Talking Radio: An Oral History of American Radio in the Television Age

Having reached the height of its popularity at the end of WWII, what happened to radio after television began to bump it out of America's living rooms in the early '50s? In a series of conversations with scores of radio personalities and aficionados--including Paul Harvey, Dick Clark, Alan Colmes, Walter Cronkite, Larry Gelbart, Studs Terkel and Susan Stamberg--the author of Voices in the Purple Haze traces radio's transformation from a source of drama and news to an outlet for music, the advent of FM and transistor radios, discrimination in broadcasting, and the future of the medium. Expressing great nostalgia for the golden days of radio, many of Keith's subjects agree with writer Stan Freberg, who believes that commercial radio is all but worthless, and with William Siemering, cofounder of National Public Radio, who contends that noncommercial stations have been better able to experiment with creative programming and to afford women and African-Americans greater representation on the air. Former news anchor Walter Cronkite theorizes that radio may someday be ""an adjunct to the Internet."" Although Keith raises many provocative issues (there is a spirited exchange regarding the popularity of shock jock Howard Stern), the transcription format will likely discourage readers who do not already have a great interest in the medium. (Dec.)