BROADCASTING IN THE 1930s

As part of the conference to mark the 5oth anniversary of the the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, July 6-9 2010, University of Wisconsin-Madison, there is a symposium on 1930s broadcasting:

Broadcasting in the 1930s: new media in a time of crisis

Part of the conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the Wisconsin Centre for Theatre and Film Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison July 6th-9th, 2010

Call for Papers
Broadcasting history has become an increasingly established field, and there is by now a considerable body of international work that takes the programming, policies and audiences of the 1930s as its focus - a decade that is often represented as the ‘golden age’ of radio, and that saw the beginnings of broadcast television. This media history is part of a tumultuous decade that saw great cultural changes, social and political cleavages, economic crisis and the onset of war. This symposium aims to bring scholars of this period together with a view to exploring the historical experience from perspectives that are shaped by contemporary concerns, such as rapid technological innovation, transnational developments, economic instability, intermedia relations, interactivity and the representations of crisis. Abstracts are invited from scholars with a particular interest in the period. Proposals which address one or more of the following themes will be particularly welcome, although papers on 1930s broadcasting more generally will also be considered:

Interactivity
Intermediality
Transnationalism
Representations of crisis

Abstracts should be approximately 1,000 words in length, and should include full contact information, including a brief (50 word) biography.

Deadline March 1st 2010.

They should be sent in the first instance to Hugh Chignell at Bournemouth University hchignell@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Organisers: Dr. Jamie Medhurst (University of Aberystwyth), Dr. Hugh Chignell, in collaboration with Prof. Michele Hilmes (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

Sessions will run concurrently with the WCFTR "On, Archives!" conference. Participants are invited to attend all sessions for both events.

More information: WCFTR.