Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting

Josh Shepperd explores the people, institutions, and influences behind the media reform movement and the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB) in the creation of Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. The NAEB started as a disorganized group of university broadcasters, but through perseverance and a belief in the power of technology, they built a decentralized network that implemented a different economy of scale and a vision of a mass media divorced from commercial concerns.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 244 pages
Publication date: 23 May 2023
Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Despite facing uncertain beginnings, public broadcasting emerged as a transformative force in American culture. Josh Shepperd delves into the individuals, institutions, and influences that drove the media reform movement, culminating in the establishment of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR).

The National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB), founded in 1934, began as a disjointed group of university broadcasters struggling for support. Shepperd meticulously chronicles the challenges, modest victories, and trial-and-error experiments that unfolded as thousands of advocates tirelessly built a media coalition based on the belief that technology could alleviate social inequality by providing equal access to education and information.

The decentralized network they envisioned implemented a unique economy of scale and a vision of a mass media detached from commercial interests. Simultaneously, they adapted guidance, criticism, and methodologies from other sectors to create an infrastructure that sustained public broadcasting throughout the 1960s and beyond.

This remarkable journey showcases the resilience and determination of those who believed in the power of media to shape society for the better. The NAEB's evolution from a scattered collection of broadcasters to a powerful advocacy organization played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of public broadcasting in the United States. Shepperd's insightful account sheds light on the complex interplay of people, institutions, and ideas that propelled this cultural milestone and continues to impact our media landscape today.

Weight: 372g
Dimension: 154 x 229 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780252087257