The best-selling text in the field for nearly 40 years, "Broadcasting in America" offers authoritative coverage of electronic media. While taking a domestic focus, the text also offers an entire chapter on issues affecting international broadcasting. The text' s multidisciplinary perspective enables students to examine the role of electronic media in economics, law, history, and social sciences. In addition, the authors provide the most up-to-date information on broadcasting trends, including wireless communication.

1. Introducing Electronic Media

1.1. The Information Superhighway

1.2. The Players

1.3. Some Essential Terms

1.4. Back to Basics

2. From Radio to Television

2.1. Cultural Precedents

2.2. Technological Precedents

2.3. Wireless Communication

2.4. Emergence of Broadcasting

2.5. Broadcasting Becomes an Industry

2.6. Government Regulation

2.7. Depression Years, 1929-1937

2.8. Early Radio Programs

2.9. Radio in World War II, 1939-1945

2.10. Re-1948 TV Development

2.11. Growing Pains: Channels, Color, Networks

2.12. Golden Age of Television, 1948-1957

2.13. Radio's Response

3. Cable and Newer Media

3.1. Emergence of Cable

3.2. Cable Becomes a Major Player

3.3. Niche Services

3.4. Electronics Revolution

3.5. Consumer Media

3.6. Broadcasting: Changing Course

3.7. Sorting It Out

4. How Electronic Media Work

4.1. Electromagnetism

4.2. Radio and Audio Waves

4.3. Information, Formats, and Modulation

4.4. Wave Propagation

4.5. Mutual Interference

4.6. AM Stations

4.7. FM Stations

4.8. Electronic Pictures

4.9. TV Channels

4.10. Analog TV Transmission

4.11. TV Reception

4.12. Solid-State Receivers

4.13. Cable Systems

5. Relays, Recording, and the Digital Revolution

5.1. Terrestrial Relays

5.2. Satellite Relays

5.3. Analog Sound Recording

5.4. Analog Video Recording

5.5. Digital Signal Processing

5.6. Digital Recording

5.7. Digital TV Transmission

5.8. Digital Radio

5.9. Networking and Switching

5.10. The Internet

6. Commercial Operations

6.1. The Basics

6.2. Broadcast Stations

6.3. Broadcast TV Networks

6.4. Cable

6.5. Cable Program Services

6.6. Advertising Basics

6.7. Advertising Rates

6.8. Sale of Advertising

6.9. Advertising Standards

6.10. Subscription-Fee Revenue

6.11. Personnel

6.12. Investment, Profit, and Loss

6.13. Critique: Bottom-Line Mentality

7. Noncommercial Services

7.1. From Educational Radio to "Public" Broadcasting

7.2. National Organizations

7.3. Public Stations

7.4. Economics

7.5. TV Program Sources

7.6. Noncommercial TV Programs

7.7. Noncommercial Radio Programs

7.8. Changing Roles

8. Programs and Programming Basics

8.1. Program Costs

8.2. Syndication

8.3. Program Types

8.4. Entertainment Program Sources

8.5. News Sources

8.6. Sports Program Sources

8.7. Network Schedule Strategies

8.8. Local Schedule Strategies

8.9. Program Promotion

9. Programs: Network, Syndicated, Local

9.1. Prime-Time Network TV Entertainment

9.2. Non-Prime-Time Network TV Entertainment

9.3. Network TV Sports

9.4. Children's Programs

9.5. Network TV News and Public-Affairs Programs

9.6. TV Syndicated Programs

9.7. Radio Network and Syndicated Programs

9.8. Locally Produced TV Programs

9.9. Local Radio Programs

9.10. Internet Programming

9.11. Program Critique

10. Ratings

10.1. Ratings Business

10.2. Collecting Data

10.3. Sampling

10.4. Determining Ratings and Shares

10.5. Use and Abuse of Ratings

10.6. Broadcast Audiences

10.7. Cable Audiences

10.8. VCR Audiences

10.9. Measuring Internet Use

10.10. Other Applied Research

11. Effects

11.1. Developing Effects Research

11.2. News

11.3. World Events

11.4. Politics

11.5. Government

11.6. Entertainment

11.7. Violence

11.8. Advertising

12. Regulation and Licensing

12.1. Federal Jurisdiction

12.2. Communication Act

12.3. FCC Basics

12.4. Broadcast Licensing

12.5. Operations

12.6. Renewal

12.7. Enforcement

12.8. Cable

12.9. Other Electronic Media

12.10. Deregulation

12.11. Other Regulation

13. Constitutional Issues

13.1. First Amendment

13.2. Broadcasting's Limited Rights

13.3. First Amendment Status of Other Electronic Media

13.4. Things You Can't Say

13.5. Obscenity and Indecency

13.6. Ownership

13.7. Political Access

13.8. Public Access

13.9. Serving Children

13.10. Copyright

13.11. Changing Perspectives

14. Global View

14.1. Controlling Philosophies

14.2. Pluralistic Trend

14.3. Deregulation

14.4. Access

14.5. Economics and Geography

14.6. Programs

14.7. Transborder Broadcasting

14.8. International Satellites

14.9. Cable and Newer Media

Bibliography

Index