Introduction: the dialectic between advertising and activism
Cultural critics in the age of radio
The psychology of radio advertising: audience intellectuals and the resentment of radio commercials
"Poisons, potions and profits": radio activists and the origins of the consumer movement
Consumers on the march: CIO boycotts, active listeners, and consumer time
The consumer revolt of "Mr. Average Man": the CIO boycott of Philco
Radio and Boake Carter
Washboard weepers: women writers, women listeners and the debate over soap operas
"I won't buy you anything but love, baby": NBC, Donald Montgomery, and the post-war consumer revolt
Conclusion: high-class hucksters: the rise and fall of a radio republic.