The FCC's Blue Book and the Postwar Struggle for the People's Airwaves, 1945-1948

Author:

• Victor W. Pickard (Univ of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)

Abstract:

A key initiative borne out of the 1940s media reform movement was the so-called Blue Book, a high-water mark for FCC progressive activism that mandated social responsibility obligations for broadcasters in return for using the public airwaves. Ultimately, red baiting tactics defeated the policies outlined in the Blue Book and the media reform movement was largely contained. The following analysis draws from previously unexamined archival materials to illuminate the resulting postwar settlement for U.S. broadcasters.