watching tv: american television season by season, fourth edition

Castleman and Podrazik present a season-by-season narrative that encompasses the eras of American television from the beginning in broadcast, through cable, and now streaming. They deftly navigate the dizzying array of contemporary choices so that no matter where you start on the media timeline, Watching TV provides the context and background to this multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Drawing on decades of research, the authors weave together personalities, popular shows, corporate strategies, historical events, and changing technologies, enhancing the main commentary with additional elements that include fall prime time schedule grids for every season, date box timelines, highlighted key text, and selected photos.

Full of facts, firsts, insights, and exploits from now back to the earliest days, Watching TV is the standard chronology of American television, and reading it is akin to channel surfing through history. The fourth edition updates the story into the 2020s and looks ahead to the next waves of change. This new edition is the first to also be available in a digital format.

Harry Castleman practices law in Boston and has written seven other popular culture books with Podrazik. He has worked as a media producer and consultant for a number of political organizations and campaigns. He has also been a guest lecturer on TV history at Boston University’s College of Communication.

Walter J. Podrazik is a communications and logistics consultant. He also serves as television curator at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago and is regularly quoted in media articles. As an adjunct lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he teaches television history and analyzes the role of media in politics.