Oct 25, 2016
This week at In The Past Lane, we talk to historian Nicole
Hemmer about her new book, Messengers of the Right:
Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics
(Penn Press, 2016). Hemmer, who also co-hosts the terrific history
podcast, Past Present, provides a fascinating look into the 30
years of American political history before the election of Ronald
Reagan in 1980. We learn that long, long before the rise of Rush
Limbaugh (1988) and FoxNews (1996), conservative "media activists"
were hard at work establishing magazines, radio and TV programs,
and other forms of media and institutions to promote the modern
conservative movement. Given this crazy election season, with
the many questions it’s raised about the state of the Republican
Party, the conservative movement, and key conservative media
outlets like Fox News, this is a remarkably well-timed book. Join
Nicole Hemmer and me for a lively and informative conversation.
For show credits, links, and further reading, see this episode's
show page.