018 The Rise of Conservative Media

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.