Sign-In
Cart
Broadcasting Democracy
Hardcover
Publisher Price: $44.00
Publisher: Sticking Place Books
Published: Sep 8 2026
Pages: 300
Weight: 1.45
Height: 0.69 Width: 6.95 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Broadcasting Democracy tells the remarkable story of a nearly forgotten New Deal program that brought politics, culture, and social change into millions of American homes. Between 1936 and 1939, the Federal Theatre Project's Radio Division produced thousands of broadcasts that entertained listeners while quietly advancing a bold vision of a more democratic, inclusive, and equitable society. Drawing on extensive archival research, Jay Rozgonyi reveals how writers, actors, directors, and producers used the most powerful medium of their age to champion public health, workers' rights, racial equality, arts education, and civic engagement. In the process, they transformed radio from a vehicle for simply selling products into a forum for imagining a better America. Part media history, part political history, and part cultural detective story, Broadcasting Democracy uncovers a fascinating chapter in the history of American broadcasting and offers a fresh perspective on the New Deal's enduring struggle to shape public life through the power of mass communication.
Included are the full radio scripts of four dramas. The South (1936) is a sweeping historical pageant tracing the South from slavery through Reconstruction to the Depression, arguing that racial injustice and economic exploitation have held the region back while pointing toward a more democratic future. One-Third of a Nation (1938) is a dramatization of the American housing crisis that follows the lives of slum dwellers and exposes the human cost of unsafe, overcrowded tenements, making the case for public housing and urban reform. Altars of Steel (1939) is set in the steel industry and explores the conflict between profit and human welfare as industrial modernization enriches owners while placing workers' livelihoods and dignity at risk. Women in Industry (1939) examines the changing role of women in the industrial workforce, highlighting discrimination, unequal pay, mechanization, and the struggle for fair treatment and economic equality.
Also in
Radio
The Record Players: The Story of Dance Music Told by History's Greatest DJs
Frank Broughton
Bill Brewster
Paperback
The Baofeng Radio Revolution: The Beginner Guerrilla's Guide to Break Through the Complexity, Secure Communications, and Prepare for Disaster With Pre
Code Publishing, Morse
Hardcover
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey
Broughton, Frank
Brewster, Bill
Paperback
A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races
Volponi, Paul
Shulman, Lenny
Durkin, Tom
Hardcover
The Podcast Pantheon: 101 Podcasts That Changed How We Listen--From Wtf to Serial
Malin, Sean
Hardcover
Sound Reporting, Second Edition: The NPR Guide to Broadcast, Podcast and Digital Journalism
Socolovsky, Jerome
Paperback
Ham Radio: How to Setup and Operate Your Ham Radio (Quickstart Guide for New Hams and Amateur Radio Enthusiasts)
Martinez, Carlos
Paperback
Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR
Napoli, Lisa
Paperback
Audio Production Worktext: Concepts, Techniques, and Equipment
Stark, Craig A.
Woodall, Lowery A., III
Sauls, Samuel J.
Paperback
The Baofeng Radio Revolution: The Beginner Guerrilla's Guide to Break Through the Complexity, Secure Communications, and Prepare for Disaster With Pre
Code Publishing, Morse
Paperback
The Art of Voice Acting: The Craft and Business of Performing for Voiceover
Alburger, James R.
Paperback
Radio Secrets: An insider's guide to presenting and producing powerful content for broadcast and podcast
Lloyd, David
Paperback
Me Here, You There: My Three Decades Overnight, Under the Covers, Schmoozing S-P-O-R-T-S as Captain Midnight for Wfan
Somers, Steve
Friedman, Dick
Paperback
Ham Radio: Tips and Techniques for the Perfect Signal (The Ultimate Ham Radio Complete Guide the Easiest Way)
Shanklin, David
Paperback
People Powered Radio: Fifty Years of Australian Community Radio Station 4zzz
Anderson, Heather
Paperback
Cleveland Radio Tales: Stories from the Local Radio Scene of the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and '90s
Olszewski, Janice
Olszewski, Mike
Paperback
Speak to Achieve: How to Build Connection, Deepen Trust, Captivate Audiences, and Achieve Results
Clark, Elaine A.
Paperback
Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News
Schwartz, A. Brad
Paperback
Don't Panic: The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe: The Original Albums
Adams, Douglas
Audio Book
Bombs Always Beep - 2nd Edition - Revenge of the Beep: Creating Modern Audio Theater
Wayland, Kc
Paperback
Ham Radio: Booting Up With Hardware and Radio Attacks (Unlocking the Power of Ham Radio With Digital Modes)
Harris, Patrick
Paperback
Advertising Anarchy! Selling Bud Abbott & Lou Costello To War-Torn America
Greene, Richard S.
Hardcover
Calling Una Marson: The Extraordinary Life of a Forgotten Icon
Obidike, Jennifer
Sarpong, June
Hardcover
Voices of Baseball: The Game's Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America's Pastime
McKnight, Kirk
Hardcover
Transfigured New York: Interviews with Experimental Artists and Musicians, 1980-1990
Wentz, Brooke
Hardcover
Classic Rock, Classic Jock:: The Jim Santella Story, Father of Progressive Rock in Buffalo
Santella, Jim
Paperback
The Jive 95: An Oral History of America's Greatest Underground Rock Radio Station, Ksan San Francisco
Rosenfeld, Hank
Hardcover
Talk Radio's America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States
Rosenwald, Brian
Hardcover
The Witch's Tale: Stories of Gothic Horror from the Golden Age of Radio
Cole, Alonzo Deen
Siegel, David S.
Paperback
Game Shows FAQ: All That's Left to Know about the Pioneers, the Scandals, the Hosts and the Jackpots
Nedeff, Adam
Paperback
London's Pirate Pioneers: The illegal broadcasters who changed British radio
Hebditch, Stephen
Paperback
976-1313: How Sports Phone Launched Careers and Broke New Ground
Karpin, Howie
Orgera, Scott
Hardcover
This Sceptred Isle: Collection 1: 55bc - 1702: The Classic BBC Radio History
Lee, Christopher
Audio Book
The Age of Melodramatic Miniseries: When Glamour Ruled on Television, 1980-1995
Humphries, Scott
Paperback
Jack Benny's Lost Radio Broadcasts Volume One: May 2 - July 27, 1932 (hardback)
Benny, Jack
Conn, Harry
Hardcover
I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead, 2nd edition (hardback)
Tranberg, Charles
Hardcover
The Star Wars Radio Dramas: Brian Daley and the Serialization That Saved NPR
Tenuto, John
Tenuto, Maria Jose
Paperback
The Network: The Battle for the Airwaves and the Birth of the Communications Age
Woolley, Scott
Paperback
A History of the Doc Savage Adventures in Pulps, Paperbacks, Comics, Fanzines, Radio and Film
Cotter, Robert Michael Bobb
Paperback
Women Journalists, Proximity Radios and Conflicts in Burkina Faso: Weaving the Social Fabric for Peace
Schönbächler, Viviane
Hardcover
Distant Voices Near: Historical Globalization and Indian Radio in Trinidad and Tobago
Mohammed, Shaheed Nick
Paperback
Radio and the Jews: The Untold Story of How Radio Influenced the Image of Jews
Siegel, David S.
Siegel, Susan
Paperback
Kjlh-FM and the Los Angeles Riots of 1992: Compton's Neighborhood Station in the Aftermath of the Rodney King Verdict
Johnson, Phylis
Paperback
A Theatre in my Mind - the inside story of Australian radio drama
Aitchison, James
James, Reg
Paperback
Broadcasting the Civil War in El Salvador: A Memoir of Guerrilla Radio
Consalvi, Carlos Henriquez
Paperback
Media Parasites in the Early Avant-Garde: On the Abuse of Technology and Communication
Niebisch, A.
Paperback
No Static At All: A behind the scenes journey through radio and pop music-2009 Updated Version
Tanner, Don
Paperback
The Texas Rangers: Two Decades on Radio, Film, Television, and Stage (Hardback)
Coffey, Kevin
Ellett, Ryan
Hardcover
Sacramento on the Air: How the McClatchy Family Revolutionized West Coast Broadcasting
Kassis, Annette
Paperback