That's the Way It Is

That's the Way It Is
Author: Charles L. Ponce de Leon
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2016-09-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 022642152X

Ever since Newton Minow taught us sophisticates to bemoan the descent of television into a vast wasteland, the dyspeptic chorus of jeremiahs who insist that television news in particular has gone from gold to dross gets noisier and noisier. Charles Ponce de Leon says here, in effect, that this is misleading, if not simply fatuous. He argues in this well-paced, lively, readable book that TV news has changed in response to broader changes in the TV industry and American culture. It is pointless to bewail its decline. "That s the Way It Is "gives us the very first history of American television news, spanning more than six decades, from Camel News Caravan to Countdown with Keith Oberman and The Daily Show. Starting in the latter 1940s, television news featured a succession of broadcasters who became household names, even presences: Eric Sevareid, Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Peter Jennings, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and, with cable expansion, people like Glenn Beck, Jon Stewart, and Bill O Reilly. But behind the scenes, the parallel story is just as interesting, involving executives, producers, and journalists who were responsible for the field s most important innovations. Included with mainstream network news programs is an engaging treatment of news magazines like "60 Minutes" and "20/20, " as well as morning news shows like "Today" and "Good Morning America." Ponce de Leon gives ample attention to the establishment of cable networks (CNN, and the later competitors, Fox News and MSNBC), mixing in colorful anecdotes about the likes of Roger Ailes and Roone Arledge. Frothy features and other kinds of entertainment have been part and parcel of TV news from the start; viewer preferences have always played a role in the evolution of programming, although the disintegration of a national culture since the 1970s means that most of us no longer follow the news as a civic obligation. Throughout, Ponce de Leon places his history in a broader cultural context, emphasizing tensions between the public service mission of TV news and the quest for profitability and broad appeal."

The Broadcast Century and Beyond

The Broadcast Century and Beyond
Author: Robert L Hilliard
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2012-10-02
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1136027378

The Broadcast Century and Beyond is a popular history of the most influential and innovative industry of the century. The story of broadcasting is told in a direct and informal style, blending personal insight and authoritative scholarship to fully capture the many facets of this dynamic industry. The book vividly depicts the events, people, programs, and companies that made television and radio dominant forms of communication. The latest edition includes coverage of all the technologies that have emerged over the past decade and discusses the profound impact they have had on the broadcasting industry in political, social, and economic spheres. "Broadcasting as a whole has been completely revolutionized with the advent of YouTube, podcasting, iphones, etc, and the authors show how this closing of world-wide broadcasting channels affects the industry.

A History of Broadcasting in the United States

A History of Broadcasting in the United States
Author: Erik Barnouw
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 370
Release: 1966-12-31
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0198020031

Tells how radio and television became an integral part of American life, of how a toy became an industry and a force in politics, business, education, religion, and international affairs.

Invisible Stars

Invisible Stars
Author: Donna L. Halper
Publisher: M.E. Sharpe
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2001
Genre: Women in the broadcasting industry
ISBN: 9780765605818

This artful social history considers our culture's expectations of women and how those expectations changed throughout the twentieth century, how the advent of television changed the landscape of employment opportunities for women in broadcasting, and how both television and radio communicate about gender roles.

NBC

NBC
Author: Michele Hilmes
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 375
Release: 2007-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0520250818

"NBC: America's Network makes a significant contribution to our understanding of American broadcasting. Hilmes makes a convincing case for the appropriateness of an examination of a single firm, NBC, to illuminate the major themes and events of American broadcast history. In addition, she adeptly synthesizes a strong set of individually-authored chapters on specific historical periods, controversies, and program genres into a coherent whole. The writing is concise and lively and the breadth and depth of the material makes this a exceptional work."—William Boddy, author of New Media and Popular Imagination "NBC: America's Network is an outstanding book about one network across US television history. Hilmes is an excellent editor who brings broad insights about the television industry to bear on this volume. The individual essays present different approaches and methods, and together provide an integrated history of NBC with analysis that respects the medium and the people that worked in it."—Mary Beth Haralovich, co-editor of Television, History, and American Culture: Feminist Critical Essays. "Filled with highly readable essays by the top scholars in the field, NBC: America's Network explores key, often watershed moments in the network's history to illuminate the central role broadcasting has played in constituting public discourse about what is-and what is not-in the public interest. A welcome addition to the history of broadcasting, and essential reading for anyone interested in the transformative role of radio and TV in modern life."—Susan J. Douglas, author of Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination

The Great American Broadcast

The Great American Broadcast
Author: Leonard Maltin
Publisher: NAL
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2000
Genre: Radio broadcasting
ISBN: 9780451200785

This account of the Golden Age of Radio offers behind the scenes stories about Orson Welles, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, and many more stars, as well as the histories of radio soap operas, westerns and other shows. Includes hundreds of personal interviews and more than 125 rare photos and illustrations.

Stay Tuned

Stay Tuned
Author: Christopher Sterling
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 1169
Release: 2001-11-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 113568510X

Since its initial publication in 1978, Stay Tuned has been recognized as the most comprehensive and useful single-volume history of American broadcasting and electronic media available. This third edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to bring the story of American broadcasting forward to the 21st century, affording readers not only the history of the most important and pervasive institution affecting our society, but also providing a contextual transition to the Internet and other modern media. The enthusiasm of authors Christopher H. Sterling and John Michael Kittross is apparent as they lead readers through the development of American electronic mass media, from the first electrical communication (telegraph and telephone); through radio and television; to the present convergence of media, business entities, programming, and delivery systems, including the Internet. Their presentation is engaging, as well as informative, promoting an interest in history and making the connections between the developments of yesterday and the industry of today. Features of this third edition include: *chronological and topical tables of contents; *new material reflecting modern research in the field; *a new chapter describing historical developments from 1988 through to the current day; *an expanded bibliography, including Web site and museum listings; *an updated and expanded glossary and chronology; and *extensive statistical data of the development of television and radio stations, networks, advertising, programming, audiences, and other aspects of broadcasting. Designed for use in undergraduate and graduate courses on the history of American mass media, broadcasting, and electronic media, Stay Tuned also fits well into mass communication survey courses as an introduction to electronic media topics. As a chronicle of American broadcasting, this volume is also engaging reading for anyone interested in old radio, early television, and the origins and development of American broadcasting.

Television and American Culture

Television and American Culture
Author: Jason Mittell
Publisher:
Total Pages: 484
Release: 2010
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN:

Television and American Culture: An Overview introduces students to the study of television by looking at American television from a cultural perspective. The book is written for intermediate undergraduate and beginning graduate students for a range of television studies courses. Specifically, Mittell discusses television within the following contexts: the economics of the television industry, television's role within American democracy, the formal attributes of a variety of television genres, television as a site of gender and racial identity formation, television's role in everyday life, and the medium's technological and social impacts. The topical arrangement and comprehensive scope of the book differs from other television textbooks, arguing that we must incorporate a range of economic, political, aesthetic, and sociological perspectives to fully comprehend the medium of television.