Customer Reviews

A Tower in Babel (A History of Broadcasting in the United States to 1933, Vol. 1)

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"Tower of Babel," along with its companion volumes, "The Golden Web" and "The Image Empire," are the most thorough accounting of the evolution of broadcasting. For the layman, it may be a bit too thorough, but for anyone who has a serious interest in broadcasting, it is a must-read. (I suggest that anyone who works in the industry read it as well, to get a perspective on what radio and television were designed to be.)

With the corporate takeovers and conglamirates flying wild, it's refreshing to be able to sit back and view what it was REALLY like in the 'pioneer' days. I was fortunate enough to get into radio while it was still fun and had a bit of a mystique to it. This book portrays how it started off as a science and caught on like wildfire. Unfortunately, today alot of the 'humanity' has been taken out and replaced by computers and satellites, but like Nickolodeon and TV Land, this book allows readers to see things as they WERE. Alot of good history for today's broadcasters and the curious.

I first read this book when I was a student in TV back in the mid '70's. The stories behind the birth of modern media remain fascinating. I literally could not put the book down and went on to read the other two in Barnouw's trilogy. It was an incredible insight into the sometimes crazy world I was about to enter and I have never forgotten how riveted I was to every word!

I first encountered these volumes while taking a graduate level broadcasting class. Barnouw packs a stunning amount of information into these books. If you are doing research on broadcasting history in the United States these are a great resource

This book is the first book in a three book series that covers the US broadcasting business from its formative years up through the present at the time that the author wrote the series (which is now almost 40 years ago).

The first two volumes are outstanding both as a history of the business, but also for their insight into the political and cultural environment in which radio broadcasting took shape in the US. This book starts with the development of radio technology, the formation of RCA, the beginnings of radio broadcasting, the development of broadcast advertising, the formation of NBC and CBS, and the impact of the early years of the depression on radio. Very highly recommended