Customer Reviews

Big Voices of the Air: 1928-1980-00

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Some think it's magic that they can tune in distant radio stations on their AM radios at night. Others know that the skywaves of these clear channel stations bounce off of the ionosphere and can travel great distances at night. Early on their was debate as to whether certain stations should be given the ability to dominate certain frequencies at night, afterall could KDKA Pittsburgh truly serve the public interests of Podunkville, KY? Well, this book takes a look at the history of this debate and how the AM dial ended up being carved up. The main radio owner group today, has its namesake, but it is not about today's Clear Channel gobbling up the other owners... this book is historical and about AM mostly. A good read if you're into radio, especially AM, which not too many are these days it seems.

Bowling Green professor James C. Foust does a commendable job of describing and analyzing the process of regulating radio's clear channels. The systems approach he uses is similar to that taken by Krasnow, et al. in their book. Dr. Foust provides details of how the industry acquired the ability to define the issues in economic terms and held on to that interpretation while using consumer groups to pay lip service to "the public interest."

Specifically he talks about how farmers groups were courted by the licensees of clear channel stations. They masterfully talked out of both sides of their mouths in that they would talk about providing programming for rural listeners, while all the time actually filling their schedules with content designed for urban audiences.

This book is a study in compromise in the process of regulation. The story unfolds like a well scripted plot. The FCC has always voiced its interest in local control, somehow that has NEVER been realized in the history of broadcasting. This book shows it the telecommunications system we inherited evolved as it did.