Radio, morality, and culture

About this book

Radio was considered an upstart in Great Britain, a puzzle in Canada, and a symbol of progress in the United States during the early twentieth century. In all three countries, when moral questions about the medium were raging, the church was invited to the debate but faltered because of infighting, and thereby failed to contribute a perspective that could have altered the future of radio. Radio, Morality, and Culture: Britain, Canada, and the United States, 1919-1945 examines the moral controversies surrounding radio's development during its formative years. In comparing the fledgling medium in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States, Robert S. Fortner documents how the church failed to participate in radio s moral development and instead engaged in internecine warfare over issues of legitimacy and orthodoxy." "While radio policy was being developed and communications history was being written, the church was arguing about theological turf and dealing with internal disputes, Fortner explains. Radio, Morality, and Culture illustrates how, without a moral anchor, radio was at the whim of corporations whose foundation rested on political and social expediency, not principle. Fortner outlines why the absence of the church in the ethical discussions of radio's development left a void just when laws and regulations were being passed. Fortner effectively synthesizes cultural history and theory, communication studies, and the role religious organizations played in shaping the content and character of early radio. Geared to scholars of history, communications, and theology, Radio, Morality, and Culture provides a useful resource for research, scholarship, and public policy.