Traces some of Wilbur Schramm's early influence in shaping and defining the field of communications in comparison to what the other founding fathers contributed from their external disciplinary positions, and places Schramm's career within its historical context. (MS)

This monograph reconstructs a theory of news, public opinion, and social control originally presented between 1904 and 1941 by Robert Ezra Park, a founder of the sociological study of mass communication and public opinion, and suggests that the theory is pertinent to contemporary journalists and scholars. Park's work is described as the basis of…

Provides a brief history of the Internet, highlighting its academic roots, and describes a survey conducted to determine how and why academics use the Internet. Information gathered, presented in seven tables, shows frequency of use; types of resources accessed; levels of computer experience; use of nagivational aids; and reaction to the survey.…

During the mid-nineteenth century, merchants in Cincinnati (Ohio) gained access to the latest telegraphic news through the Merchants' Exchange, which became a vital link in a communications network that served as the nervous system of the nation's economy. The Cincinnati Merchants' Exchange was founded in 1843 by the Young Men's Mercantile Library…

Describes the efforts of Henry Crowell, developer of Quaker Oats, to develop a market for breakfast cereals using market research and advertising. Examines how innovations in communications technology have been brought about by the struggle to control the material economy in the face of industrialization. Traces the development of the information…

Traces the development of printing and other technologies of communication. Discusses their impact on society. (JMF)

Traces the development of the computer CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers) and MP/M (Multiprogramming Monitor Microcomputers) operating system by Gary Kildall of Digital Research Company. Discusses the adaptation of these operating systems to the newly emerging 16 and 32 bit microprocessors. (Author/LC)

Discusses the changes in journalism occurring during the growth of private enterprise in the United States. Focuses on newspapers in Chicago and other midwestern cities. Describes Joseph Pulitzer's "New York World" as the culmination of the urbanization of U.S. journalism, recognizing the development of public interdependence in a…

This analysis of government regulation of America's broadcast service provides: (1) a historical view of radio and television regulation, including the doctrines of scarcity and public trustee and other areas affected by deregulation in particular; (2) an analysis of the argument for deregulation; and (3) an assessment of the First Amendment, the…

Characterizes the development over the past 30 years of the communication technologies employed in education by examining technological developments, structure of individual media, objectives and audiences of media systems, access to communications technologies, appropriateness of technology in new environments, social impact, and policy…

Presents U.S. broadcasting history as the interplay between powerful commercial forces and a broadcast reform movement that opposed commercial control of the industry. Suggests that broadcast reformers developed traditions of media criticism that are useful today. Describes the lack of debate preceding the Communications Act of 1934 as a weak spot…

Discusses the historical development of the media. Describes the U.S. media as beginning with colonial newspapers and development of the concept of a public sphere. Suggests that the rise of a market economy and the Industrial Revolution transformed the press from partisans to professionals concerned with presenting all sides of issues. (DK)

Discusses the influence of radio on the social history of the United States between the world wars. Describes early broadcast programing as a mix of culture, education, information, and some entertainment. Addresses the role of radio in the Depression and through the beginnings of World War II in Europe. (DK)

This study presents an overview and analysis of the continuing debate in the United Nations system on freedom of the press and the distribution of information. The three main chapters deal with sequences within that history. The first chapter discusses the debate on Freedom of Information which was pursued, particularly at the United Nations, in…

Discusses the field of broadcasting education and suggests improvements that should be made in higher education degree programs. Highlights include program elements common to all professional fields, such as ethics; use of appropriate technology; curriculum development; doctoral programs in communications; faculty recruitment and development;…