Radio broadcasting emerged dramatically in the early 1920s. By the end of the decade the modern network-dominated, advertising-supported system had become established. By 1935 radio was entrenched economically, politically and ideologically, and it would provide the basis for the eventual development of television in the 1940s and 1950s. What is generally not known is that a broad coalition representing popular groups mounted a spirited campaign to resist the corporate takeover of the airwaves. The opposition generated a sharp critique of commercial broadcasting as being inimical to the communication needs of a democratic society. They argued for a significant role for non-profit and non-commercial broadcasting. That struggleÑfor control of radioÑwas determined by powerful commercial interests. The battles of earlier decades have lessons for today, as public radio and TV are in acute peril.

Robert McChesney
Robert McChesney is president and co-founder of the Free Press, an organization working to increase public participation in media policy debates, and to generate policies that will produce a more democratic media. He is also professor of communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and author of numerous books including "Rich Media, Poor Democracy" and "The Problem of the Media."