The Expanding Vista

"An exceptional piece of scholarship that adds significantly to the literature of the field . . . gracefully presented in a highly readable form. This book is a model for other broadcast historians who have yet to treat many important developments in the history of a medium that has greatly defined the modern era." - Everette E. Dennis, Executive Director, The Freedom Forum Media Studies Center, Columbia University

"Mary Ann Watson has woven thousands of up-to-now loose strands together in this energetically researched, almost encyclopedic account of how JFK seized on television. It is also the story of how the social, political, and technological dynamics of Kennedy’s era interacted with TV to transform a large part of American life." - Ray Scherer, NBC White House Correspondent, 1951–69

"Mary Ann Watson zeroes in with pinpoint prose on a fruitful period in American television and makes us see its importance." - Erik Barnouw, author of Tube of Plenty

"Readable and informed . . . an important contribution to the story of the way the new medium has transformed our lives." - Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

"This insightful book . . . is filled with unknown detail, anecdotes, and documentation. The author knows television and history, and that is an unbeatable combination." - Newton N. Minow, FCC Chairman, 1961–63