Abstract
This introductory essay serves to frame this special public radio symposium that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, on November 7, 2017. Drawing from his earlier writings on public broadcasting history, the author tells the story of how educational radio got its start and continued to struggle for survival until the fledgling enterprise could be reborn as public radio, a result of what may be the most significant piece of communications legislation of the second half of the 20th century. The author argues that despite the enterprise’s marginalized roots and repeated political attacks that span a half century, public radio, in one form or another, will survive well into the future.
Acknowledgment
The author is deeply indebted to Robert Pepper, coauthor of early writings, especially “Balancing the Equation: Public Radio Comes of Age,” from which this essay draws heavily.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Robert K. Avery
Robert K. Avery (Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, 1971) is communication professor emeritus at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. His research interests include public media history, communication policy, visual communication, and the analysis of mediated encounters.