Publisher's Synopsis
The Australian Broadcasting Commission is Australia's best-known public institution. The model of "high culture" evolved by the commissioners during its early days set standards of performance and appreciaton which many Australians still regard as desirable in a cultured society.;In their cultural mission the commissioners met considerable resistance: from the community, from established media and entertainment interests, from interfering governments, and from within the ABC organization itself. This book demonstrates that most of the problems which plague the ABC today had their origins in those early days of radio.;Dr Thomas is the first historian to write a history of the ABC based chiefly on its own records. He looks at all areas of its activities -- music, drama, talks, sports, rural broadcasts, the children's hour -- and discusses the commissioners, managers and personalities who produced them. This is a study of the workings of a major public institution as it evolved under various pressures, particularly that of war, and an evocation of the golden years of Australian radio.;"Dr Alan Thomas holds a first-class BA (hons) degree in history from the University of Western Australia, and a PhD from the Australian National University. He has travelled widely throughout Asia, and is at present Third Secretary with the Australian High Commission in Singapore.".
