From the former chief economist of the FCC, a remarkable history of the U.S. government’s regulation of the airwaves Popular legend has it that before the Federal Radio Commission was established in 1927, the radio spectrum was in chaos, with broadcasting stations blasting powerful signals to drown out rivals. In this fascinating and entertaining history, Thomas Winslow Hazlett, a distinguished scholar in law and economics, debunks the idea that the U.S. government stepped in to impose necessary order. Instead, regulators blocked competition at the behest of incumbent interests and, for nearly a century, have suppressed innovation while quashing out-of-the-mainstream viewpoints. Hazlett details how spectrum officials produced a “vast wasteland” that they publicly criticized but privately protected. The story twists and turns, as farsighted visionaries—and the march of science—rise to challenge the old regime. Over decades, reforms to liberate the radio spectrum have generated explosive progress, ushering in the “smartphone revolution,” ubiquitous social media, and the amazing wireless world now emerging. Still, the author argues, the battle is not even half won.

The Red Scare at the FCC started when James Lawrence Fly led the agency in many important decisions that were inspired by the New Deal. These decisions outraged both the broadcasting industry and politically conservative legislators, causing them to accuse the FCC of Communist sympathies. This book analyzes the political transition taken by the FCC that turned it into an agency that fully participated in the Red Scare of the 1950s. This book analyzes many significant FCC cases and policies that have never been considered within the context of New Deal policymaking or its impact. This work is the first to look into the impact of the Red Scare on an executive agency. Its combination of new archival and behind-the- scenes information makes this book a great addition to the growing body of research on media history and regulation.

In this book, Paul Matzko tells the story of the emergence of ultra-conservative radio in the 1960s, and reveals the Kennedy administration's involvement in a censorship campaign against conservative broadcasters. The Radio Right provides the essential pre-history for the last four decades of conservative activism, as well as the historical context for current issues of political bias and censorship in the media.

Definitive, vibrant, and utterly fascinating, ALTERNATE CHANNELS traces the monumental growth of gay, lesbian, and bisexual images on radio and television from the 1930s to the present. Splashed against the tumultuous backdrop of the McCarthy witch hunts, Stonewall and the gay liberation movement, the birth of the 700 Club and the religious right, the outbreak of AIDS and the arrival of in-your-face queer activism, this chatty, authoritative broadcast history tells the stories of such notorious and noteworthy moments as -- 1947: Radio gays -- A bitchy fashion photographer throws fits at the drop of a designer hat on the adaptation of Moss Hart's Lady in the Dark -- 1967: Monkey business -- The Monkees flick limp wrists while caroling "Don we now our gay apparel" for a Christmas special -- 1974: Pepper in the wound -- A notorious Police Woman episode depicts a gang of deadly lesbians who rob, torture, and murder senior citizens -- 1977: Wash your mouth out -- Billy Crystal portrays Jodie Dallas on Soap, the first hit series with a gay character in a central role -- 1991: L.A. Law breaks 'em -- Amanda Donohoe and Michele Greene share a two-second kiss...and start a storm of controversy -- 2000: The last laugh -- Featuring not one but two gay male characters, Will & Grace skyrockets to the top of the ratings charts From mocking effeminate banter on '50s radio to out-and-proud "family" on '90s television, from the stereotyping of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals as sissies and psychopaths to their widespread acceptance as real people: these changes are charted in ALTERNATE CHANNELS. This compulsively readable chronicle of lesbian, gay, and bisexual images in the media ispacked with unthinkable shows, bizarre personalities, unlikely heroes, and some of the strangest protests ever staged in the name of civil rights.

Back to Basics for the Republican Party is a history of the GOP from the Republican point of view, explaining how the party of Emancipation and "40 acres and a mule" developed through the Clinton presidency.See www.republicanbasics.com for more information.