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The Columbia History of American Television (Columbia Histories of Modern American Life) Hardcover – October 12, 2007

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

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Television is a form of media without equal. It has revolutionized the way we learn about and communicate with the world and has reinvented the way we experience ourselves and others. More than just cheap entertainment, TV is an undeniable component of our culture and contains many clues to who we are, what we value, and where we might be headed in the future.

Media historian Gary R. Edgerton follows the technological developments and increasing cultural relevance of TV from its prehistory (before 1947) to the Network Era (1948-1975) and the Cable Era (1976-1994). He begins with the laying of the first telegraph line in 1844, which gave rise to the idea that images and sounds could be transmitted over long distances. He then considers the remodeling of television's look and purpose during World War II; the gender, racial, and ethnic components of its early broadcasts and audiences; its transformation of postwar America; and its function in the political life of the country. He talks of the birth of prime time and cable, the influence of innovators like Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, Roone Arledge, and Ted Turner, as well as television's entrance into the international market, describing the ascent of such programs as
Dallas and The Cosby Show, and the impact these exports have had on transmitting American culture abroad.

Edgerton concludes with a discerning look at our current Digital Era (1995-present) and the new forms of instantaneous communication that continue to change America's social, political, and economic landscape. Richly researched and engaging, Edgerton's history tracks television's growth into a convergent technology, a global industry, a social catalyst, a viable art form, and a complex and dynamic reflection of the American mind and character. It took only ten years for television to penetrate thirty-five million households, and by 1983, the average home kept their set on for more than seven hours a day.
The Columbia History of American Television illuminates our complex relationship with this singular medium and provides historical and critical knowledge for understanding TV as a technology, an industry, an art form, and an institutional force.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A useful overview... [that] captures the technological, economic, and cultural sweep of an industry that influenced... what would become the Global Village. -- Bill Ruehlmann ― The Virginian-Pilot

An extensive, readable... informative, well-written study... Recommended. ―
CHOICE

A tour-de-force narrative of more than six decades of American television and its impact on U.S. society.... An important contribution. -- Christopher H. Sterling ―
Communication Booknotes Quarterly

An excellent addition to any undergraduate library and also a nice addition to public libraries. -- Linda W. Hacker ―
American Reference Books Annual

A marvelous, detailed, and comprehensive narrative... This remarkable book, unquestionably one-of-a-kind, belongs in every reference library. -- Robert Fyne ―
Film & History

Positioned with the monumental works of Erik Barnouw, Asa Briggs, Christopher Sterling and John Kittross, Edgerton contributes a comprehensive study of American television's popular culture....
The Columbia History of American Television should be on the shelf of every television historian and popular culture scholar, as well as the non-specialist. -- Donald G. Godfrey ― Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media

A seminal work of meticulous scholarship... Welcome and highly recommended. -- James A. Cox ―
The Midwest Book Review

Highly informative... eminently readable... Edgerton tells a compelling history of the medium. His book would work well as a primer for general readers, as well as for scholars (particularly international readers) wanting to gain an understanding of the history, forms, and economics of the U.S. television system as well as pointers for further research from his meticulous referencing. -- Faye Woods ―
Journal of American Studies

[The book] is meticulous and inspired. Devoted to television, it is richly resourced, eloquently written, and nicely illustrated. -- Craig Allen ―
American Journalism

This book is best seen as an update of Erik Barnouw's widely read and concise history,
Tube of Plenty: The Evolution of American Television. Moving beyond Barnouw, Edgerton has attempted to craft a unified narrative that simultaneously engages some of the more fine-grained scholarship in the field.... A highly readable account of the development of a complex industry and cultural form. -- Michael Kackman ― Journal of American History

A monumental and definitive account of American television. -- Jason Jacobs ―
Media International Australia

About the Author

Gary R. Edgerton is professor and chair of the communication and theater arts department at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He has published eight books and more than seventy book chapters and journal articles on a wide assortment of television and media history topics, and is coeditor of the Journal of Popular Film and Television. In 2004 he received the American Culture Association Governing Board Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Cultural Studies.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Columbia University Press (October 12, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0231121644
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0231121644
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.37 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.28 x 1.5 x 10.04 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

About the author

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Gary R. Edgerton
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Gary R. Edgerton is professor of Creative Media and Entertainment in the College of Communication at Butler University where he served as dean for five years. He was previously eminent scholar, professor, and chair of the Communication and Theatre Arts Department at Old Dominion University. He has published twelve books and more than eighty-five essays on a wide assortment of media and culture topics in a variety of books, scholarly journals, and encyclopedias.

Dr. Edgerton became the first permanent dean of Butler’s College of Communication in July 2012. While at Old Dominion, he was appointed eminent scholar by the institution's Board of Visitors in June 2010; and received the university's 27th Annual Research Award in Recognition of a Distinguished Scholarly Career in 2011.

In addition, Professor Edgerton is the Co-Executive Editor of the Journal of Popular Film and Television and an editorial board member of seven other scholarly journals. He has also delivered more than one hundred scholarly presentations at various international, national, and regional conferences. In 2004 he received the American Culture Association Governing Board Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Cultural Studies.

Over the years, Dr. Edgerton has been recognized with three teaching awards. He also averages two-dozen commentaries per year since 1990 across a wide variety of media subjects in magazines such as Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, and Variety; international magazines and newspapers such as El País (Madrid), The Guardian (Manchester, U.K.), Télérama (Paris), national newspapers such as the Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, and U.S.A. Today; regional newspapers such as the Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, and Los Angeles Times; and numerous interviews on national and local TV and radio programs, including Marketplace (American Public Media), BBC Radio 5, CBC Radio Network, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, and Morning Edition (NPR), among other media outlets.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
45 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2020
Came fast date as expected book was in great shape as described would definitely buy again
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024
American television.
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2011
I couldn't be happier with this purchase. I originally purchased from someone else and the day that classes started I got a message from the seller saying that they weren't shipping it. So I quickly found this seller, ordered the book, and it arrived in no time at all for the same price. Great service, thank you!
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2020
Good book
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2012
I ordered this book (and I thought I ordered it used) but it came wrapped up twice in bubble wrap and brand new. It was the right book, so there really isn't much to review about!
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2013
A great read for class and I hate reading especially books for school. Yep I'm a lazy one but I actually like this book
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2013
I chose 5 stars because the information is presented clearly and concise. It kept my interest from chapter 1 to chapter 12.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2017
This should be retitled "A Columbia History of American Television Executives." This non-chronological history spends about 10 paragraphs total discussing programming and 400+ pages rhapsodizing in endless detail about the great white male executives who ran the networks. If you want a history of network executives, their professional/educational backgrounds and their every change of title over 60 years of television, this is the book for you. If you want an actual "history of American television" (programming, reception, cultural/historical context), you will have to look elsewhere.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Sanchez-Aranda, Jose J.
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesante monografia
Reviewed in Spain on November 20, 2018
Ofrece una visión profunda sobre un tema del que se ha escrito mucho y malo. Este libro es esclarecedor y contiene mucha información.