Introduction: The Television Code and the Trade Association

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Illustrations ix
4. Abbreviations xi
5. Acknowledgments xiii
6. Introduction: The Television Code and the Trade Association 1
7. 1. Regulatory Precedents before Television: The Government and the NAB Experiment with Radio 17
8. 2. Distinguishing Television from Radio via the Trade Association: The Rise and Fall of the Television Broadcasters Association 33
9. 3. The Industry Talks about a Television Code: Discourses of Decency, Self-Regulation, and Medium Specificity 53
10. 4. The Television Audience Speaks Out: Viewer Complaints and the Demand for Government Intervention 80
11. 5. The Federal Communications Commission: Impotent Bureaucrats, Underhanded Censors, or Exasperated Intermediaries? 115
12. 6. Senator William Benton Challenges the Commercial Television Paradigm 139
13. Conclusion: After the Code 172
14. Appendix A. The Television Code: Section on “Acceptability of Program Material” 191
15. Appendix B. The Television Code: Section on “Decency and Decorum in Production” 194
16. Notes 195
17. Bibliography 235
18. Index 243