Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination [Paperback]

Susan J. Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2000

Few inventions evoke such nostalgia, such deeply personal and vivid memories as radio.  Ask anyone born before World War II about radio, and you'll see that person time-travel to the lost world of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Arturo Toscanini; to the jokes of Jack Benny and Burns and Allen; to the sobering commentary of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Edward R. Murrow. Those born after World War II grew up tuned to Jean Shepherd in the darkness of their bedrooms; cruising with Sam Cooke, the Beatles, or the Doors; talking back to Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh, and Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Listening In is the first in-depth history of how radio culture and content have kneaded and expanded the American psyche.

But Listening In is more than a history. It is also a reconsideration of what listening to radio has done to American culture in the twentieth century and how it has brought a completely new auditory dimension to our lives. Susan Douglas explores how listening has altered our day-to-day experiences and our own generational identities, cultivating different modes of listening in different eras; how radio has shaped our views of race, gender roles, ethic barriers, family dynamics, leadership, and the generation gap.

How we listened, where we listened, who we listened to and why: With her trademark wit and erudition, Susan Douglas has created an eminently readable cultural history of radio that fixes its place in our lives as shaper and reflector of our passions and obsessions.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tracing radio's development from the early days of wireless to the shock jocks and NPR commentators of the '90s, Douglas (Where the Girls Are) delivers a carefully researched and well-documented look at the medium and the people who listened. Although Douglas's prose can be sluggish, occasionally mired in statistics, her subject matter is always engaging. She finds that each new technological innovation in radio was pioneered by amateurs, resisted by the mainstream media, made popular by a daring few and finally watered down and exploited by commercial interests. Douglas's main interest is not in the innovations themselves, however, but in how they affected the Americans who were listening to shows from Victor Lopez's jazz band broadcasts in the '20s to Eddie Cantor's Chase and Sanborn Hour in the '30s; Alan Reed's mixed-race rock 'n' roll broadcasts in the '50s; "White Rabbit" on KSAN in San Francisco in the late '60s; Larry King in the '80s; and Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh in the '90s. She shows us how radio has opened up new worlds, and how its persistent presence (in the kitchen, in the car, at work) continues to influence the nation despite being taken for granted.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

It's not just video that killed the radio star but images in general (e.g., TV, the Internet), says Douglas (media and American studies, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor). Douglas argues that through radio Americans can still revive their imaginations. Her thesis will seem obvious to older generationsAthat listening to the radio shaped the American psyche socially, politically, and economicallyAbut the generations raised on MTV, CNN, ESPN, and personal computers must still be convinced. It may be difficult to draw their attention to a book with only eight photos, but Douglas re-creates the wonder of having an invisible friend (or enemy) in forgotten and fading stars like Jack Benny, Edward R. Murrow, Harry Caray, and Alan Freed. Unfortunately, today radio belongs to overstuffed "suits," overplayed singles, and pinched formats, which can musically and geographically "resegregate" people. Douglas points out that listeners are partly to blame for radio's dismal state. Owners are simply trying to air what their audiences want, but listeners are sending mixed messages: they want variety but lack the imagination to accept it on one station. A persuasive study of the power that radio has had and can still have; essential for all communications collections.AHeather McCormack, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (April 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812933001
• ISBN-13: 978-0812933000
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a history, not just a textbook, May 5, 2000

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination, from Amos 'n' Andy and Edward R. Murrow to W olfman Jack and Howard Stern (Hardcover)

Please take note that Susan J. Douglas' <Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination> (Times Books, 1999) is no mere history of radio. It was triggered by a request from the Sloan Foundation that was preparing a series of books on technology and American culture; and the emphasis is not on the details but on the general effect radio has on us from its beginnings. And take another note. This is too enjoyable a read to be considered a textbook.

My favorite chapter was the one called "Radio Comedy and Linguistic Slapstick." Here only a few comics are used as examples to support her several theses, one of which is the emasculation of the American male by the use of such high-pitched speakers as Jack Benny and Joe Penner. Of course there is lots of room for argument, but she does let the facts speak for themselves (pun intended).

The other chapters are "The Zen of Listening," "The Ethereal World," "Exploratory Listening in the 1920s," "Tuning In to Jazz" "The Invention of the Audience," "World War II and the Invention of Broadcast Journalism," "Playing Fields of the Mind," "The Kids Take Over: Transistors, DJs, and Rock 'n' Roll," "The FM Revolution," "Talk Talk," "Why Ham Radio Matters," and "Conclusion: Is Listening Dead?"

Which of us has not been affected in many of the ways Ms. Douglas points out in this book? Therefore, which of us can afford to miss being shown how radio has helped make us what we are? And I do hope she produces a similar book about television.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb social and cultural history of the medium, June 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination (Paperback)

Radio has become such a background part of our lives, we forget just how astounding an impact it has had on our culture and psyche. Susan Douglas brings it all back to the foreground in her book "Listening In." This is not just a chronicle of the development of the media, this book takes us deep into the social impacts of radio, and how it changed how we react and interact with each other. Douglas has perfectly captured the feel and "tone" of different periods of radio listening, and explores a lot of the psychological aspects of how radio let us sample and explore different parts of our American cultue in a safe and nonthreatening way.

As a present-day radio fanatic, the book gave me hope: hope that the medium hasn't been corporatized into complete blandness. Radio will continue to evolve, just like our American culture.

Whether your're a radio technology type, an old time radio fan, or just a student of American history, you'll find something to love in this book.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read! "Radio is a sound salvation...", April 7, 2000

By 

"friend_of_the_predigtamt" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination (Paperback)

I've got Douglas' book today for her take on ham radio (I'm part of the Amateur Radio community) and I was very impressed with the rest of the book. Though I wrinkled my nose at the over-emphasis on the gender conflict in radio, Listening In reminded me of a time when people participate in a common culture instead of idly sitting by listening to the umpteenth Top 40 hit made by over-commercialized "plastic" bands.

The ham radio chapter was simply great and I give Dr. Douglas her due for mentioning the American Radio Relay League as the national association for hams. From this chapter, I can see why hams have a nurturing touch in their approach to life! The section on radio comedy is well done (the comedy bits are good for a chuckle or two). I recommend it to those who have a deep affinity for radio and communications.