Best Radio History & Criticism

During their forty-year history, Motörhead released over twenty albums, won a Grammy, and conquered the rock world with such songs as “Ace of Spades,” “Bomber,” and “Overkill.” Throughout the creation of this impressive discography, the Motörhead lineup saw many changes, but Lemmy was always firmly at the helm. Having been a member of the Rockin' Vicars, Opal Butterflies, and Hawkwind, he formed Motorhead, the legendary English heavy metal band. Kilmister has been credited as an enormous influence on the genres of rock, heavy metal, death metal, punk, and speed metal.

From the former chief economist of the FCC, a remarkable history of the U.S. government’s regulation of the airwaves Popular legend has it that before the Federal Radio Commission was established in 1927, the radio spectrum was in chaos, with broadcasting stations blasting powerful signals to drown out rivals. The Political Spectrum: The Tumultuous Liberation ofWireless Technology, from Herbert Hoover to the Smartphone, tells a thrilling, roller-coaster tale ofhow US regulators often blocked progress... Hazlett explains howrecent reforms helped liberate the radio spectrum... ushering in the 'smartphone revolution', ubiquitous social media andthe amazing wireless world." "Hazlett shows how administrative management of the radio spectrum has always been inefficient and, with the mobile and digital revolutions, the costs of not allocating spectrum by the market are rising dramatically. -- Martin Cave, author of Spectrum Management--How to Get the Best Out of the Airwaves for Society "A masterful book written in an agreeably informal and non-technical style, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the law and economics of spectrum allocation, from Marconi to the Internet." Frech III, University of California, Santa Barbara "Among [the] proponents of a market for spectrum, none is more vocal and persuasive than ...Thomas Hazlett.... Hazlett has done an extraordinary service demonstrating the harm of government-managed spectrum." --Gerald Faulhaber, The Wharton School and School of Law, University of Pennsylvania "Tom Hazlett describes convincingly and clearly how federal regulation of the radio spectrum epitomizes crony capitalism in the U.S. With colorful writing and extensive research, The Political Spectrum demonstrates how spectrum regulation provides politicians and regulators with a goody bag of campaign contributions while in office and high-salaried jobs afterwards, all at the expense of the general welfare." "A fascinating history... exposing how inefficient, and perhaps corrupt, our spectrum policy really is.... Mr. Hazlett devotes a substantial portion of his book to arguments for reforms [and the book] is full of valuable instruction [on] the strategic use of the regulatory process." Hazlett's new book, The Political Spectrum: The Tumultuous Liberation of Wireless Technology, from Herbert Hoover to the Smartphone, tells a thrilling, roller-coaster tale of how US regulators often blocked progress at the behest of incumbents, delaying the implementation of FM radio and cable television. Hazlett also explains how recent reforms helped liberate the radio spectrum and generate explosive progress, ushering in the 'smartphone revolution', ubiquitous social media and the amazing wireless world."

The king of radio comedy from the Great Depression through the early 1950s, Jack Benny was one of the most influential entertainers in twentieth-century America. "By discussing in depth the ways the show was and wasn’t distributed during and after its initial run (including the balance of radio stations carrying the show vs. TV stations carrying the show throughout the ‘50s), Fuller-Seeley makes the book itself an intermedia experience, encouraging readers to contribute to the vital work of media archiving." This lively, wonderfully detailed and meticulously researched study of Benny's contributions to twentieth-century arts and culture will delight not only those who remember him but those who have yet to discover this icon of American comedy.

Now long out of print, John Dunning's Tune in Yesterday was the definitive one-volume reference on old-time radio broadcasting. Now, in On the Air , Dunning has completely rethought this classic work, reorganizing the material and doubling its coverage, to provide a richer and more informative account of radio's golden age. Mystery writer and radio talk show host Dunning has expertly compiled and organized a massive amount of research data on hundreds of radio shows aired from the 1920s through the 1960s. The entries, listed alphabetically by show title, each contain a treasure trove of information?broadcast dates, casts and personnel, anecdotes, special analyses, and a detailed overview of each show's background, format, and content. ?Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. As he did in Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Prentice Hall, 1976), Dunning here provides a storehouse of information about the people and programs of radio's Golden Age (1930s, 1940s, 1950s). Devotees of classic television shows may be surprised to find out that such programs as Father Knows Best , Our Miss Brooks , Queen for a Day , and Sky-King all started as radio programs.

A touching, funny, heart-wrenching, and triumphant memoir from one of the biggest names in radio, the host of The Bobby Bones Show , one of the most listened-to drive time morning radio shows in the nation. Abandoned by his father at the age of five, Bobby saw the radio as his way out—a dream that came true in college when he went on air at the Henderson State University campus station broadcasting as Bobby Bones, while simultaneously starting The Bobby Bones Show at 105.9 KLAZ. Raised by an alcoholic single mother and an enterprising grandmother who taught him to shop at garage sales, play poker, and love music, Bobby spent his childhood in the hills and trailer parks of Mountain Pine, Arkansas. Full of stories from his childhood, his brushes with the best and the beautiful of music—hint: not all of them like him (oh well)—the hijinks and danger that have been a part of his journey, and rippling with his self-deprecating humor, Bare Bones is the heartfelt, honest tale of someone who has truly lived the American dream. Nationally, it is the biggest country music morning show in America, with an estimated audience of nearly five million listeners.