Historical Dictionary of African American Television

Kathleen Fearn-Banks is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington. She joined the faculty after 21 years in network television public relations and additional experience in television news and newspaper feature writing.Anne Burford-Johnson produced a PBS’s children’s series, as well as industrial and documentary films. She was also a development and program executive for network series.

• Editor’s Foreword Jon WoronoffPrefaceAcknowledgmentsAcronyms and AbbreviationsChronologyIntroductionTHE DICTIONARYAppendixesA Series Rankings and RatingsB Emmy Award WinnersC African American ProducersD African American Directors BibliographyAbout the Authors

In an age when Wikipedia and other readily available online sources provide easy access to the extensive history and personalities of the entertainment world, a source must present its information in some value-added way. This work easily passes muster as a worthwhile addition to a library's reference collection. Updating the 2005 edition in the publisher's 'Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts' series, it offers over 2,000 individual entries focusing on African American (British, Canadian, etc.) actors and performers active in US television. Entries identify key productions and series with African American casts and/or themes as well as some broadcast journalists and on-air personalities. A chronology identifies major events and developments, and appendixes offer details on series ratings, Emmy Award winners, executive producers, and directors. Extensive cross-referencing substitutes for an index, and the bibliography is lengthy. Entries cover the earliest days of television through early 2014. . . .Academic libraries with strong holdings in popular entertainment or African American history will want to acquire the well-researched, well-organized new edition. Summing Up: Recommended. Academic audiences, general readers, professionals/practitioners.