Public Radio and Television in America: A Political History

by Ralph Engelman

Overview

The origins and evolution of the major insititutions in the United States for noncommercial radio and television are explored in this unique volume.

Ralph Engelman examines the politics behind the development of National Public Radio, Radio Pacifica and the Public Broadcasting Service. He traces the changing social forces that converged to launch and shape these institutions from the Second World War to the present day. The book challenges several commonly held beliefs - including that the mass media is simply a manipulative tool - and concludes that public broadcasting has an enormous potential as an emancipatory vehicle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506339689
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	04/22/1996
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	603 KB

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Politics of Public Radio and Television
PART ONE: PROLOGUE, 1914-1945
The Public Origins of American Broadcasting
The Defeat of the Broadcast Reform Movement of the 1930s
PART TWO: PUBLIC RADIO
Pacifica Radio
The Vision of Lewis K Hill
The Spread of Community Radio and Pacifica's Institutional Crisis
National Public Radio
The Vision of William H Siemering
Public Radio
From Supplemental to Primary Service
PART THREE: PUBLIC TELEVISION
The Foundation Years
The Government Years
The Corporate Years
PART FOUR: COMMUNITY TELEVISION
Public Access
The Vision of George Stoney
The Struggle over the Future of Community TV
PART FIVE: CONCLUSION
The Mystification of the Public Sphere in the History of American Broadcasting
The Attack of the Right and the Future of Public Radio and Television

Editorial Reviews

Offers a critical overview of public radio and television and public access television, focusing on the technological, ideological, and social forces shaping the development of National Public Radio, Radio Pacifica, the Public Broadcasting Service, and community television on cable. Draws on interviews with pioneers in the field, looking at public radio and television systems' dual potential as mechanisms for establishing government and corporate authorities, and as emancipatory vehicles. Paper edition (unseen), $24.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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