Books
Alan B. Abarren and Gregory G. Pitts, The Radio Broadcasting Industry (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2000) A comprehensive look at the business of radio broadcasting, including how stations attract and retain audiences.
Michele Hilmes, Radio Voices:American Broadcasting, 1922-1952 (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1997). Traces the development of early radio, addressing such subjects as technological advances, the impact of programming, the power of advertising, and the role of women, blacks, and immigrant groups.
Erik Barnouw, A History of Broadcasting in the United States. (New York: Oxford University Press). A comprehensive history of U.S. radio from its inception to the late 1960s. This three volume set includes Vol. I - A Tower in Babel: A History of Broadcasting in the United States to 1933 (1966); Vol. II - The Golden Web: A History of Broadcasting in the United States 1933-1953 (1968); and Vol. III-The Image Empire: A History of Broadcasting in the United States from 1953-1970
F. Leslie Smith, John W. Wright II, and David H. Ostroff, Perspective on Radio and Television: Telecommunications in the United States 4th ed. (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998). This comprehensive analysis includes coverage of the mediums' history, programming technology, law, ethics, economics, and its effects.
Films, Videos, and DVDs
Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)Documentary by Ken Burns about the role three men played in the development of radio: Edward Armstrong, Lee DeForest, and David Sarnoff. Lots of footage of the early days of broadcasting.
Airheads (1994, rated PG-13) Three would-be rockers armed with toy guns take a radio station hostage, hoping to get airplay of their demo tape in this satire of the love/hate relationship between radio stations and would-be recording artists. Cast includes Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler.
Talk Radio (1988, rated R) Directed by Oliver Stone, stars Eric Bogosian as an abrasive talk show host. The script contains elements of Steven Singular's book, Talked to Death, the Life and Murder of Alan Berg, about the murder of an on-air personality.
Private Parts (1997, rated R) Directed by Betty Thomas and starring Howard Stern and his on-air staff. All about how he became the radio phenomenon he is today. Based on the book of the same name.
Telling Lies in America (1997, rated PG-13) a semi -autobiographical story written by Joe Eszterhas, a successful Hollywood screenwriter. A Hungarian immigrant teen growing up in Cleveland in 1960, wants to improve his treatment at school and win the attention of a girl, so he forges student signatures to win a "High School Hall of Fame" contest held by radio DJ Billy Magic and gets a job working for Magic. But the contest is a fraud itself, arranged by Magic to find an errand boy to help him run his payola operation. Stars Kevin Bacon and Brad Renfro.
FM (1978, rated PG) LA radio station DJs clash with executive who wants to increase profits by flooding the airwaves with ads, in this humorous look at 1970's radio lifestyle and its emotional casualties.
