The history of broadcasting in Britain and, to a lesser extent, Australia in the 1920s and 1930s is one of state control and regulation. By contrast in the United States, state involvement in radio was minimal. To explain these differing arrangements it is necessary to examine the uses to which radio could be put, and the stake in these held by the various sections of the bourgeoisie involved in broadcasting. The definition of radio as a technology is thus a profoundly social product and variations in its precise form may be seen as the product of a struggle whose outcome was different in each of these three social formations.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aitken, H.1976. Syntony and Spark—The Origins of Radio. New York: John Wiley.
2.
Ashbolt, A.1975. 'Mass Media: Structure, Functioning and Control' , E. Wheelwright and K. Buckly (eds), Essays in the Political Economy of Australian Capitalism Vol. I. Sydney: A.N.Z. Book Co.
3.
Banning, W.1946. Commercial Broadcasting Pioneer: The WEAF Experiment 1922-26 . Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
4.
Baran, P. and P. Sweezy1968. Monopoly Capital. Harmondsworth : Penguin.
5.
Barnouw, E.1966. A Tower in Babel: A History of Broadcasting in the United States Vol. I. New York: Oxford.
6.
Bew, P., P. Gibson and H. Patterson1979. The State in Northern Ireland 1921-72. Manchester University Press.
7.
Briggs, A.1960. 'Mass Entertainment: The Origins of a Modem Industry' . The 29th J. Fisher Lecture in Commerce. Adelaide: Griffin.
8.
— 1961. The Birth of Broadcasting: The History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom. Vol. I. London: Oxford.
9.
Clark, D.1975. 'Australia: Victim or Partner of British Imperialism' , E. Wheelwright and K. Buckly (eds), Essays in the Political Economy of Australian Capitalism. Vol. I. Sydney: A.N.Z. Book Co.
10.
Cole, B.1966 'The Australian Broadcasting Control Board and the Regulation of Commercial Radio in Australia since 1948'. Ph.D. thesis. North-Western University.
11.
Connell, R.1977. Ruling Class, Ruling CultureCambridge : Cambridge University Press.
12.
Curnow, R.1963. The Origins of Australian Broadcasting 1900-1923' , R. Spann and H. Mayer (eds), Sydney Studies in Politics. Melbourne: Cheshire.
13.
Curran, J.1977. 'Capitalism and Control of the Press, 1800-1975' , J. Curran, M. Gurevitch and J. Woolacott (eds), Mass Communication and Society. London: Arnold.
14.
— 1981. 'Press History', J. Curran and J. Seaton, Power Without Responsibility: The Press and Broadcasting in Britain. Glasgow: Fontana.
15.
Edgar, P.1979. 'Radio and Television', A Patience and B. Head (eds), From Whitlam to Fraser. Melbourne: Oxford.
16.
Ewen, S.1976. Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture. New York: McGraw-Hill.
17.
Glyn, A. and J. Harrison1980. The British Economic Disaster. London : Pluto Press.
18.
Hull, W.1959. 'A Comparative Study of the Problems of Ministerial Responsibility in Australain and Canadian Broadcasting'. Ph.D. thesis. Duke University.
19.
Johnson, L.1981. 'Radio and Everyday Life: The Early Years of Broadcasting in Australia 1922-1945', Media, Culture and Society, 3, 2: 167-178.
20.
McFarlane, B.1972. 'Australia's Role in World Capitalism', J. Playford and D. Kirsner (eds), Australian Capitalism: Towards a Socialist Critique . Harmondsworth: Penguin.
21.
Mackay, I.1957. Broadcasting in Australia. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press.
22.
Nairn, T.1977. The Break-Up of Britain. London : New Left Books.
23.
Playford, J.1972. Who Rules Australia?' J. Playford and D. Kirsner (eds), Australian Capitalism: Towards a Socialist Critique. Harmondsworth : Penguin.
24.
Reich, L.1977. 'Research, Patents and the Struggle to Control Radio' . Business History Review, No. 51: 208-235.
25.
Seaton, J.1981. 'Broadcasting History', J. Curran and J. Seaton (eds), op. cit.
26.
Stuart, C. (ed.) 1975. The Reith Diaries. London: Collins.
27.
Sturmey, S.1958. The Economic Development of Radio. London: Duckworth.
28.
Thomas, A.1980. Broadcast and Be Damned: the A.B.C.'s First Two DecadesMelbourne: Melbourne University Press.
29.
Tunstal, J.1977. The Media are American. London : Constable.
30.
Walker, R.1973. The Magic Spark: The Story of the First Fifty Years of Radio in Australia. Melbourne: Hawthorn.
31.
Williams, R.1974. Television: Technology and Cultural Form. London: Fontana.
32.
— 1979. The Growth and Role of the Mass Media', C. Gardner (ed.), Media, Politics and Culture . London: Macmillan.
33.
Wilson, H.1961. Pressure Group: The Campaign for Commercial Television . London: Secker and Warburg.
