A Social History of British Broadcasting Volume On e 1922–1939 Serving the Nation

In developing a programme service, the early broadcasters were constrained by many factors, not least the influence of Government and the political parties. Paddy Scannell's and David Cardiff's account of the major areas of factual broadcasting, of news, features, documentaries and talks, reveals how they responded to these pressures and how they searched for styles of presentation appropriate both to the subject and to the audience. This account of the complex relations of broadcasting, politics, culture and the people shows how, through the modern medium of radio, a society was represented to itself. As such it offers a unique perspective on the character of life in Britain, public and private, in the inter-war years.