Tells how radio and television became an integral part of American life, of how a toy became an industry and a force in politics, business, education, religion, and international affairs.

The opening decades of the twentieth century witnessed a profound transformation in the history of modern sound media, with workers in U.S. film, radio, and record industries developing pioneering production methods and performance styles tailored to emerging technologies of electric sound reproduction that would redefine dominant forms and experiences of popular audio entertainment. Focusing on broadcasting's initial expansion during the 1920s, Making Radio explores the forms of creative labor pursued for the medium in the period prior to the better-known network era, assessing their role in shaping radio's identity and identifying affinities with parallel practices pursued for conversion-era film and phonography. Tracing programming forms adopted by early radio writers and programmers, production techniques developed by studio engineers, and performance styles cultivated by on-air talent, it shows how radio workers negotiated a series of broader industrial and cultural pressures to establish best practices for their medium that reshaped popular forms of music, drama, and public oratory and laid the foundation for a new era of electric sound entertainment.

Winner, 2023 Columbia University Press Distinguished Book Award Winner, 2023 Frank Luther Mott / Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award Winner, 2023 Journalism Studies Division Book Award, International Communication Association Winner, 2023 History Book Award, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Long before the current preoccupation with “fake news,” American newspapers routinely ran stories that were not quite, strictly speaking, true. Today, a firm boundary between fact and fakery is a hallmark of journalistic practice, yet for many readers and publishers across more than three centuries, this distinction has seemed slippery or even irrelevant. From fibs about royal incest in America’s first newspaper to social-media-driven conspiracy theories surrounding Barack Obama’s birthplace, Andie Tucher explores how American audiences have argued over what’s real and what’s not—and why that matters for democracy. Early American journalism was characterized by a hodgepodge of straightforward reporting, partisan broadsides, humbug, tall tales, and embellishment. Around the start of the twentieth century, journalists who were determined to improve the reputation of their craft established professional norms and the goal of objectivity. However, Tucher argues, the creation of outward forms of factuality unleashed new opportunities for falsehood: News doesn’t have to be true as long as it looks true. Propaganda, disinformation, and advocacy—whether in print, on the radio, on television, or online—could be crafted to resemble the real thing. Dressed up in legitimate journalistic conventions, this “fake journalism” became inextricably bound up with right-wing politics, to the point where it has become an essential driver of political polarization. Shedding light on the long history of today’s disputes over disinformation, Not Exactly Lying is a timely consideration of what happens to public life when news is not exactly true.

During the Jazz Age and Great Depression, radio broadcasters did not conjure their listening public with a throw of a switch; the public had a hand in its own making. The Listener's Voice describes how a diverse array of Americans—boxing fans, radio amateurs, down-and-out laborers, small-town housewives, black government clerks, and Mexican farmers—participated in the formation of American radio, its genres, and its operations. Before the advent of sophisticated marketing research, radio producers largely relied on listeners' phone calls, telegrams, and letters to understand their audiences. Mining this rich archive, historian Elena Razlogova meticulously recreates the world of fans who undermined centralized broadcasting at each creative turn in radio history. Radio outlaws, from the earliest squatter stations and radio tube bootleggers to postwar "payola-hungry" rhythm and blues DJs, provided a crucial source of innovation for the medium. Engineers bent patent regulations. Network writers negotiated with devotees. Program managers invited high school students to spin records. Taken together, these and other practices embodied a participatory ethic that listeners articulated when they confronted national corporate networks and the formulaic ratings system that developed. Using radio as a lens to examine a moral economy that Americans have imagined for their nation, The Listener's Voice demonstrates that tenets of cooperation and reciprocity embedded in today's free software, open access, and filesharing activities apply to earlier instances of cultural production in American history, especially at times when new media have emerged.

Dream or Nightmare is a book of left wing strategy like no other: It proposes that, to compete with the right, progressives cannot depend on reason and hard fact. They must also deploy drama in the battle of ideas. Donald Trump’s presidency has shown how this is done, albeit to ends that are deplorable. Abandoning logic and truth, the Fabulist in Chief conjures up spectacle to energize his base. Troops are dispatched to counter a fictional threat from convoys of helpless refugees. A powerful Supreme Court nominee is reduced to tears by accusations from a woman who has been sexually assaulted. Open fascists are described as “good people,” physical attacks on journalists are lauded in front of cheering crowds. If they are to engage with this Barnum-like politics, leftists must learn how to communicate in today’s “vernacular of the spectacular,” invoking symbol and emotion themselves, as well as truth. Matching the right in this fashion does not mean adopting its values. Rather Duncombe sets out what he calls a politics of “ethical spectacle.” Of extraordinary relevance to the dark carnival of contemporary politics, this new edition of the book formerly known as Dream sets out an electrifying new vision of progressive politics that is both persuasive and provocative. Stephen Duncombe is Professor of Media and Culture at New York University and author and editor of six books on the intersection of culture and politics. Duncombe, a life-long political activist, co-founded a community-based advocacy group in the Lower East Side of Manhattan which won an award for “Creative Activism” from the Abbie Hoffman Foundation, and is currently co-director of the Center for Artistic Activism, a research and training organization that helps activists create more like artists and artists strategize more like activists.

Gathered in this large volume paperback are some of Hollywood's best loved and most famous movies. In addition to the many film classics, however, the author has included a number of equally entertaining films that deserve to be better known. Many of these movies are now available on DVD. Full credits and detailed reviews are provided for over a hundred of these classic films. Over two hundred more movies are represented by short reviews. Many of the reviews contain DVD details. Of course, not all classic movies have surfaced on DVD to date, but they are being issued at the rate of around forty a month! If you love classic movies, this book will provide an invaluable guide to some of the enjoyable films that are now available (and also, of course, some of the disappointing films that you might wisely avoid).

Embark on an extraordinary journey through the life of Walter Thornton, a luminary of the New York City beauty, modeling and advertising scene during the roaring 1920s and beyond. "The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton" explores deep into the captivating narrative of a man whose legacy transcends time. In a tale as captivating as any Hollywood script, Walter Thornton's extraordinary journey comes to life. From a homeless orphan, he soared to prominence as a male model during the Jazz Age, posing for icons like Norman Rockwell and JC Leyendecker. Dubbed "The Merchant of Venus" by the legendary gossip columnist Walter Winchell, Thornton embarked on a pioneering venture in 1930, establishing the first agency for photographic advertising models. His agency became a powerhouse, discovering and representing models who would later become iconic figures of the Golden Age of Cinema, including Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, Joseph Cotten, Grace Kelly, and others whose stardom illuminated the era. Among Thornton's other notable achievements is the invention of the "Pin-Up Girl of WWII," a testament to his creativity and patriotism. These pin-up girls not only embodied the spirit of an era but also served as beacons of hope for soldiers overseas, prompting heartfelt letters that underscored their profound impact. However, the glittering trajectory of Thornton's life took a downturn amidst the harsh realities of the McCarthy Era. In 1954, he found himself the target of a corrupt district attorney's accusations, facing false charges of fraud and deception. Today, his daughters unravel the mysteries surrounding their father's enigmatic existence. Their exploration began with a chance encounter—an image in the 2003 film "Seabiscuit," serving as the avatar for the Stock Market Crash of 1929, sparking a quest that spanned over two decades. Through painstaking research, including exploring Thornton's personal archives and interviews, they uncovered a previously overlooked chapter of history, painting a vivid portrait of a man ahead of his time. "The Merchant of Venus" not only celebrates Thornton's triumphs but also his resilience in the face of adversity. His blueprints persist in shaping the modeling and advertising industry, and the 1940 patriotic Pinup girl endures as a cherished American tradition. His 1929 photo graces textbooks and products, yet beneath its surface lies untold depth. Prepare to be enthralled, inspired, and moved by "The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton." Don't miss out on this unforgettable journey through one man's triumphs, courage, and resilience.