Richly researched and engaging, The Columbia History of American Television tracks the growth of TV into a convergent technology, a global industry, a social catalyst, a viable art form, and a complex and dynamic reflection of the American mind and character. Renowned media historian Gary R. Edgerton follows the technological progress and increasing cultural relevance of television from its prehistory (before 1947) to the Network Era (1948-1975) and the Cable Era (1976-1994). He considers the remodeling of television's look and purpose during World War II; the gender, racial, and ethnic components of its early broadcasts and audiences; its transformation of postwar America; and its function in the political life of the country. In conclusion, Edgerton takes a discerning look at our current Digital Era and the new forms of instantaneous communication that continue to change America's social, political, and economic landscape.
Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. Going Public 1. An Idea Whose Time had Come: Imagining Television - Before 1940 2. Not Going According to Plan: Remodeling the Tube in a Time of Crisis - 1940-1947 3. Learning to Live with Television: Technology, Gender, and America's Early TV Audiences Part II. Becoming National 4. Here comes Television: Remaking American Life - 1948-1954 5. The Halcyon Years: Beyond Anyone's Wildest Dream - 1955-1963 6. Television and the Presidency: Eisenhower and Kennedy Part III. Becoming International 7. A Great Awakening: Prime Time for Network Television - 1964-1975 8. The Sky's the Limit: Satellites, Cable, and the Reinvention of Television - 1976-1991 9. The Changing Face of Television: Turner Broadcasting System Part IV. Becoming Global 10. The Business of America is Show Business: U.S. TV in Global Context - 1992-Present 11. The Greatest SHow on Earth: The Cosby Show and the Ascent of U.S. Sitcoms in the Global Television Marketplace 12. Tune in Locally, Watch Globally: The Future of Television in the Age of the Internet Notes General Index Television Programming Index
Gary R. Edgerton is professor and chair of the communication and theater arts department at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He has published eight books and more than seventy book chapters and journal articles on a wide assortment of television and media history topics, and is coeditor of the Journal of Popular Film and Television. In 2004 he received the American Culture Association Governing Board Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Cultural Studies.
A useful overview... [that] captures the technological, economic, and cultural sweep of an industry that influenced... what would become the Global Village. -- Bill Ruehlmann The Virginian-Pilot An extensive, readable... informative, well-written study... Recommended. CHOICE A tour-de-force narrative of more than six decades of American television and its impact on U.S. society... An important contribution. -- Christopher H. Sterling Communication Booknotes Quarterly An excellent addition to any undergraduate library and also a nice addition to public libraries. -- Linda W. Hacker American Reference Books Annual A marvelous, detailed, and comprehensive narrative... This remarkable book, unquestionably one-of-a-kind, belongs in every reference library. -- Robert Fyne Film & History Positioned with the monumental works of Erik Barnouw, Asa Briggs, Christopher Sterling and John Kittross, Edgerton contributes a comprehensive study of American television's popular culture... The Columbia History of American Television should be on the shelf of every television historian and popular culture scholar, as well as the non-specialist. -- Donald G. Godfrey Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media A seminal work of meticulous scholarship... Welcome and highly recommended. -- James A. Cox The Midwest Book Review Highly informative... eminently readable... Edgerton tells a compelling history of the medium. His book would work well as a primer for general readers, as well as for scholars (particularly international readers) wanting to gain an understanding of the history, forms, and economics of the U.S. television system as well as pointers for further research from his meticulous referencing. -- Faye Woods Journal of American Studies [The book] is meticulous and inspired. Devoted to television, it is richly resourced, eloquently written, and nicely illustrated. -- Craig Allen American Journalism This book is best seen as an update of Erik Barnouw's widely read and concise history, Tube of Plenty: The Evolution of American Television. Moving beyond Barnouw, Edgerton has attempted to craft a unified narrative that simultaneously engages some of the more fine-grained scholarship in the field... A highly readable account of the development of a complex industry and cultural form. -- Michael Kackman Journal of American History A monumental and definitive account of American television. -- Jason Jacobs Media International Australia
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