British quality, American chaos? Trans-national discourses and interactions in the history of British and North American broadcasting, c.1922-1962.

James Curran, in his book 'Media and Power' (Routledge, 2002), argued that media history had become marginalized: 'It is now the neglected grandparent of media studies: isolated, ignored, rarely visited by her offspring.' Over the last years, however, the situation has changed. Not only has scholarship in media history become more widespread, it has also moved beyond nationally-focused accounts of the broadcast and print media. The complex set of relationships which determined the development of broadcasting in its early stages, they argue, highlight the fact that 'this is a new and exciting field in which many questions remain to be answered.' The overall aim of this network is to try to answer some of these questions by looking in detail at early broadcasting in the UK and North America between 1922 and 1962 and to re-evaulate the idea that North American and British broadcasting cultures and systems were in opposition to each other.

The most direct beneficiaries of the research will be academics and students within the fields of broadcasting, television studies, radio studies and media studies. Researchers within the area of cultural policy will also benefit from the work of the network as will cultural historians and international historians. Given the aims and objectives of the network, those researchers in cultural geography will also see relevance in the outcomes. As the network has a clear international dimension (albeit with a focus on the relationship between North America and the UK) there will be a wide appeal for the research.

Those institutions which are acting as network advisors - including the Library of Broadcasting, the BBC Written Archives Centre, the National Media Museum and BBC Research - all stand to benefit from the research both in terms of increased usage and exploitation of their resources and in terms of a scholarly investigation based on their collections. In some instances, these institutions are required by their own funding bodies to engage with external agencies such as higher education institutions (HEIs).

The research will impact primarily on academic research in the UK and Europe and in North America. The impact will not only be seen in terms of new knowledge and understanding being generated but also in the creation of opportunities for future transatlantic and other international collaborative work not only between HEIs but between HEIs and archives/broadcasters.

The communication and engagement plans have been designed for maximum impact on the intended primary target audience - the academic community. In addition to an edited collection which will be published towards the end of the network grant period, we intend to launch a Journal of Broadcasting History which will ensure the long-term sustainability of the project and will guarantee a longer-term engagement with the aims and objectives of the network by academic researchers. A website will be developed and maintained for the duration of the network, providing a forum for debate, discussion and international interaction and engagement. Future projects which are likely to emerge, and which will extend communication and engagement, are collaborative doctoral awards which will build on the novel interactions generated by the network.

Non-academic beneficiaries would include broadcasting policy-makers. For example, the network's re-evaluation of the standard opposition between commercial (US) and public service (UK) would feed into on-going policy debates over the nature of broadcasting in the UK.