Listener Supported The Culture and History of Public Radio

Subjects:

• Popular Culture » Radio, TV
• Communications » Mass Media
• Political Science » Public Policy

Reviews:

• [M]itchell's work provides a distintive look at the institution from his long-term perspective. This well-organized history is essential reading for all NPR fans and is suitable for all libraries.
  —Library Journal June 15, 2005
• Mitchell takes credit for being the first employee of National Public Radio, and in this volume he provides a first-person account of NPR's creation and early history....Written in a readable, conversational style, Mitchell's book has been released at a time when funding for public broadcasting has again come under fire in Washington. Mitchell hopes to provide readers with an understanding not only of why this form of broadcasting was created but also of why the federal government should continue to support its voice in the marketplace. Highly recommended. All readers; all levels.
  —Choice November 2005
• Jack W. Mitchell has added an insider's perspective to the substantial body of literature on public radio in the Unietd States.
  —Publizistik March 2007
• He usefully reviews the role of some of the pioneers of educational radio (including the BBC where he worked for a year) and what they accomplished....[t]his offers useful insight from a man "present at the beginning."
  —CBQ Communication Booknotes Quarterly Spring 2006
• Jack Mitchell, public radio veteran, offers unparalleled insight into public broadcasting in his book Listener Supported: The Culture and History of Public Radio....Mitchell's book inspires a great deal of gratitude for the determined movers and shakers, employees, and advocates of NPR and the local agencies that make up our country's public radio network.
  —Against the Grain April 2006
• Surely some of the people involved in Mitchell's account would disagree with some of his facts and viewpoints about the development and history of public radio in America. But Listener Supported is not merely a collection of anecdotes. It contains a significant number of endnotes and a large bibliography section. It is written in a conversational style and is very easy to read. Mitchell obviously is a fan of public radio and a true believer in its value to society.
  —American Journalism Summer 2005
• [A]n inside account of NPR's rise and programming. A one time Wisconsin public broadcaster (and later faculty member at the University of Wisconsin), Mitchell draws on his own long experience (he was the first producer of All Things Considered and later served as chair of NPR's board) and that of others to tell this story....[p]rovides a useful record of an increasingly central public institution.
  —CBQ Communication Booknotes Quarterly Fall 2005
• In an enlightening way, he tracks NPR's mission back to the Progressive era of the early 20th century and the movement to create nonprofit newspapers free of the "corrupting influences of 'commercialism'"....[M]itchell's is a valuable history of how and why so much talent assembled down on the left end of the FM dial.
  —New York Times Book Review July 17, 2005
• Mitchell, the first producer of the National Public Radio program All Things Considered offers a behind-the-scenes look at how public radio evolved from being funded by the government to being supported by listeners. Chronicling the progressive movement, Mitchell details the early days, when pioneers were able to sneak into public broadcast legislation provisions to promote public radio....A revealing look at a respected national institution.
  —Booklist May 15, 2005

• Endorsement From Susan Stamberg,
  Special Correspondent, National Public Radio: Jack Mitchell was NPR's first employee. He's been part of the history of public radio, and a keen observer of its development. Mitchell tells the story with authority, wit, conviction, and personal asides that shed occasionally wicked light on some old skeletons. The book is a service to those who've toiled in the fields of public radio, as well as those who find nourishment in its broadcasts.

Table of Contents:

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Dreams
• The Progressives
• Pioneers
• Public Radio
• Purposes
• Reality
• All Things Considered
• All Things Reconsidered
• Morning Edition
• Weekend Edition
• Performance Today
• Talk of the Nation
• Marketplace
• Critics
• Critics on the Right
• Critics on the Left
• Conclusion: The Ideas Network
• Bibliography