History of Broadcasting in the United States

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)

• List of Illustrations vi Preface: Why a History of Broadcasting in the USA? ixAcknowledgments xviiIntroduction: Broadcasting’s Beginning: The Big Bang 1Part I: The Network Radio Era, 1921–1950 11. Industrial Innovation and Diffusion: The Radio Networks 132. Radio’s Social, Cultural, and Political Impact: The First Mass Medium 383. The Development of a New Aesthetic: Sounds 71Part II: Transition, 1945–1957 1054. TV Replaces Radio in the Living Room 1075. Radio Reinvents Itself: Top 40 and Beyond 142Part III: Network Television Dominates, 1958–1982 1656. CBS, NBC, and ABC Covering the USA 1677. Network TV’s Social, Cultural, and Political Impact 1978. The Genre Machine: From Maverick to M*A*S*H 231Part IV: Contemporary History, 1982–1996 2799. Radio: The FM Era 28110. Television: Remote Control Paradise 299Epilogue: Still a Broadcasting Nation: 1996 and into the Future 338Appendix: Sorry, Wrong Number 346Index 353