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Listening In: Radio And The American Imagination Paperback – February 25, 2004

by Susan J. Douglas (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 34 ratings
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The powerful effect of radio on American culture from Big Band music to Top 40 to conservative talk radio—now back in print!

Few inventions evoke such nostalgia, such deeply personal and vivid memories as radio—from Amos ’n’ Andy and Edward R. Murrow to Wolfman Jack and Howard Stern. Listening In is the first in-depth history of how radio culture and content have kneaded and expanded the American psyche.

But Listening In is more than a history. It is also a reconsideration of what listening to radio has done to American culture in the twentieth century and how it has brought a completely new auditory dimension to our lives. Susan Douglas explores how listening has altered our day-to-day experiences and our own generational identities, cultivating different modes of listening in different eras; how radio has shaped our views of race, gender roles, ethnic barriers, family dynamics, leadership, and the generation gap. With her trademark wit, Douglas has created an eminently readable cultural history of radio.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    432 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Univ Of Minnesota Press
  4. Publication date
    February 25, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    5.88 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0816644233
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0816644230
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Flat out terrific ... just the right balance of history, scholarship, media theory, and great storytelling. Susan J. Douglas makes reading about radio as much fun as listening to it. Turn up the volume on this one!"
-- Pete Fornatale, New York Radio personality and co-author of "Radio in the Television Age
"A thoughtful and affectionate look back at how radio shaped and strengthened our past, and an insightful look forward to how, in spite of rank commercialism, radio still offers an alternative form of bootstrap expression in a TV-dominated age."
--Susan Faludi, author of "Backlash
"A brilliant analysis of the pervasive medium's influence upon our hearts and minds. This is the best book about radio that I've read in years."
--Michael Harrison, editor, "Talkers magazine
"A pioneering, witty, remarkably insightful study of the role radio has played in our history, our culture, and our lives."
--Lawrence W. Levine, author of "The Opening of the American Mind.

From the Back Cover

Few inventions evoke such nostalgia, such deeply personal and vivid memories as radio. Ask anyone born before World War II about radio, and you'll see that person time-travel to the lost world of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Arturo Toscanini; to the jokes of Jack Benny and Burns and Allen; to the sobering commentary of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Edward R. Murrow. Those born after World War II grew up tuned to Jean Shepherd in the darkness of their bedrooms; cruising with Sam Cooke, the Beatles, or the Doors; talking back to Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh, and Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Listening In is the first in-depth history of how radio culture and content have kneaded and expanded the American psyche.
But Listening In is more than a history. It is also a reconsideration of what listening to radio has done to American culture in the twentieth century and how it has brought a completely new auditory dimension to our lives. Susan Douglas explores how listening has altered our day-to-day experiences and our own generational identities, cultivating different modes of listening in different eras; how radio has shaped our views of race, gender roles, ethic barriers, family dynamics, leadership, and the generation gap.
How we listened, where we listened, who we listened to and why: With her trademark wit and erudition, Susan Douglas has created an eminently readable cultural history of radio that fixes its place in our lives as shaper and reflector of our passions and obsessions.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Univ Of Minnesota Press; First Edition (February 25, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0816644233
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0816644230
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.29 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.88 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

About the author

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Susan J. Douglas

Susan J. Douglas

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Susan J. Douglas is the Catherine Neafie Kellogg Professor and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Communication Studies, and former department chair, at The University of Michigan. Her new book, In Our Prime: How Older Women are Reinventing the Road Ahead is forthcoming in March 2020 from Norton. She is author of Celebrity: A History of Fame (NYU Press, with Andrea McDonnell), The Rise of Enlightened Sexism: How Pop Culture Took us from Girl Power to Girls Gone Wild (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2010); The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How it Undermines Women (with Meredith Michaels, The Free Press, 2004); Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination (Times Books, 1999), which won the Hacker Prize in 2000 for the best popular book about technology and culture, Where The Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media (Times Books, 1994; Penguin, 1995) and Inventing American Broadcasting, 1899-1922 (Johns Hopkins, 1987). She has lectured at colleges and universities around the country, and has written for The Nation, In These Times, The Village Voice, Ms., The Washington Post and TV Guide, and was media critic for The Progressive from 1992-1998. Her column “Back Talk” was featured for over twenty years in In These Times. She has appeared on The Today Show, The CBS Early Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Working Woman, CNBC's Equal Time, NPR's Fresh Air, Weekend Edition, The Diane Rehm Show, Talk of the Nation, Michael Feldman’s Whad’ya Know and various radio talk shows around the country. Where the Girls Are was widely praised, and chosen one of the top ten books of 1994 by National Public Radio, Entertainment Weekly and The McLaughlin Group. She served on the Board of the George Foster Peabody awards from 2005-2010, and in 2010 was selected as Chair of the Board. She is the 2009 recipient of the Leonardo Da Vinci Prize, the highest honor given by the Society for the History of Technology to an individual who has greatly contributed to the history of technology through research, teaching, publications, and other activities. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
34 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Allan Mazur
5.0 out of 5 stars Those Were the Days
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
I agree with the cover blurb: “Douglas’s wonderful book offers a sophisticated history of radio listening.” Susan Douglas immerses us into the ever changing culture created by American broadcasting from the 1920s though the Depression, the war (II), and then through the 1990s. (I came late to reading this book.) Old enough to remember the war (II) period, I was surprised but delighted at the degree to which she evokes the nostalgia of sitting with family around the big radio in the living room, listening to the lineup of weekly programs. Her writing is rich, the analysis sharp and in parts, notably her chapter on old radio comedy, outright funny. I wish she had included the children’s shows that I listened to after school or on Saturday morning – Grand Central Station, Hop Harrigan, Adventure’s Club, which exercised a child’s imagination in a way that images from television never could. Douglas ends on a sad note, regretting the musical blandness of corporate radio, but hopeful for a new wave of vitality, as happened repeatedly before.
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Jerry C.
5.0 out of 5 stars America and the radio
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2013
Verified Purchase
I ordered the book I wanted to find out all about America's love affair with radio. Especially before the advent of Television. These things I want to know about.

That was a time when radio was the big communicator for the average American. Americans received all their information via the Radio Dial and that fascinates me. That's why I ordered this wonderful book.
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Randal C. Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great service
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2021
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Very satisfied with everything!
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Thomas Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars Memories of another era
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2013
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I liked the book because it reprised my childhood memories in a sense. However, the slant was away from the subjects that mattered
the most to me personally, mainly on the entertainment side other than comedy. Namely the adventure dramas, the scary shows, the crime dramas, children's programs, etc. Of course the emphasis of the book MUST be the important issues such as the politics, coverage of W II and the rest. The adult radio world of the period was something that I did not experience, myself, but I wanted to learn about what was going one. It is an education.
2 people found this helpful
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Scott McKinney
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about the sociological history of radio.
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2014
Verified Purchase
A keen insight into how media shapes the times and how listeners shape the media. A must read for all with an interest in radio and in media in general.
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hudunit333
2.0 out of 5 stars Questionable accuracy?
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2009
Verified Purchase
I love radios and radio. I have always loved radio, so much so, in fact, that I have taken it upon myself to learn how to repair and restore old tube radios for the unique sound that they posses. I bought Susan J. Douglas's book "Listening In . . . " because of the preponderance of good reviews. I'll admit to only having gotten as far as page 9, when I came accross a startlingly inaccurate statement. She writes "The press and most cultural observers ignore radio, except when Stern pushes his own rather relaxed limits of tastefulness too far,or when conservative talk show hosts instruct their listeners on the best method for gunning down federal officials." This is just 2 sentences after mentioning Rush Limbaugh specifically. Now regardless of your political bent, this is just flat out inaccurate. I have listened to Rush Limbaugh for over 3 years on an almost daily basis and he has never, not even hinted at gunning down anyone, government or otherwise. Rush Limbaugh has the largest radio audience at present and possibly ever. He has more listeners on a daily basis than almost any national news show, including the televised news shows on ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN. So she has her facts wrong on arguably the most popular radio show in history. Now we're talking about facts here, not politics. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Jeff Beck and Mark Levin, the 4 most listened to shows on talk radio, probably in radio history, never talk about gunning down anyone, period. It's not about politics. It's about facts. You don't have to like these people. You just have to be able to admit to the facts. The Rush Limbaugh Show has something like 10+ times the average daily listeners when compared to any news show on CNN, NBC or CBS. She is apparently writing a tomme about the psychology of radio listening without ever having listened to the most popular radio shows ever and is ignorant of the published ratings. I have to question that. Where did she get that notion from, I wonder? Let's hope it was Amy Goodman on Pacifica, at least that's the radio. What other facts does she get wrong in this book? Well, on to page 10. Let's hope she can pull this one out. I'll give her the 2nd star for hope and the book was only about $13.
11 people found this helpful
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John Wright
3.0 out of 5 stars Leans Way To The Left
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
It is a good history of American radio and has a lot of information in it. It is just too bad that Ms. Douglas could not hide her liberal bias in the writing of this book and that ruined it. But I see she is a professor at The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. What can you expect?
4 people found this helpful
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Anthony F. Runfalo
5.0 out of 5 stars Radio is King
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2011
Verified Purchase
Very good reading. I really like the way the author delves into the imagination of radio listening. What a loss that America has not allowed good radio programming to coexist with television.
One person found this helpful
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