV, and Cable Programming (Iowa State University Press, 1994)Marvin R. Bensman is Professor at the University of Memphis, a member of the board of the Broadcast Education Association, and the author of The Beginning of Broadcast Regulation in the 20th Century (MacFarland, 2000).Jim van Dyke teaches at Marian College in Milwaukee, and has published television criticism in various journals.

"Barbara Moore, Marvin R. Bensman, and Jim Van Dyke have cobbled together a compendium of thoroughly researched evidence that America's top medium for news and information got to be No. 1 for prime-time reasons. The programs, the regulations and the history of television, accompanied by a generous collection of photographs, combine for an interesting addition to the shelves of TV buffs anywhere." - American Journalism

• Introduction The Heritage of Radio Programming (1927-1947) The Experimental Days of Television Programming (1939-1947) Finding an Audience (1948-1952) The Rise and Fall of Live Drama and Quiz Shows (1953-1959) Detectives, Cowboys, and Happy Families (1960-1969) Controversy in Prime Time (1970-1984) Changes in Competition (1996-2005) Conclusion Abbreviations Bibliography