The third in a series of reports since 1973, this overview of the growth of public broadcasting includes finance, public radio and television programming, national interconnection and instructional services, audience, and employment. It details the current status and major trends in the respective areas of public broadcasting in order to provide a better understanding of the industry by the general public; the public broadcasting community; Congress; federal, state and local governments; and other interested organizations and individuals. Contents cover the following areas: the development of public broadcasting, income and expenditures, programming content, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR), the public broadcasting audience, educational (instructional) services, and employment. Appendices, figures, tables, and maps which offer detailed data on the history and growth of public television and radio are included. (Author/MER)

Carl Sagan’s Cosmos inspires audiences to look at the universe with new eyes and to appreciate humanity’s importance in it. Sagan’s deft use of rhetorical strategy creates an experience that pushes beyond the limits of a mere “educational” program to reveal a mythic adventure. Although Sagan contributed much to the field of science as well as to public understanding of it, Cosmos remains his signature brand. Cosmos and the Rhetoric of Popular Science builds on Thomas M. Lessl’s observations regarding Cosmos’ connection to the mythic and science fiction. It delves deeply into Sagan’s rhetorical construction of the program in order to understand what elements contributed to its mythos.