Links and Sources
Online Radio and Recording Resources
- American Museum of Radio and Electricity
- Edward R. Murrow, American Masters series
- Murrow's Boys - CBS News
- Museum of Broadcast Communications, Radio Hall of Fame
- National Public Radio's All Things Considered
- National Public Radio's Morning Edition
- Paul Harvey News
- Pavek Museum of Broadcasting
- Phantom Reel to Reel Tape Recorder Museum
- Radio Days (old time radio): Radio News
- Radio Television News Directors Association
- ReelRadio.com
- Sirius Satellite Radio
- Talkers Magazine - The Bible of Talk Radio
- Transistorized - PBS
- Vintage Audio History
- XM Satellite Radio
Bibliography
- Barnouw, Erik. A Tower in Babel, A History of Broadcasting in the United States, Volume I-to 1933. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966
- The first volume in Barnouw's three volume history of American broadcasting describes the beginnings of radio. It charts the development of this exciting new medium and presents detailed information on the early personalities who helped shape radio from an interesting technological innovation into a major force in entertainment. The book is a comprehensive look at the development of radio, as befits its reputation as the authoritative source for information on early radio. Among other things, it explains the decisions that were made that allowed radio to find its financial base, so that it could become a business employing thousands of men and women. It also makes note of a number of instances in the process of radio's development where news coverage highlighted radio's strength of instantaneous delivery of information across large distances.
- Barnouw, Erik. The Golden Web - A History of Broadcasting in the United States, Volume II-1933-1953. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968
- The second volume in Barnouw's three volume history of broadcasting covers the years when radio became so popular it shaped society. This is the period when radio news became one of the most important innovations of broadcasting. When World War II came along radio played a key role in keeping the folks at home informed of the war's progress and Barnouw devotes significant space to telling the story of radio's role in the war. Barnouw also covers the news wires attempt to prohibit use of their news product by radio, which resulted in the beginning of a number of radio news services.
- Barnouw, Erik. The Image Empire - A History of Broadcasting in the United States, Volume III-from 1953. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970
- After the war television began to usurp radio's role as a national entertainment medium. Radio made its adjustments and retained some of its popularity, but this third volume in Barnouw's trilogy focuses almost exclusively on television. There is very limited amount of information about the development of radio after 1953.
- Bliss Jr., Edward. Now The News, The Story of Broadcast Journalism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1991
- As a CBS news writer and editor from 1943 to 1968, Edward Bliss had a front row seat to the way broadcasting handled some of the biggest stories of the twentieth century. Bliss also covers the early years of broadcast news. He offers many anecdotes and a lot of inside information. However, when he gets to the fifties, he also almost exclusively focuses on television, just as did Barnouw in his history of broadasting. Radio news continued to be a vital part of the medium, but Bliss does not tell much of that story because his focus is heavily weighted toward broadcast news at the network level.
- Bressers, Bonnie. A Shift in Substance.
Indianapolis IN:QUILL
(Online version available to SPJ members),
May, 2004
- In this article concerns are raised about the impact of deregulation and consolidation on radio news. The article focuses on some communities which are no longer served by a radio station that reports news and raises questions that should be addressed about whether citizens are well-served informationally in these communities.
- Charnley, Mitchell. News by Radio. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1948
- Charnley attempts to provide an analysis of the state of radio news in the post World War II period, when radio news is still young. It's a book for radio news practitioners and students of radio news. It offers a very comprehensive look at the state of radio news and unlike other books, focuses on local news stations, not just network news, reporting in detail how different stations handle their news responsibilities. It gives some background on how news developed, prior to and during World War II. It shows how radio news is put together and what equipment is used. It talks about the news audience, what types of news gets covered and even libel laws and other legal points. It is a very comprehensive look at radio news just before the arrival of television. It also covers dramatizing the news, news special events and specialized news fields. The comprehensive nature of this book in its coverage of radio news indicates that it was no doubt an effective text book for its time. I noted it was cited extensively in another textbook that was written about a half dozen years later. Charnley is one of the authorities in the field, having taught at the University of Minnesota Journalism School from 1934-1968.
- Culbert, David Holbrook. News for Everyman. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1976
- Culbert's book focuses on six radio commentators and their role helping not only to report on the news, leading up to World War II, but also their role in developing a national consensus in favor of war against the Nazis. (News from Japan and news from Asia was not commonly reported on radio until after December 7, 1941.) The commentators are: Boake Carter, H.V. Kaltenborn, Raymond Gram Swing, Elmer Davis, Fulton Lewis, Jr., and Edward R. Murrow. With the Munich crisis of September 1938, international news suddenly became important to many Americans because of the possibility of the U.S. going to war with Germany once again. Radio eclipsed newspapers in coverage of developing news. Culbert also believes that it was not just the news but the commentators discussing the news, who helped create consensus on the importance of joining European allies on the battlefront to stop fascism. He notes that Carter and Lewis were not supporters of Roosevelt and the war effort, as the other four were. The reader has a much more nuanced appreciation of how the war was reported, as well as the events leading up to it.
- Debarros, Anthony. Amid consolidation, fear of less diversity, choice. McLean VA: USA Today, July 7, 1998
- Following the approval of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, radio went through a massive wave of consolidation, as limits on radio ownership were relaxed. Over 4,000 radio stations were sold over the next two years, creating huge radio conglomerates. The changes made radio more profitable but also raised concern about the quality of the broadcast product. The article focuses mainly on the loss of diversity caused by deregulation and the subsequent consolidation but also addresses the decreasing choices available to radio listeners and the increasing disconnection with the local community with less local content. Advantages to consolidation include better benefits and workig conditions for some employees, as well as increased profitability.
- Edwards, Bob "Localism Has Been Eviscerated" Falls Church,VA: Radio World, December 5, 2007
- Feder, Robert. "Rush Deaf But Not Silent." Chicago: Chicago Sun Times, October 14, 2001
- Franklin, O. Thomas. Broadcasting the News. New York: Pageant Press, 1955
- A detailed how-to-do book on radio news written by one of the top radio news men of the age, with experience in network news and large city local news. This book gives examples of principles for writing, arranging and delivering newscasts and covers almost every aspect of radio news, circa 1955. It contains a lot of examples, used for illustration, of news stories from the western U.S. in the decade following World War II. It gets into the different parts of the newscast and which kind of stories should go where. The book is very thorough and contains a great deal of practical radio news information (including a glossary) which, though dated, would still be useful for aspiring radio news reporters.
- Fybush, Scott. Jacobs Pulls Back Curtains on 'Bedroom'. Falls Church,VA: Radio World, November 7, 2007
- This article reports on information from what's being called The Bedroom Study, shared at the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters Radio Show in Charlotte, North Carolina, on how the youngest demographic (17-28) relates to media and technology options, including radio. The presentation was by Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media, and came from an effort to dig deeper into ethnographic research into radio listening habits. The information indicates that radio usage for this demographic is almost entirely in automobiles, and that few listen to radio anywhere else because of all of the other media options available.
- Gordon, George and Irving Falk. On the Spot Reporting, Radio Records History. New York: Julian Messner, 1967
- This book describes the early days of radio news before and during World War II. It contains transcriptions of many of the most famous broadcasts of the period: including Morrison's well-known broadcast of the Hindenburg disaster and WWII broadcasts (D-Day landing, Kwajalein Island landing). It shows how radio gave its listeners a front seat to history during the momentous events in the middle of the 20th century that shaped all of the days that followed. It's written from a time a quarter of a century later, when radio and radio news had obviously changed in major ways, due to the arrival of network television. It acknowledges that radio and radio news is not like it used to be but still is making a major contribution to helping citizens understand and relate to the world in which they live. In the final chapter it takes a look at contemporary (1967) radio news as presented by a visit to WDAF radio in Kansas City.
- Harrison, Tom, and Walter Sabo. "It All Started With Talk." Radio Ink, West Palm Beach FL: July 10-23, 1995
- Kening, Dan. "Sideman to the Stars." The Chicago Tribune, Chicago IL: May 12, 1992
- A profile of prolific radio newsman Lyle Dean, a fixture in Chicago radio for (at that time) 24 years. The article looks at colleagues who have worked with Dean over the years, including at other stations, and some of his other activities outside of radio.
- Lazersfeld, Paul F. Radio and the Printed Page. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940
- In 1937 a Rockefeller Foundation grant was given to Princeton University to study the role of radio and its effect on listeners. An Office of Radio Research was created, directed by Paul Lazarsfeld. Lazarsfeld's book deals with the educational aspects of radio, why people choose to listen to the radio, how radio affects the reading of newspapers and books, and how radio promotes reading. Lazersfeld cites a study which showed that radio gave more attention to international and national news than did newspapers.
- Lee, Jennifer 8. "On Minot N.D. Radio, A Single Corporate Voice." The New York Times, New York, NY: March 31, 2003
- Concerns are being raised about the impact of radio consolidation, particularly in communities such as Minot where news reporting is severely limited and local announcers are not on duty, even at stations which are designated emergency broadcasters. This article describes an event where the community's response to an emergency put lives at risk because radio wasn't ready to respond immediately.
- Mitchell, Jack. Listener Supported, The Culture and History of Public Radio. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 2005
- Since the beginning of National Public Radio 40 years ago, Jack Mitchell has been on the fringe, or in the middle of, almost every important development in the radio network. He was NPR's first official employee and later the chairman of the NPR board. So he played a key role in helping shape NPR. Hence his book on the culture and history of public radio has lots inside information that will help any listener, or any reader, achieve a better grasp of how NPR has achieved its status as one of the largest news gathering organizations in the world. An amazing accomplishment in light of the subterfuge and plotting that led to its inclusion in the public broadcasting legislation that was aimed at public television.
Mitchell delves deep into the philosophies and personalities that have shaped NPR, some quite visionary and others very practical. He honestly assesses the contributions of major figures, executive as well as on-the-air personalities. He explains what kind of programming works for NPR and what kind did not. Most interestingly, Mitchell provides details on how NPR and public radio stations have managed to become the authoritative source for news when commercial radio, with a few exceptions, has largely given up on news and public service programming.
- Since the beginning of National Public Radio 40 years ago, Jack Mitchell has been on the fringe, or in the middle of, almost every important development in the radio network. He was NPR's first official employee and later the chairman of the NPR board. So he played a key role in helping shape NPR. Hence his book on the culture and history of public radio has lots inside information that will help any listener, or any reader, achieve a better grasp of how NPR has achieved its status as one of the largest news gathering organizations in the world. An amazing accomplishment in light of the subterfuge and plotting that led to its inclusion in the public broadcasting legislation that was aimed at public television.
- Molnar, Helen M. Trends in Programming Diversity and the Production of Local News in the Madison Radio market Post-Deregulation. Madison: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1986
- Molnar's Master's thesis provides a snapshot of the state of local radio in Madison, WI, in the mid 1980’s, just a few years after a major deregulation of commercial radio. The deregulatory action had not begun to erode radio news in Madison as it had elsewhere, at this time but the news commitment would eventually decline at most of the stations studied. Molnar does an outstanding job of reviewing the radio landscape and describing the trends that are starting to destroy local news on all but the most news-focused of stations.
- Mosse, Baskett. Radio News Handbook. Chicago IL: Baskett Mosse, 1947
- This is a self-published handbook that was used by Mosse and other professors at Northwestern University to teach radio news broadcasting following the end of World War II. This handbook has extensive instruction on how to write radio news, some of which is outmoded by technical changes, but most of which is still usable for anyone who wants to know how to write clearly for the ear of radio listeners. The news writing is obviously of a more formal style than is found at some stations today. One of the most helpful sections of this book is in dealing with the wire recorder, which was commonly in use up to about the time this handbook was published. During this post-World War II period the magnetic tape recorder came into use and changed radio news broadcasting significantly.
- Radio Ink, "Poll: Radio Listening Is Staying Stable" Radio Ink, West Palm Beach FL: September 20, 2007
- This article (found online at: http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=139280&pt=todaysnews) describes a survey by American Media Services which indicates a high radio listenership remains despite competing media. It also indicates only a small percentage of adults are likely to consider subscribing to satellite radio.
- Rosen, Nick. Forget Jonathan Ross, the BBC's real star is veteran Business Reporter who's king of the podcasts.The Daily Mail, London: November 11, 2007
- Schubert, Paul. The Electric Word, The Rise of Radio, New York: The MacMillan Company, 1927 (reprint edition by Arno Press and the New York Times, 1971)
- This book reveals how the first generation of radio users thought about the invention of radio. Since it was published in 1927 it covers the various developments of radio up to that time and shows how radio is starting to develop into a popular entertainment medium. It gives more detailed accounts of some of the early experiments in broadcasting that ultimately lead to the popularization of radio.
- Shovan, Tom. "Radio's Pioneer Programmers." Radio Ink, West Palm Beach FL: July 10-23, 1995
- Siller, Bob; Ted White; Hal Terkel. Television and Radio News. New York, The MacMillan Company, 1960
- These three news veterans review radio news as it existed in 1960, and offer guidelines on reporting news by radio using the practices and technology as it existed at that time. It's a good look at how radio has developed. It's one of the earliest radio news books that describes the use of tape recorders to gather and report news. This is still the era before the all-news station, but the authors describe a number of heavily news oriented radio stations, including WOR in New York City, which included more than six hours of news in its 24-hour broadcasting day. The authors also surveyed radio stations across the country, and thus offer a snapshot of radio news as its being reported outside of New York City at a variety of stations. They look at small operations, large operations and network news operations. They also surveyed radio stations on the use of editorials, and found a large number of radio stations editorializing at this point in time.
The second half of the book offers a similar look at the status of television news with several chapters of how-to writing and reporting, as well as a survey of television news in a variety of markets, and the practice of editorializing. They complete the book with a chapter on careers in broadcast journalism.
- These three news veterans review radio news as it existed in 1960, and offer guidelines on reporting news by radio using the practices and technology as it existed at that time. It's a good look at how radio has developed. It's one of the earliest radio news books that describes the use of tape recorders to gather and report news. This is still the era before the all-news station, but the authors describe a number of heavily news oriented radio stations, including WOR in New York City, which included more than six hours of news in its 24-hour broadcasting day. The authors also surveyed radio stations across the country, and thus offer a snapshot of radio news as its being reported outside of New York City at a variety of stations. They look at small operations, large operations and network news operations. They also surveyed radio stations on the use of editorials, and found a large number of radio stations editorializing at this point in time.
- Sears, John. CBS' Ed Bradley 2000 Paul White Award Recipient, The Communicator,Washington, DC: 2000, August
- In this interview, CBS correspondent Ed Bradley discusses his career as a broadcast journalist, starting with his local radio roots, his transition to CBS network radio, and then his work as an acclaimed television news correspondent.
Links to J676 class reports
[Some links below have expired]
Marketing Your Privacy
Distorted Perspectives: How Photoshop Changed Photography
Internet Censorship in China
Electricity Comes to Sauk City, Wisconsin
Video Surveillance
Digital Manipulation of Images
TV's First and Ten Line
Political Advertising: Ike and 1952
Magnetic Recording: Cassettes
New Media in the Former Soviet Union
Instant Replay
Video Games, Gender and Sexuality
New Media and Catastrophic Events