Mitchell, Jack W. 1941–

PERSONAL: Born 1941. Education: University of Michigan, A.B. (journalism), 1963, A.M. (journalism), 1965; University of Illinois, Ph.D. (communications), 1972.

ADDRESSES: Office—School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 5172 Vilas Hall, Madison, WI 53706-1380. E-mail—jwmitch1@wisc.edu.

CAREER: Educator and radio broadcaster and producer. WFDF Radio, Flint, MI, reporter, 1964; WUOM Radio, Ann Arbor, MI, public affairs producer and host, 1965–67; WHA Radio, Madison, WI, public-affairs director, 1968–69, associate director of radio and manager, 1976–83;; National Public Radio, assistant to the president, producer of special events and projects, 1970–71, producer of All Things Considered, 1972–73, director of research and planning, 1973–84, director of news and informational programming and executive producer of All Things Considered, 1974–76; Wisconsin Public Radio, director, 1976–97; University of Wisconsin Extension and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, director of radio, 1984–. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio, London, England, Corporation for Public Broadcasting fellow, 1968–70; University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, professor of journalism and mass communication. Member of board of directors, National Public Radio, 1982–85, 1993–97, chair of board of directors, 1985–88; member, Annenberg/CPB Project Council, 1986–89.

AWARDS, HONORS: George Foster Peabody Award, 1973, and Columbia University's Alfred I. Dupont Award, 1975, both for work on All Things Considered; University of Wisconsin Extension Award for Excellence, 1988; Edward Elson Award for Distinguished Service to Public Radio, 1989.

WRITINGS:

Listener Supported: The Culture and History of Public Radio, Praeger (Westport, CT), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Author, educator, and radio professional Jack W. Mitchell has been a pivotal force behind public radio in the United States as it is known today, both nationally in his former work for National Public Radio (NPR) and as a pioneer in the development of public radio in Wisconsin. In Listener Supported: The Culture and History of Public Radio Mitchell recounts NPR's early years and his involvement in transforming public radio from primarily government supported to an intellectual mass-communication, news, and entertainment institution that is well loved, and well funded, by its listeners.

As NPR's first employee, Mitchell developed much of the foundation upon which the organization's reputation has been built. His vision contributed to the structure of the organization's programming in its early years and to its successful long-range planning. He served as both producer and host of many of NPR's earliest programs. For example, he was the first producer of All Things Considered and established the program's "structure, format, and character," as he noted on the University of Wisconsin—Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication Web site. Mitchell also hired noted NPR journalists Bob Edwards and Nina Totenberg. He also helped steer the organization through a nearly disastrous financial crisis in the early 1980s, while keeping the news operation stabilized and intact. While serving as a member of NPR's board of directors, and as board chair, he created a business plan that made member stations, rather than the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the primary financial source for NPR.

In Listener Supported Mitchell "paints a colorful picture of the personalities, economics, and politics that shaped public radio," commented Donna Marie Smith in Library Journal. He divides his history into three parts. In the first part, he traces the genesis of public radio from the progressive movement of the early twentieth century; he also discusses lessons learned from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the impact of educational programming run by British universities. In the second part, he explores in depth the history of NPR and the people who forged it into a formidable organization with high-quality news, highbrow entertainment, and prestigious programming. The third part of Mitchell's book examines the modern condition of NPR and the various criticisms, and accolades, borne by the organization. Vanessa Bush, writing in Booklist, called Mitchell's work a "revealing look at a respected national institution."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2005, Vanessa Bush, review of Listener Supported: The Culture and History of Public Radio, p. 1620.

Library Journal, June 15, 2005, Donna Marie Smith, review of Listener Supported, p. 79.

ONLINE

University of Wisconsin—Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication Web site, http://www.journalism.wisc.edu/ (November 28, 2005), curriculum vita of Jack W. Mitchell.