Theodor Adorno, Paul Lazarsfeld, and the Public Interest Mandate of Early Communications Research, 1935–1941
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12387335 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Josh Shepperd (Media Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 142-160 |
| Publication date | 2021-08-05 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Communication Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1050-3293 • E-ISSN: 1468-2885 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/ct/qtab009 |
| OpenAlex | W4205627054 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 13 |
Through detailed archival analysis of personal letters, this article examines how the “public interest” mandate of the Communications Act of 1934 inspired the formation of the Princeton Radio Research Project (PRRP), and influenced Paul Lazarsfeld’s development of two-step flows and media effects research. Buried in federal records, a post-Act Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Pursuant that mandated analysis of educational broadcasting additionally turns out to be the causative reason that Theodor Adorno was brought to America by the Rockefeller Foundation. Crucial to the intellectual history of media and communication theory, Lazarsfeld invited Adorno not only to develop techniques to inform educational music study, but to strategically formulate advocacy language for the media reform movement to help noncommercial media obtain frequency licenses. The limits and pressures exerted by the FCC Pursuant influenced the trajectory of the PRRP research, and consequently, the methodological investments of Communication Studies
Broadcasting (networking · Commission · Computer security · Foundation (evidence · Mandate · Media studies · Political science · Public interest · Public relations · Sociology · Computer Science · Media Studies and Communication · Music History and Culture · Radio, Podcasts, and Digital Media · Law · Public Administration
| Citations per year | 1.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |