With contributions from key scholars from a wide variety of disciplines, this volume examines the crisis facing public broadcasting in the US today by analyzing the institution's development, its present-day operations, and its prospects for the future.

As federal funding wanes and support from corporations and wealthy patrons rises, public broadcasting's role as vox populi has come under threat. This volume examines public broadcasting's development, its present day operation, and its prospects for the future. Covering everything from globalization and the Internet, to key issues such as race and class, to specific subjects such as advertising, public access, and grassroots radio, it provides a fresh and original look at a vital component of our mass media.