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 | | Gordon McLendon: The Maverick of Radio (Contributions to the Study of Mass Media and Communications) by Ronald Garay ISBN-10: 9780313266768 ISBN-10: 0-313-26676-X ISBN-13: 9780313266768 ISBN-13: 978-0-313-26676-8 Hardcover 1992-03-30 Greenwood Press Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description Students and others interested in radio history will be intrigued by this fast-paced biography of Gordon McLendon's career in the radio industry, touching also on his work in motion pictures and involvement in Texas politics. Following a glimpse into his childhood, education, and military career, Ronald Garay describes McLendon's station ownership and management in Palestine, Texas; the development of a major network, the Liberty Broadcasting System; his live and recreated baseball and football programs; and his skirmishes with the major league baseball establishment. Much attention is given to how McLendon "re-invented" radio and competed with television and print media through his Top 40 music hits, disc jockey programming, and the use of local news. Important concerns regarding station "trafficking," editorializing, and public interests are considered as well in this extraordinary book. | ||
Reviews | ||
Don't touch that dial - don't miss this book Commercial radio was more than entertainment for kids growing up in the '50s, '60s & '70s. It was a lifeline to everything cool - a chance for kids living "in the sticks" to keep up to date on what was hot and what was not. Before Cousin Brucie, Wolfman Jack & John "Records" Landecker, there was Gordon McLendon. His claim to fame was re-creating sporting events, in many cases, making games more exciting than the real thing. McLendon was lucky and good. His was a simple formula long before broadcasters thought in such terms. He believed in the total package of music, personality and promotion (not necessarily in that order). Mr. Garay does an amazing job of retracing "The Old Scotsman's" impact on the industry good and bad (like the All Want-Ad format). McLendon was one of the most influential people in radio at a time when it was making the transition from true "broad"casting in to the early stages of what's known as "narrow"casting. Sadly, there are few books devoted to radio's pioneers. Garay's work, which comes across as a labor of love, is the standard for which all other broadcast history books should strive to attain. | ||