Radio, morality, and culture
Subtitle: Britain, Canada, and the United States, 1919-1945
By: Robert S. Fortner.
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Carbondale
Language: eng
Number of pages: 246
Subjects: Radio broadcasting -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Great Britain; Radio broadcasting -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Canada; Radio broadcasting -- Moral and ethical aspects -- United States; Radio broadcasting -- Religious aspects; Radio broadcasting policy -- Great Britain -- History; Radio broadcasting policy -- Canada -- History; Radio broadcasting policy -- United States -- History
Description: Radio was considered an upstart in Great Britain, a puzzle in Canada, and a symbol of progress in the United States during the early twentieth century. In all three countries, when moral questions about the medium were raging, the church was invited to the debate but faltered because of infighting, and thereby failed to contribute a perspective that could have altered the future of radio. Radio, Morality, and Culture: Britain, Canada, and the United States, 1919-1945 examines the moral controversies surrounding radio's development during its formative years. In comparing the fledgling medium in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States, Robert S. Fortner documents how the church failed to participate in radio s moral development and instead engaged in internecine warfare over issues of legitimacy and orthodoxy." "While radio policy was being developed and communications history was being written, the church was arguing about theological turf and dealing with internal disputes, Fortner explains. Radio, Morality, and Culture illustrates how, without a moral anchor, radio was at the whim of corporations whose foundation rested on political and social expediency, not principle. Fortner outlines why the absence of the church in the ethical discussions of radio's development left a void just when laws and regulations were being passed. Fortner effectively synthesizes cultural history and theory, communication studies, and the role religious organizations played in shaping the content and character of early radio. Geared to scholars of history, communications, and theology, Radio, Morality, and Culture provides a useful resource for research, scholarship, and public policy.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The moral context of radio development; title: Morality, culture, and broadcasting policy in the United Kingdom; title: Religion and controversy in Britain; title: Morality, culture, and broadcasting policy in the United States; title: The church as moral agent for American broadcasting; title: The public policy context and moral issues in Canada; title: The church as moral agent for Canadian broadcasting policy; title: Morality, public philosophy, and public policy.