This story was published in Radio Recall, the journal of the Metropolitan Washington Old-Time Radio Club, published six times per year.

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Book Review: Radio Journalism in America
by Jim Cox

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-6963-5
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4766-0119-9
8 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
272 pp. softcover (7 x 10)
Retail price $45.00
McFarland, 2013
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Orders only Tel : 800-253-2187
Book review by Martin Grams, Jr.
(From Radio Recall, December 2013)

"The history of radio news reporting recounts and assesses the contributions of radio toward keeping America informed since the 1920s. It identifies distinct periods and milestones in broadcast journalism and includes a biographical dictionary of important figures who brought news to the airwaves."

That's how McFarland choose to describe the book on the back cover. Not very intriguing. Since it's known that the cover is what sells the book, the first paragraph on the back should explain quickly and simplistically what the book is about. After all, most people browsing bookshelves won't bother reading the second paragraph if the first paragraph did not capture their attention.

On the plus side, my review here should correct that oversight. By the time I got to page ten in this book, I was addicted. The subject matter that might seem trivial or too scholarly to the mainstream public is a fascinating read and the best book Jim Cox has written in the last few years. Everything from Face the Nation to Meet the Press, the earliest milestones in radio journalism is documented with one anecdote to another.

Jim covers every aspect including censorship (always humorous by today's standards but also an education by itself), public opinion, consequences both good and bad, new gadgetry and how the evolution of technological equipment changed the way news was delivered, the combats and rivalries between the networks and much more. Don't let the cover fool you. Order your copy of this book today and you can thank me later.