Champions of the Fifth Estate
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Sol Taishoff and Broadcasting Magazine
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Champions of the Fifth Estate recounts seminal moments in broadcasting history through the pages of its most influential trade publication. Sol Taishoff was one of a small group of visionaries in the 1920s who grasped the potential of a disruptive new technology: radio. Knowing the emerging industry needed a way to communicate to its members and the wider world, in 1931 he cofounded Broadcasting. When television began to challenge radio in the 1940s and 1950s, he and the magazine expanded their coverage to this new form of broadcasting. As the champion of what he and others termed “the Fifth Estate,” Sol Taishoff and his magazine told the story of an industry that transformed American culture and politics in the twentieth century. |
“Broadcasting magazine has always been there to cover the industry it is named after. It has chronicled the explosive growth of an industry that changed the world more than any of us, except perhaps Sol, could foresee. The man we are honoring tonight has covered this revolution—nearly from the beginning…. For those of us in the business, Broadcasting was our professional book and Bible.”
“[Sol Taishoff] wasn’t just someone who was a casual observer or casual participant in the broadcast industry…. His influence and his voice were heard all throughout the industry for a good fifty years, from the thirties until his death in the 1980s.”
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Champions of the Fifth Estate: Sol Taishoff and Broadcasting Magazine
An Access Audio Production
- Research and writing by: Mohammad Ebad Athar
- Additional research, editing, and writing by: History Associates Inc.
- Narrated by: Brett Barry
- Additional narration by: Wyatt Humpf
- Produced by: Jim O'Connor
- Production assistant: Emilio Smith
- Post-production by: Silver Hollow Audio
Access Audio is a storytelling initiative of the Special Collections Research Center.
Episode 1: Sol Taishoff and the Birth of Broadcasting An introduction to Sol Taishoff and Broadcasting magazine, and their collective influence on American radio, television, journalism, and communications policy.
Episode 2: The Golden Age of Radio Radio’s Golden Age brought rapid industry growth alongside increasing government regulation, shaping Taishoff’s defense of broadcasting as the Fifth Estate.
Episode 3: Broadcasting and American Politics Radio transformed American politics and journalism, heightening tensions between broadcasters’ independence, government oversight, and censorship.
Episode 4: Radio and American Popular Culture The emergence of serial programs such as The Lone Ranger helped to establish radio as an entertainment model as well as an avenue for effective advertising and merchandising.
Episode 5: The Rise of Television Television rapidly challenged radio after World War II, shifting audiences and industry investment toward the new medium.
Episode 6: Sol Taishoff’s Legacy Sol Taishoff’s legacy through his impact on the American broadcasting industry and advocacy for its journalists’ First Amendment rights.
Episode 7: Interviews Interviews with project partners from the various institutions and organizations involved in the production, including the University of Maryland Special Collections, the National Press Foundation and Syracuse University Libraries.