Broadcasting as profession: A socio‐economic approach

The question “What is broadcasting?” is a difficult one to answer. It is at one and the same time an industry, an art, and, hopefully, a profession. The following article is a tentative exploration of the concept of the broadcasting profession as a social and economic institution, and is expected to stimulate thought and draw dissent. Some financial support for the study on which this paper was based was received from RKO General Broadcasting. D. Hugh Gillis is professor of communication and chairman of the Division of Broadcasting and Film at Boston University. He earned his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and spent five years with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in public affairs programming. Dr. Gillis recently completed a term as one of the directors of the Association for Professional Broadcasting Education.