Inventing American Broadcasting, 1899-1922 / Edition 1

by Susan J. Douglas

Overview

Based on contemporary sources, the widely acclaimed history of early radio.

Such organizations as AT&T, General Electric, and the U.S. Navy played major roles in radio's evolution, but early press coverage may have decisively steered radio in the direction of mass entertainment. Susan J. Douglas reveals the origins of a corporate media system that today dominates the content and form of American communication.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801838323
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	02/01/1989
Series:	Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology , #9
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.13(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Susan J. Douglas is professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Michigan.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Marconi and the America's Cup: The Making of an Inventor-Hero, 1899
2. Competition over Wireless Technology: The Inventors' Struggles for Technical Distinction, 1899-1903
3. The Visions and Business Realities of the Inventors, 1899-1905
4. Wireless Telegraphy in the New navy, 1899-1906
5. Inventors as Entrepreneurs: Success and Failure in the Wireless Business, 1906-1912
6. Popular Culture and Populist Technology: The Amateur Operators, 1906-1912
7. The Titanic Disaster and the First Radio Regulation, 1910-1912
8. The Rise of Military and Corporate Control, 1912-1919
9. The Social Construction of American Broadcasting, 1912-1922
Epilogue
Notes
Index

What People are Saying About This

Daniel J. Czitrom

Not only the best history of early radio we have, but also a valuable contribution to our understanding of twentieth-century America.

— Daniel J. Czitrom, author of Media and the American Mind

From the Publisher

Arguably the most authoritative study of its kind to date and as such is an invaluable resource for anyone studying the origins of the nation's electronic media industry.

Johns Hopkins University Press

Editorial Reviews

A superb portrait of the communications revolution that profoundly altered 20th-century life. It will provide fresh insights, and perhaps generate controversy.
—Washington Post Book World

A successful, at times elegant interdisciplinary work. Douglas combines discussions of technology and of business structure, portraits of inventors and amateurs, and analysis of internal navy organization to construct a convincing narrative on the importance of the 'pre-history' of radio. She draws from an impressive range of contemporary newspapers and technical magazines, government and business reports, and personal correspondence. This is a significant contribution to the understanding of American radio.
—Robert B. Horowitz, Business History Review

Fascinating detail . . . A far clearer picture than has been previously available.
—Journal of Communication

From the Publisher

A successful, at times elegant interdisciplinary work. Douglas combines discussions of technology and of business structure, portraits of inventors and amateurs, and analysis of internal navy organization to construct a convincing narrative on the importance of the 'pre-history' of radio. She draws from an impressive range of contemporary newspapers and technical magazines, government and business reports, and personal correspondence. This is a significant contribution to the understanding of American radio.

Business History Review - Robert B. Horowitz

Fascinating detail . . . A far clearer picture than has been previously available.

Journal of Communication

A superb portrait of the communications revolution that profoundly altered 20th-century life. It will provide fresh insights, and perhaps generate controversy.

Washington Post Book World

Good history of technology integrates institutional and economic history with biographies and technical events, then assesses these against a backdrop of their social and political milieu. It is cultural history in the broadest sense. The book by Abramson fails to do this: although it presents a massive quantity of research, the arrangement is almost strictly chronological, with no discussion of the impact of technical developments other than on subsequent technical events. Although the book is firmly grounded in the literature, its lack of a nontechnical framework severely limits its usefulness and makes for dull reading. For comprehensive collections only. Douglas's history of early radio is the converse: it assesses technical developments against their social and political background, brings to life important individuals, and clarifies their motives, strengths, and weaknesses. In key chapters, the author discusses the major role played by the press in deciding who would control the airwaves and argues that the Navy was not the positive developmental influence it was once thought to be. A solid work of scholarship, recommended for academic and larger public libraries. Donald J. Marion, Univ. of Minnesota Inst. of Technology Libs., Minneapolis

Library Journal