24/7 Politics

How cable television upended American political life in the pursuit of profits and influence

As television began to overtake the political landscape in the 1960s, network broadcast companies, bolstered by powerful lobbying interests, dominated screens across the nation. Yet over the next three decades, the expansion of a different technology, cable, changed all of this. 24/7 Politics tells the story of how the cable industry worked with political leaders to create an entirely new approach to television, one that tethered politics to profits and divided and distracted Americans by feeding their appetite for entertainment—frequently at the expense of fostering responsible citizenship.

In this timely and provocative book, Kathryn Cramer Brownell argues that cable television itself is not to blame for today’s rampant polarization and scandal politics—the intentional restructuring of television as a political institution is. She describes how cable innovations—from C-SPAN coverage of congressional debates in the 1980s to MTV’s foray into presidential politics in the 1990s—took on network broadcasting using market forces, giving rise to a more decentralized media world. Brownell shows how cable became an unstoppable medium for political communication that prioritized cult followings and loyalty to individual brands, fundamentally reshaped party politics, and, in the process, sowed the seeds of democratic upheaval.

24/7 Politics reveals how cable TV created new possibilities for antiestablishment voices and opened a pathway to political prominence for seemingly unlikely figures like Donald Trump by playing to narrow audiences and cultivating division instead of common ground.

"The book’s clear argument is conveyed through meticulous research blended with captivating stories, and the cast of characters ranges from franchise owners and lobbyists to policy wonks and presidents. This book provides a new way of looking at the familiar histories of both cable television and American electoral politics due to its impressive deep dives into pivotal moments where those two histories were tied together."

"Brownell, a historian, details how the opponents of network broadcasting successfully cast the industry as ‘elitist’ and peddled cable as a democratizing force that would ‘empower people, politicians, and perspectives.’ Her persuasive account argues that cable’s advocates were, in fact, motivated primarily by profit, and that cable television’s Sisyphean pursuit of ratings and revenue ultimately served to cultivate a toxic media—and political—environment."

"Brownell is an excellent historian, and her account of cable's evolution from the period right after World War II to the period right after the Cold War is among the best I have read."---Jesse Walker, Reason

"Winner of the Eugenia M. Palmegiano Prize, American Historical Association"

"Winner of the PROSE Award in Media and Cultural Studies, Association of American Publishers"

"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

"A New Yorker Best Book We've Read This Year"

“24/7 Politics is the definitive history of the cable industry in the United States. Kathryn Cramer Brownell has a knack for finding the colorful characters and key moments that pull readers in—all while illuminating the high stakes of cable’s success not just for the media industry but for American democracy.”—Nicole Hemmer, author of Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s

“Kathryn Cramer Brownell’s brilliant history examines the double potential of cable television—as a force for democratic empowerment, or for division and polarization. Ultimately, the stoking of outrage has triumphed. Brownell reveals in dazzling detail how it all happened. 24/7 Politics is a must-read for anyone concerned about TV’s use and abuse in the service of politics and power.”—Heather Hendershot, author of When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarizing of America

“In this impressive history, Kathryn Cramer Brownell shows how our political system made cable television and, in turn, how cable television remade our political system. Sweeping in its scope yet precise in its details, 24/7 Politics is a must-read account of the origins of our performance politics.”—Kevin M. Kruse, coauthor of Fault Lines: A History of the United States since 1974

“With vivid storytelling and revealing insight, Kathryn Cramer Brownell traces how a scrappy band of political outsiders became Washington power players, reshaping how Americans watch television, understand the news, and participate in their democracy. 24/7 Politics can and should become the definitive history of the industry.”—Margaret O’Mara, author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America