Table Of ContentO C
NLY ONNECT
A Cultural History of Broadcasting in the United States
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O C
NLY ONNECT
A Cultural History of Broadcasting in the United States
THIRD EDITION
Michele Hilmes
University of Wisconsin–Madison
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BroadcastingintheUnitedStates,
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 14 13 12 11 10
C
ONTENTS
PREFACE xiv
CHAPTER 1 Making History 1
The Power of History 4
It Flows Two Ways 5
CONNECTION: SEEING THROUGH THE FIFTIES 6
History = The Past + Historiography 8
Historical Erasures 9
History and Nation 10
Our Way 11
Borders and Identities 11
CONNECTION: THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. BRINKLEY 12
Conclusion 16
Further Reading/Listening/Viewing 17
CHAPTER 2 Before Broadcasting 18
Social Context: The Progressive Era 19
Immigration and Nativism 20
Progressive Intervention, Popular Resistance 20
The War to End All Wars 22
The Rise of Popular Media 23
The Press and Magazines 23
Advertising Agencies 25
Music, Vaudeville, and Film 25
Sports and Spectacle 26
v
vi CONTENTS
Progression and Repression 27
The Invention of Mass Culture 27
High and Low in the Culture Wars 27
CONNECTION: THE SCANDAL OF JAZZ 28
From Radiotelegraphy to the Wireless 30
CONNECTION: RADIO HACKERS: HUGO GERNSBACK AND HIRAM PERCY MAXIM 31
Conclusion 36
Further Reading/Listening/Viewing 36
CHAPTER 3 Broadcasting Begins, 1919 to 1926 37
Social Context: The Jazz Age 38
Restrictions and Backlash 38
African-American Resistance 39
What Did Women Want? 39
Popular Entertainments 40
Who Are These Americans? 42
Radio Activity 43
RCA: The Radio Corporation of America 43
Early Regulation 44
BREAKOUT BOX: 3.1 WHO OWNED AMERICA’S EARLIEST RADIO STATIONS? 45
Defining “Quality” 46
BREAKOUT BOX: 3.2 PARODY OF EARLY RADIO PROGRAMMING 47
Radio Conferences 47
Principles and Precedents 48
Early Broadcasters 49
CONNECTION: BERTHA BRAINARD AND NBC 50
The Network Idea 53
CONNECTION: “EVEREADY RED” WENDELL HALL 54
Other Important Early Stations and Programs 57
Social Discourse 58
Utopian Hopes, Dystopian Fears 59
Public Service versus Commercialism 62
Public Interest 63
Conclusion 63
Further Reading/Listening/Viewing 64
CHAPTER 4 The Network Age, 1926 to 1940 65
Social Context: Depression and a New Deal 66
Depression 66
A New Deal 67
Regulation: Ground Rules, 1927–1934 68
The Radio Act of 1927 and General Order 40 69
BREAKOUT BOX: 4.1 GENERAL PUBLIC INTEREST VS. PROPAGANDA STATIONS 71
The Communications Act of 1934 72
The Romance Hits a Few Bumps 73
CONTENTS vii
Industry: Networks Triumphant 76
CONNECTION: CBS: “WE TRY HARDER” 77
BREAKOUT BOX: 4.2 THE PALEY PLAN 79
The Sponsor’s Medium 84
CONNECTION: J. WALTER THOMPSON, RADIO SHOWMEN TO THE WORLD 86
The American Medium 88
Network Woes 89
Conclusion 91
Further Reading/Listening/Viewing 92
CHAPTER 5 Radio for Everyone, 1926 to 1940 93
The Media Milieu 94
Radio Still Goes Hollywood 95
The Afterlife of Vaudeville 96
The Swing Decades 97
The Press-Radio Wars and the Birth of Broadcast News 99
Magazine Chat and Women’s Programs 101
Programming: Popular Radio 102
Radio Representations 103
Radio Forms and Aesthetics 104
BREAKOUT BOX: 5.1 FORMS OF BROADCAST NARRATIVE 105
CONNECTION: COMEDY VARIETY: JACK BENNY AND HIS RADIO FAMILY 106
Dramatic Anthologies and Features 112
CONNECTION: AVANT-GARDE RADIO: THE COLUMBIA WORKSHOP AND NORMAN
CORWIN 113
Comedy Series 116
Thriller Dramas 117
Quiz Shows 118
Sports 118
Religious Programming 119
Educational and Public Affairs Programming 120
Daytime Radio 121
Soaps: Serial Drama for Women 121
BREAKOUT BOX: 5.2 DAYTIME SOAPS ON THE AIR, 1939–40 123
CONNECTION: ALL IRNA’S CHILDREN 125
Daytime Talk 128
Critiques of Mass Culture 131
Conclusion 132
Further Reading/Listening/Viewing 133
CHAPTER 6 War at Home and Abroad, 1940 to 1945 134
Social Context: The Winds of War Blow Change 134
Embattled Isolationism 134
Who We Are, Why We Fight 136
The Military-Industrial Complex 137
viii CONTENTS
Social Discourse: Thinking About Radio 139
Industry Conceptions of the Audience 139
BREAKOUT BOX: 6.1 BROADCAST RATINGS SYSTEMS 140
The Rise of U.S. Communications Research 142
CONNECTION: FATHER COUGHLIN AND THE MASSES 143
Radio Goes to War 147
CONNECTION: AMERICAN IDENTITY AND THE RADIO FEATURE 149
Government-Industry Cooperation 154
BREAKOUT BOX: 6.2 THE OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION 155
CONNECTION: THE PUBLIC WOMAN: THE STORY OF MARY MARLIN 157
Pitching America Overseas 159
The Rise of Network News 162
Regulation: Up and Down with the FCC 165
ABC Enters the Scene 165
Spectrum Struggles 166
Conclusion 167
Further Reading/Listening/Viewing 168
CHAPTER 7 At Last Television, 1945 to 1955 169
Social Context: Returning to Normalcy 169
Labor Unrest and the Rise of Corporate Liberalism 170
The Cold War at Home 171
The Race Issue Redux 171
Media Context: Transitioning to Prosperity 172
A New Deal at the Movies 172
The Print Media 174
Books 174
Advertising and Public Relations 175
Radio 175
CONNECTION: DJS, BLACK RADIO, AND THE RISE OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL 177
Regulation: Television’s Golden Age 179
The Blue Book 180
The Big Chill 181
BREAKOUT BOX: 7.1 VHF VS. UHF: INTERMIXTURE AND DEINTERMIXTURE 183
Programming: The Politics and Poetics of Live TV 185
BREAKOUT BOX: 7.2 LOCAL STATIONS’ SOURCES OF PROGRAMMING IN THE
1950S 187
Avant-Garde TV: The Live Anthology Drama Goes Visual 188
BREAKOUT BOX: 7.3 ANTHOLOGY DRAMAS ON THE AIR, 1953 AND 1958 190
Variety Shows 191
The Rise of Filmed Series 191
CONNECTION: THE BIRTH OF THE SITCOM 193
News 196
Sports 197
Daytime 197
Syndication 198
CONTENTS ix
CONNECTION: COLD WAR TV: I LED 3 LIVES 199
Social Discourse: Mass Anxieties 202
‘‘TV Is Bad for Kids,’’ Phase I 202
‘‘TV Needs to Control Itself’’ 203
‘‘Commercial TV Is Free TV’’ 204
Conclusion 204
Further Reading/Listening/Viewing 205
CHAPTER 8 The Domesticated Medium, 1955 to 1965 207
Social Context: The Way we Weren’t 207
The Civil Rights Movement 209
‘‘Women: Neglected Assets’’ 211
The Trouble with Teens 211
Media Context: Living with TV 212
Radio Readjusts 213
CONNECTION: PAYOLA AND THE RISE OF FORMAT RADIO 213
Industry: The Classic Network System Emerges 215
Network Finesse 216
The Classic Network System 217
BREAKOUT BOX: 8.1 THE CLASSIC NETWORK SYSTEM: ADJUSTMENTS 218
TV Reforms 219
Regulation: Corruption, Crackdown, and Complacency 220
The ‘‘Whorehouse Era’’ 220
Minow the Intimidator 221
TV and Violence, Phase II 221
Slouching Toward Public TV 222
Programming for Prosperity: American TV 223
Hollywood TV 224
CONNECTION: MOVIE OF THE WEEK FILMS ON TV 224
Sitcoms 227
Drama 227
BREAKOUT BOX: 8.2 TOP 20 RATED PROGRAMS, 1955 AND 1965 228
CONNECTION: ‘‘JUST THE FACTS, PLEASE, MA’AM’’ 230
Music and Variety Shows 232
Quiz and Game Shows 234
Sports 234
Talk 235
Soaps and Serials 235
Saturday Morning World 236
News and Documentary 237
CONNECTION: THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING 237
Social Discourse 241
The Measured Audience 241
Critical Mass 242
Is TV Art? 243
Conclusion 244
Further Reading/Listening/Viewing 245
