Legacy of Frieda Hennock's Philosophy in American Public Broadcasting History

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to re-evaluate the role of Frieda Hennock, first woman appointed in 1948 to the Federal Communications Commission. Particularly, this paper focuses on the motivation behind her promotion of educational broadcasting by analyzing her notes, letters, papers, and mimeographed speeches during her term in FCC.

The origin of public broadcasting system in the United States can be traced back to the radio stations operated by the land-grant universities. These university-operated radio stations were later called educational broadcasting stations. In the 1930's, the numbers of educational broadcasting stations diminished due to the rapid rise of commercial broadcasting networks. However, these educational broadcasting stations got some renewed attention from educators after World WarⅡ, and there was an increasing demand for re-building educational broadcasting networks. These later became known as public broadcasting.

Hennock undertook an important role in the development of U.S. broadcasting industries, and set the groundwork for the development of educational broadcasting. Hennock also tried to improve the gender balance in the industries. Although there are previous studies on her achievements in the United States, little is known about the significance of Hennock's thoughts underlying her promotion of educational broadcasting. Moreover, Hennock's role is not mentioned in the analysis of American public broadcasting history conducted in Japan.

This study will contribute to an examination of Hennock's philosophy and its relevance for today's media industries, helping to fill a gap in media history of the U.S. and Japan.