Tom McCourt

Conflicting Communication Interests in America (eBook, PDF)

The Case of National Public Radio

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Public broadcasting has changed dramatically since its founding in 1967. The growing equation of marketplace efficiency with the public interest has, in Tom McCourt's analysis, undermined the value of public goods and services. In addition, political and cultural discourse is increasingly beset by fragmentation. Public radio provides an exemplary site to examine the prospects and problems of contemporary public life. Beginning with a description of the events that led to the creation of National Public Radio, McCourt discusses the relationship between NPR and its affiliate stations and the ways in which struggles over funding and programming have affected public radio's agenda. He also examines how public radio incorporates the roles of public representatives into its operations and how its methods to determine the needs and interests of the public have changed across the system's history. The social, political, and economic pressures that have impacted the mission and practices of National Public Radio, McCourt asserts, are manifest in all areas of American life. Through extensive historical research, he examines whether American public broadcasters, as represented by NPR, have succeeded or failed to engender an enlightened, participatory democracy.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc
• Seitenzahl: 224
• Altersempfehlung: ab 7 Jahre
• Erscheinungstermin: 30. Oktober 1999
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780313003264
• Artikelnr.: 68527914

Autorenporträt

TOM McCOURT is Assistant Professor of Communications at the University of Illinois at Springfield./e His research interests include media history, communication technology, music, and cultural studies, with particular focus on the historical relationship of technology and the public sphere.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction The Development of National Public Radio The Localized Public:
The Federalist Conundrum The Surrogate Public: Funders, Boards, and
Producers The Reified Public: From Ascertainment to Ratings Epilogue
Selected Bibliography Index