Telecommunications, Mass Media, and Democracy : The Battle for the Control of U.S. Broadcasting, 1928-1935

This Work Shows In Detail The Emergence And Consolidation Of U.s. Commercial Broadcasting Economically, Politically, And Ideologically. This Process Was Met By Organized Opposition And A General Level Of Public Antipathy That Has Been Almost Entirely Overlooked By Previous Scholarship. Mcchesney Highlights The Activities And Arguments Of This Early Broadcast Reform Movement Of The 1930s. The Reformers Argued That Commercial Broadcasting Was Inimical To The Communication Requirements Of A Democratic Society And That The Only Solution Was To Have A Dominant Role For Nonprofit And Noncommercial Broadcasting. Although The Movement Failed, Mcchesney Argues That It Provides Important Lessons Not Only For Communication Historians And Policymakers, But For Those Concerned With Media And How They Are Used. 1. Introduction -- 2. General Order 40 And The Emergence Of Commercial Broadcasting, 1925-1930. American Broadcasting Through The Passage Of The Radio Act Of 1927. The Frc And The Reallocation Of The Airwaves. The Emerging Status Quo And The Reaction Of The Immediate Parties -- 3. The Broadcast Reform Movement I: The Payne Fund And Ferment Among The Educators. The Payne Fund And Radio Broadcasting, 1927-1930. The National Committee On Education By Radio. National Advisor Council On Radio In Education. The Ventura Free Press Radio Campaign -- 4. The Broadcast Reform Movement Ii: Nonprofit Broadcasters, Civic Organizations, And Intellectuals. Edward Nockels, Wcfl, And Organized Labor. Father Harney, The Paulist Fathers, And Wlwl. Pacific-western Broadcasting Federation And Gross W. Alexander. The Aclu Radio Committee. American Intellectuals And Commercial Broadcasting. Harris K. Randall And The American Radio Audience League -- 5. The Broadcast Reform Movement Versus The Radio Lobby: Arguments, Proposals, Programs, And Problems. The Broadcast Reformers: Critique Of The Status Quo, Alternatives, And Problems. The Radio Lobby: Activities And Arguments In Defense Of The Status Quo -- 6. 1930-summer 1932: The Battle On Capitol Hill. Public Opinion And Congressional Attitudes On Broadcasting And Reform. Louis G. Caldwell And The American Bar Association. Sr 129 And Commercial Radio Advertising -- 7. Autumn 1932-december 1933: The Battle For Public Opinion And The White House. Shifting Currents In Autumn 1932. The Battle For The Press. The Battle For The White House, 1933 -- 8. December 1933-january 1935: The Statutory Consolidation Of The Status Quo. Jockeying For Position In Early 1934. The Wagner-hatfield Amendment And The Communications Act Of 1934. The Fcc Hearings In Autumn 1934 -- 9. January 1935 And Beyond: The Ideological Consolidation Of The Status Quo. The Collapse Of The Broadcast Reform Movement. Free Speech And Ideological Closure -- 10. Conclusion. Rethinking U.s. Broadcasting History. Failure Of The 1930s Reform Movement And Media Reform Efforts Thereafter. Robert W. Mcchesney. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 351-376) And Index. This text examines a critical point in US broadcasting in the late 1920s and early 1930s: the only period in which a strong opposition emerged to challenge network-dominated, advertising-supported media such as radio. Although the opposition failed to secure airwaves for non-profit broadcasters, its critique of the formation and structure of early broadcasting anticipated much of today's most compelling media criticism This study examines a critical point in US broadcasting, when a strong opposition emerged to challenge network-dominated, advertising-supported media such as radio.