The Revolution Wasn't Televised

by Lynn Spigel (Editor), Michael Curtin (Editor)

Caricatures of sixties television--called a "vast wasteland" by the FCC president in the early sixties--continue to dominate our perceptions of the era and cloud popular understanding of the relationship between pop culture and larger social forces. Opposed to these conceptions, The Revolution Wasn't Televised explores the ways in which prime-time television was centrally involved in the social conflicts of the 1960s. It was then that television became a ubiquitous element in American homes. The contributors in this volume argue that due to TV's constant presence in everyday life, it became the object of intense debates over childraising, education, racism, gender, technology, politics, violence, and Vietnam. These essays explore the minutia of TV in relation to the macro-structure of sixties politics and society, attempting to understand the struggles that took place over representation the nation's most popular communications media during the 1960s.

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 1997

Reviews

[reine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book out of sheer whim at a bookstore 3 hours away from where I was residing, I really enjoyed it. I read most of it during my commutes, which is possibly the best way to read any sort of non-fiction, passes the time fast but doesnt lead me to miss my stop. I got it after rewatching "The Trial of The Chicago 7", although its widely criticized but I enjoyed the heart put into it, also Sorkin is one of my favourite screenwriters.
Ive recently been really interested in media and politics, I really want to learn more about it, this book really convinced me in signing up for a media class next semester.
Great read, just wish some topics were dealt with in a better way, I felt like the pacing was a bit off, rambled for long paragraphs about certain minute issues yet gave a couple of lines on other, more pressing ones. Also would really have liked to know more about the public perception about what they were shown, rather than just be told the ratings.