A superb portrait of the communication revolution that profoundly altered 20th-century life. It ... will provide fresh insights, and perhaps generate controversy. - Kenneth Bilby, Washington Post Book WorldSuch organizations as AT&T, General Electric, and the U. S. Navy played major roles in radio's evolution, but early, press coverage may have decisively steered radio in the direction of mass entertainment. Susan J. Douglas reveals the origins of a corporate media system that today dominates the content and form of American communication.Not only the best history of early radio we have but also a valuable contribution to our understanding of twentieth-century America. - Daniel J. Czitrom, author of Media and the American MindA successful at times elegant interdisciplinary work. Douglas combines discussions of technology and of business structure, portraits of inventors and amateurs, and analysis of internal navy organization to construct a convincing narrative on the importance of the 'pre-history' of radio. She draws from an impressive range of co | Inventing American Broadcasting 1899-1922 by Susan J. Douglas, Paperback | Indigo Chapters