Radio Books

There is a lot of misinformation spread around about the history of the videodisc. If you are curious about the facts, check out this book. It is recommended for all new media designers. It shows the disastrous consequences of failure of vision. In RCA's case, they correctly judged that there was going to be a huge market in consumer video, but it never occurred to them that time shifting, home recording, and program rental would be the features to drive it. In parallel with the capacitance electronic disc (CED) they developed a MagTape system. If they had gone to market with MagTape, there might still be an RCA today.

The definitive historical reference on the design phase of the CED System. This book was largely researched from 1976 to 1978 as an exercise in applied history. The book deals primarily with this late 70's time frame, although it also contains chapters on early RCA history, VideoDisc on the market, and lessons to be learned from the CED project. This book also discusses other consumer video formats developed, but never marketed by RCA, which include Discpix, Photopix, Holopix, Holotape, and Magtape.

The definitive historical reference on the design phase of the CED System. This book was largely researched from 1976 to 1978 as an exercise in applied history. The book deals primarily with this late 70's time frame, although it also contains chapters on early RCA history, VideoDisc on the market, and lessons to be learned from the CED project. This book also discusses other consumer video formats developed, but never marketed by RCA, which include Discpix, Photopix, Holopix, Holotape, and Magtape. The more expensive hardcover edition of the book has the title clauses reversed, and also includes a slip cover showing a VideoDisc reflecting a rainbow pattern.

"Marv Kempner's "Can't Wait Till Monday Morning" is a wonderful romp through Television's years of discovery and experimentation. It is an easy to read diary that pulls no punches and goes right to the jugular, hitting on the trials and tribulations of television syndication. Marv has chronicled the elation and frustrations of giving birth to ideas and watching them evolve through the corridors of America's broadcast stations. It is an important read for anyone who has put their big toe in the muddy waters of the business of television." Ave Butensky, President TVB

Marve Kempner's book is a wonderful contribution to the history of broadcasting. It documents the origins of the business of radio and television syndication in an immensely entertaining and engrossing manner. While many people understand the syndication business today, few know how it started. When you pause to ask yourself. "Who ever thought that would work in broadcasting ? " the answer, on many occasions, is Mr. Kempner

Marv Kempner. 'Can't Wait Till Monday Morning'. New York: Rivercross Publishing Inc.: 1998.This book is both a study of the world of syndication in radio and televison and an interesting tale of one man's career in this Byzantine industry. It shows the complex and every changing network of inter personnel relations which are involved in the creation and marketing of syndicated programs along with the roller coaster ups and downs which can characterize a syndicated endeavor. In a sense the instability which the book documents for this aspect of the broadcast industry as early as 1947 may be precursor for all industry today where downsizing, world markets, and rapid technological innovation have destroyed the concept of a fixed career, long product cycles and stable patterns of behavior. The chapter on "Barter" is of particular interest as it shows how excess capacity in product is exchanged for excess capacity in broadcast advertising time and syndicated products making for a more generally efficient economic arrangement among all the players in this volatile game.The book will become required reading for my course in Media Systems in Modem Society as it is the only study I know of syndication and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the broadcast business of today and the nature of our world tomorrow.Professor Richard Maisel PhDDepartment of SociologyNew York University

An excellent book for the student becoming familiar with aviation radio communication.

Okay, my name is Nareg Minaskian. I am doing this review because the book was exellent. The book is really good for begining pilots that have trouble communicating with the ATC (air traffic control). It teaches you the principals of communication, what to say, what the ATC wants to know from you and many more. It even reviews what kind of traffic patterns there are, what are the sides of the patterns called and much more. This book I rate it a 5 out of 5 because it tells you everything that you need to know about communications between you and the ATC. The ATC is the most important thing in your whole flying career. They are the people that give you the clearences that you need and they tell you how to get wherever you want to go and even tell you what to do to get there. They basically baby-sit you and all you have to do is follow their directions. Once again, I recommend this book to any student pilots or even people that want to learn how to fly.

I picked the book Airplane Talk by Captain Carlson to critique. I chose that book because I think that it is a good book for me to read. The book is basically about radio communications and flying rules that include: traffic patterns, ATC, ATIS, and other kinds of communications. The book is helpful for beginning pilots that are having trouble with communications on the radio. This book is made for pilots and others that are interested in flying. For people interested, it gives them a taste of what its like to be a pilot. For pilots, it reviews basics of communication and some advanced rules. I would not recommend this book to children under 13 or people that are not interested in flying because it has words that a 12 year old will not know. Others will find it boring. They will not understand the words and will find it confusing. The ATC is the most important thing in your whole flying career. They are the people that give you the clearances that you need and they tell you how to get wherever you want to go and even tell you what to do to get there. They basically baby-sit you and all you have to do is follow their directions. The book talks about the ATC a lot. You'll learn a lot from the book. That is why I recommend this book to beginning pilots

Without revealing my age, I cannot tell how much I was influenced by the radio in my formative years. So the thrill I got was boundless from listening to the 30 hours in the boxed set of 20 cassettes titled CBS's 60 Greatest Old-Time Radio Shows. Put out by Radio Spirits (1-800-723-4648), these classic shows can be sorted into the following categories: COMEDY: Amos `n' Andy, Baby Snooks, Blondie, Burns and Allen, Charlie McCarthy, Danny Kaye, Fred Allen, Jack Benny.... MYSTERY: Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Broadway is My Beat, Crime Classics, Gang Busters, Mr Keen.... WESTERNS: Frontier Gentleman, Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel.... DRAMA: CBS Radio Workshop, Dr. Christian, Escape.... VARIETY: Songs by Sinatra, Bing Crosby Chesterfield Show.... I only wish this column had room to list them all. A very special appeal this collection has is the inclusion of shows not represented in other collection: It Pays to be Ignorant, Honest Harold, Tales of Fatima, and others. The years spanned in this collection are 1939 to 1958. With their usual consideration, Radio Spirits has included a thick booklet that first tells the story of how CBS became the giant of the airwaves and then gives a detailed rundown of the each of the 60 shows included on the tapes. Included are photos of the stars, the names of the cast where the information was available, a brief description of the program on the tape, and a history of the program from its inception. Unlike the CD collections that are also in the Radio Spirits catalogue, three full shows can be accommodated on a single 90 minute tape (you have to turn the tape in the middle of the second show, of course); and so you get all the commercials too. Some of them are as much fun as the show itself. There are several other boxed sets of equal excellence that concentrate on comedy shows or detective shows. However this set offers enough variety to keep you happy for many miles of driving (which is how I get to hear most of this material) or of relaxing at home. I can say no more. The proof of the pudding will be in the listening.

I have this book and the tapes that come with it . I love old time radio. It is one of my favorites .

Without revealing my age, I cannot tell how much I was influenced by the radio in my formative years. So the thrill I got was boundless from listening to the 30 hours in the boxed set of 20 cassettes titled CBS's 60 Greatest Old-Time Radio Shows. Put out by Radio Spirits (1-800-723-4648), these classic shows can be sorted into the following categories: COMEDY: Amos `n' Andy, Baby Snooks, Blondie, Burns and Allen, Charlie McCarthy, Danny Kaye, Fred Allen, Jack Benny.... MYSTERY: Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Broadway is My Beat, Crime Classics, Gang Busters, Mr Keen.... WESTERNS: Frontier Gentleman, Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel.... DRAMA: CBS Radio Workshop, Dr. Christian, Escape.... VARIETY: Songs by Sinatra, Bing Crosby Chesterfield Show.... I only wish this column had room to list them all. A very special appeal this collection has is the inclusion of shows not represented in other collection: It Pays to be Ignorant, Honest Harold, Tales of Fatima, and others. The years spanned in this collection are 1939 to 1958. With their usual consideration, Radio Spirits has included a thick booklet that first tells the story of how CBS became the giant of the airwaves and then gives a detailed rundown of the each of the 60 shows included on the tapes. Included are photos of the stars, the names of the cast where the information was available, a brief description of the program on the tape, and a history of the program from its inception. Unlike the CD collections that are also in the Radio Spirits catalogue, three full shows can be accommodated on a single 90 minute tape (you have to turn the tape in the middle of the second show, of course); and so you get all the commercials too. Some of them are as much fun as the show itself. There are several other boxed sets of equal excellence that concentrate on comedy shows or detective shows. However this set offers enough variety to keep you happy for many miles of driving (which is how I get to hear most of this material) or of relaxing at home. I can say no more. The proof of the pudding will be in the listening.

This book is great for both the wireless communications novice and experienced personnel. It offers insightful information in a quick and summarized format. A great high-level overview of the wireless industry as a whole. If you are looking for wireless information, but don't want to get bogged down in all the minute details, this is the book for you.

Bedell's book is the perfect go-between bridging the complex technologies behind wireless communications and the practical essentials of concern when deploying wireless as a business. While the book is crammed with detail, the author's tone and style make it remain easily digestible. You would be hard pressed to find this quality of information presented so readily elsewhere. There is something for everyone. Engineers would learn caveats like the application forms necessary to erect an antenna while business people receive a lesson on the finer points of directional gain. This breadth is one of the considerations that makes Cellular/PCS Management so special. As a practitioner in this vibrant industry, I credit this book with helping round out my knowledge tremendously. I am confident it will serve you as well.

This book is great for gaining a complete understanding of the different components needed for a wireless carrier system and how they work. This book is written in plain English which makes it easy to read and understand many complex topics. I have been working in the cellular/wireless industry for 3 years now and had to learn about the industry the hard way, old out of date books on this topic and none covered the entire wireless carrier system like this book. This book covers topics from communication towers and antennas to Call Processing and Cellular Fraud. As a professional going back to graduate school I appreciate the fact filled information, no fluff, to the point, and not geared toward an Engineer. Trust me when I say this is the book to start with to gain insight into the working of a wireless carrier system, I have done research on this topic for work and graduate school and haven't found any book as informative and useful as this one covering Cellular/PCS Communication Systems.

I take this book with me (along with some self-hardening clay) when I babysit. It never fails to capture the imagination and spark creativity. An older child I was babysitting used the "Mystical Wizard" instructions to make chess pieces. It's a wonderful book!

I purchased this book when I added clay to my Paint Your Own Pottery Studio. It has really helped me get my clay program up & running. Great projects, clear instructions, great photos! This book is a "must have" for kids (and adults!) clay programs.

I used this book for a ceramics class I taught this summer with children between the ages of 6-14. This book contains clear instructions with plenty of great photos of finished pieces. I would highly recommend this book as an addition to any art teacher's collection!

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This book is very good for a collector of TV Memoralbilia.It also shows the top shows of each year.(60's-70's)This book has almost every TV show.They show wonderful color pictures of the items,and if an item is not shown it is listed.And the price is included.I recomend this book to an collector of tv

I don't really collect this sort of stuff but I loved this book because it brought back my childhood buying Beverly Hillbillies viewmaster sets, Charlie's Angels puzzles, etc. Contains hundreds of color photos of all sorts of merchandise: TV Guides, dolls, comic books, lunch boxes, coloring books, records, cups, all sorts of toys, etc. The shows profiled with memorabilia are The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, Bionic WOman, Brady Bunch, Bugaloos, Charlie's Angels, Chips, Donny and Marie, Eight is Enough, Family, Family Affair, Fantasy Island, Flipper, Flying Nun, Gidget, Gilligan's Island, Good Times, Green Acres, H. R. Pufnstuf, Happy Days, Hardy Boys, I Dream of Jeannie, Josie and the Pussycats, Julia, Krofft Supershow, Kung Fu, Land of the Lost, Laverne and Shirley, Lidsville, Life & Times of Grizzly Adams, Little House on the Prairie, Love Boat, Mod Squad, Mork and Mindy, Nanny and the Professor, New Zoo Revue, Patridge Family, Patty Duke Show, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky & Hutch, That Girl, Three's Company, The Waltons, Welcome Back Kotter, Wonder Woman. There are estimated values for the items circa 1997 but I would argue few have really gone up since then due to the phenomeon of ebay where tons of this sort of stuff is now on the market and even if you don't collect it's a wonderful look back at when TV shows really merchandised to the hilt. The guys have an awesome collection!

You remember those old Dr. Atlas style adverts - you know 'I used to weigh fifty pounds and have sand kicked in my face by nasty men who stole my girl until I got with the Dr. Atlas programme'?

Well, this book is the Dr. Atlas programme of DXing. Before I read it I was a clueless, puny, DX wannabe. Now I work 200+ countries a year, even in solar minimum, with 100 Watts and a doublet in the middle of a big city.

Bob Locher sets out exactly how to find the rare stations on the band, how to break pile-ups and how and where to listen to find the rare ones when the maddening hordes don't.

Some may find it's relentless focus on the DXCC Mixed programme does not quite tally with their own operating style. No matter - the lessons are as valid for other programmes. Some may find Locher's focus on CW too much - while he does discuss SSB operation to some degree, Locher is a morse operator through and through and CW is by far the most effective mode for those of us with underendowed signals.

This is no dry tome - told in story form, the book is littered with interesting and amusing anecdotes. We feel we are hunkering down in the pileups with W9KNI, sharing with him the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Bob's love for amateur radio, CW, and the not so gentle art of DXing shine through on every page. Would that more amateur works could combine such insight, humour and utility.

G0RTN - GI0RTN

After reading Bob Locher's superb text, I found a new world on the bands.
With his excellent advice, I was able to work Clipperton with 80 watts to a vertical on 15 meters CW!
If you're interested in DXing, buy this book. It will put more countries in your log than your amp will.
I've gotten 307 countries worked (306 confirmed), and am waiting for A35RE for #307.

AA4SY

After 20 years of Amateur Radio Operation I thought I knew how to listen to a HF band.......I still had a few things to learn. Just reading the two chapters on listening techniques provides a wealth of information. The author shows the reader how to take the pulse of a band. How to quickly determine the paths that are open and the probability of success with each station

The techniques for listening to a band are applicable to nearly all phases of HF Operation. This text clearly deserves the classic status it has obtained in the amateur community.

This book reveals the true nature of the nearly tectonic shift in the landscape of content being caused by digital technology. Even as the editor of Digital TV magazine, I have not read a book that examines, in such a penetrating manner, and with such a dazzling collection of expert voices, the depth of this dramatic change and what it now means. Further, it reveals the implications for the future of creating and distributing content in the digital age. This book is a must for anyone who cares about navigating the new world of digital content.

This is a "must buy" for anyone interested in the digital revolution that is changing the way we communicate. It explains how camcorders, Avids, and computers have changed video, movie-making, web streaming, and how to become part of it. "Digital content" is really what video, TV and movies have become. You can re-use your video and audio in many different ways to better serve clients or create original programming. The book explains what's going on very clearly. Digital video is really computer data, so it's cheaper and easier to work with than "regular" video. And the image is better! You can produce any type of show for less money than ever before, and you can do more things with your video; stream it on the web, put it on a DVD disc, project it as a movie, or re-use clips for other programs. Audio and sound techniques are also included.
"Creating Digital Content" starts off with a funny story by Firesign Theatre's Peter Bergman that makes you realize how much digital video and software has changed the way movies and TV are made. Then there's a really interesting section on what "digital" really means, which is the most concise definition I've ever read. Really helpful is the fact that they go into specifics about the best equipment available... over 25 chapters all about computers, Avids, camcorders, memory, etc. which can be used to make HDTV, corporate video, interactive TV and yes, feature films! Whether you're at a local TV station, a production house, a university A/V department, or you're an "A" list DGA feature film director, these are the NEW tools that you must be familiar with and ready to use.
You'll understand how computers, software and camcorders have become the new ways to make TV, streaming video, and big budget movies. Plus amazing interviews with the giants in the field, such as George Lucas and James Cameron.
I highly recommend "Creating Digital Cinema". It's an invaluable resource for anyone seriously interested in video, TV, streaming, and movies, and at the same it's a great read.

For a subject rife with hype and confusion, the editors bring together articles that are by turns surprising, authoritative and laugh-out-loud funny. For industries with notoriously short attention spans, the book reveals the lessons learned from decades of failure and success in Interactive TV and digital TV and gives roadmaps to the future.

Great book.Overpriced.Vender price gouging just because availability is scarce right now.Since purchase I have found many at cheaper price.

My father used to tell us children about the "old" radio days and how the family would gather around and listen to the radio shows. He would speak of his love for those old radios. I , like everyone else I suppose, have seen old radios in antique stores. However, I don't recall having ever seen a Crystal Radio. I happened to be at an antique show and saw a copy of the book. I decided to buy it for my father. When I got home I started going through the pages and was amazed by the information in the book and the amount of crystal sets there had been. The author has done so much research and I feel the wiser for it. I am glad that I happened upon this book. I have learned from it and know that my father will enjoy it whenever I finally decide to give it to him. He is bound to have many more stories to tell me about "the old radio days" but somehow I think I am going to enjoy listening to them even more.

ISBN: 188660603X is Volume 2 (252 pages) which describes and pictures additional radio sets not in volume 1.

1886606013 is Volume 1 (282 pages).

The important part is the hundreds of pictures of the actual radio sets and/or magazine adds and, when possible, also shows a couple of sentences or so of information about each particular set. The idea is to help identify the huge variety of the many makes and models of crystal sets from around 1920 to 1950, but is also a nice travel down memory lane.

A few of the more modern crystal sets are also covered.

Also a special section with a history of the big four companies:Wireless Specialty Apparatus Company, Radio Corporation of America (in Vol.1). And Philmore Manufacturing Company (in Vol.1 and Vol.2) and Western Manufacturing Company (in Vol.2).

Both fully indexed.

Also both have long tables summarizing the various makes and models of radios.

And both have long summary tables for the spare crystals sold for use as replacements in the sets (when crystals get old they oxidize and lose power).

Very nice presentation of all this material, highly recommended!