Commercial Culture

"Leo Bogart is one of those rare sociologists who have achieved recognition almost entirely outside the academic world....Commercial Culture...is wise, occasionally witty, eminently well informed, an acerbic compendium of up-to-date information on the American media system."--Contemporary Sociology "Drawing upon both an immense experience and focussed social science research, Leo Bogart has long been our premier social critic of the mass media. Commercial Culture is by all odds the most deeply informed and telling critique of mass culture in this timid time of political correctitude."--Robert K. Merton, Columbia University "Leo Bogart's Commercial Culture is a trenchant but hopeful critique of the media, sober and radical by turns, which reaffirms the public interest in mass communication. It is a product of wide learning, long study, and patient observation...the definitive book on commercial culture."--James W. Carey, Columbia University "In today's culture, the media dominate the shared experience of all Americans. Leo Bogart's thesis that market forces alone should not dictate the future direction of the media could not, therefore, be more important or timely. He has written an insightful and compelling book that every thoughtful citizen should read."--Daniel Yankelovich, Public Agenda Foundation "Anyone concerned about the impact for good or ill of the media on our society should have access to this book for reference. It is a mine of facts, quotes, assessments and views--an ample, but satisfying meal...."--Logos "Leo Bogart is one of those rare sociologists who have achieved recognition almost entirely outside the academic world....Commercial Culture...is wise, occasionally witty, eminently well informed, an acerbic compendium of up-to-date information on the American media system."--Contemporary Sociology "Drawing upon both an immense experience and focussed social science research, Leo Bogart has long been our premier social critic of the mass media. Commercial Culture is by all odds the most deeply informed and telling critique of mass culture in this timid time of political correctitude."--Robert K. Merton, Columbia University "Leo Bogart's Commercial Culture is a trenchant but hopeful critique of the media, sober and radical by turns, which reaffirms the public interest in mass communication. It is a product of wide learning, long study, and patient observation...the definitive book on commercial culture."--James W. Carey, Columbia University "In today's culture, the media dominate the shared experience of all Americans. Leo Bogart's thesis that market forces alone should not dictate the future direction of the media could not, therefore, be more important or timely. He has written an insightful and compelling book that every thoughtful citizen should read."--Daniel Yankelovich, Public Agenda Foundation "Anyone concerned about the impact for good or ill of the media on our society should have access to this book for reference. It is a mine of facts, quotes, assessments and views--an ample, but satisfying meal...."--Logos "This remarkably readable, clear-sighted book thoroughly surveys the vast landscape of commercial media, both print and electronic. Leo Bogart's intelligent insights and sound proposals for change reflect a unique combination of scholarly research and years of practical experience on the frontline of the newspaper, advertising and television wars. Must reading for all who are concerned about the profound effects of commercial culture on the quality of our lives and the character of our society."--Lawrence K. Grossman, Former President, NBC News and PBS "Leo Bogart has provided a comprehensive description of how the mass media in the United States actually work; he has harshly but effectively criticized them for their monopolistic structure and their negative impact upon public taste; and he has outlined ways in which governmental action could improve the system without threatening freedom of expression. It is an essential book for practitioners and students of the mass media and for all who want to understand their power and impact."--David L. Sills, Editor, The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences "This is the inside story of the consequences of a radical transformation: from stories by those in the family and community who have something to tell to stories by a shrinking group of global conglomerates that have something to sell. An indispensable guide to the new media-dominated cultural environment."--George Gerbner, University of Pennsylvania "As both a practitioner and scholar, Leo Bogart knows the workings of mass media like few others. I marvel at Commercial Culture for all the factual ground it covers with Bogart's special insight. The book is remarkably comprehensive and contributes something of great value to the national policy dialogue on media."--Les Brown, Center for Communications "Leo Bogart's thoughtful, provocative, important book deserves to take its place on the small shelf of classics about modern communications, right next to Walter Lippmann, Marshall McLuhan, Ithiel Pool and Bernard Berelson."--Edwin Diamond, New York University "It's an excellent book that Mr. Bogart has given us....I hope it gets the attention it deserves."--Frank Stanton "A penetrating view of the way in which the media are governed by considerations of commerce."--Communication Arts "Bogart delivers the goods on the multi-faceted range of contemporary American media; what's more, he makes meaningful suggestions for improvement....[A] very valuable contribution."--Booklist "Bogart delivers on his promise to describe what is wrong with America's media system....Readers who take the media business seriously are given food for thought here."--Publishers' Weekly