Departmental Papers (ASC)
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
3-2011
Publication Source
Media, Culture & Society
Volume
33
Issue
2
Start Page
171
Last Page
191
DOI
10.1177/0163443710385504
Abstract
During the 1940s a media reform movement of grassroots activists and a progressive Federal Communication Commission (FCC) emerged to challenge the commercial interests consolidating control of US media. A key initiative born out of this movement was the so-called Blue Book, a high-water mark for FCC progressive activism that mandated social responsibility obligations for broadcasters in return for their use of the public airwaves. Ultimately, red-baiting tactics defeated the policy initiatives outlined in the Blue Book and the media reform movement was largely contained. The following analysis draws from archival materials to illuminate the resulting arrangement for US broadcasters.
Keywords
1940s media history, Blue Book, Federal Communications Commission, media policy, media reform, radio broadcasting
Recommended Citation
Pickard, V. (2011). The Battle Over the FCC Blue Book: Determining the Role of Broadcast Media in a Democratic Society, 1945–8. Media, Culture & Society, 33 (2), 171-191. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443710385504
Date Posted: 23 May 2016
This document has been peer reviewed.