This is a new page (November 12, 2019) that provides links (1) to the complete collection of the audio and video material of Nicholas Johnson located on his YouTube channel, and (2) to older audio and video files as they are added to this Web site and listed below. [see also CSPAN page]
Audio Recordings by Date
2021-2022 “Situation Room,” KICI-LPFM, Iowa City, Iowa, occasional interviews of Nicholas Johnson by Station Manager Holly Hart [View Page]
Apple TV “1971” Documentary, Premiere Date 21 May 2021. In episode two, a 1970s recording of Nicholas Johnson states, “The government is now actually getting into the music business and trying to tell stations and record companies what music they can record and play. They have issued a regulation saying that radio stations should not play music that tends to glorify the use of drugs, and then said if a station didn’t set up procedures for censoring song lyrics that their license might be put in jeopardy.” [ Play/Download Audio Clip | Apple Press Release | Documentary Link | Episode Link | Documentary Trailer]
Ralph Nader Radio Hour, Nov 23, 2019. Ralph talks to maverick former FCC Commissioner, Nicholas Johnson, about his two new books, the memoir, “Catfish Solution: The Power of Positive Poking” and “Columns of Democracy” and his views on social media and how to repair our democracy. [More…]
Reading, Columns of Democracy, Prairie Lights, Iowa City, March 30, 2019. [View Video Page]
Radio Interview – Media Under Siege, Ames, Iowa, Nov. 16, 2018 [Audio Page]
Radio Interview – Ursula Ruedenberg, Local Talk, KHOI-FM, Columns of Democracy, Nov. 9, 2018 [Audio Page]
Radio Interview – Ben Kieffer, River to River, IPR, Columns of Democracy, Oct. 29, 2018 [Audio Page]
Nicholas Johnson NPR RAGBRAI V Interviews. RAGBRAI is the Des Moines Register’s Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. This file contains Nicholas Johnson’s hour-long NPR program of sounds and interviews from RAGBRAI V, 1977. [More…]
TV Violence, NFO, Feb. 7, 1977. Nicholas Johnson is interviewed by Phil Allen, “Something to Think About,” NFO [National Farmers Organization] News, February 7, 1977 (4:25). The discussion centers on TV program violence, a top project for the National Citizens Committee for Broadcasting (NCCB), for which Johnson was chair at the time. [More…]
Broadcasting in Britain, NPR, Sept. 17, 1976. Nicholas Johnson, “Broadcasting in Britain: ‘Auntie’ as Senior Citizen,” “Options,” NPR (58:25). Nicholas Johnson narrates this hour-long NPR program of interviews he conducted during a week in London during September 1976. [More…]
Subgovernment, college lecture, April 22, 1974. Nicholas Johnson, “Subgovernment,” lecture (possibly college in Maine), April 22, 1974 (1:00:33, followed by 31:16 Q&A) [More…]
Review of FCC Term, Stephen Banker, CBC, July 1973. Stephen Banker, “The Demand Side,” CBC, July 1973, is a review of Nicholas Johnson’s term as a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, including interviews with Nicholas Johnson; and commentary from Kenneth Bacon, Wall Street Journal; Michael Schwartz, Stop Immorality on TV; and Stephen Banker. [More…]
William Benton Memorial, Chicago, June 11, 1973. Nicholas Johnson was asked to speak at a memorial service for William Benton in Chicago; these are his remarks on that occasion (7:28). William Benton (April 1, 1900-March 18, 1973) was a United States Senator, founder of Benton & Bowles advertising agency, radio pioneer, one-time owner of Muzak, publisher of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and Vice-President of the University of Chicago – among many other roles and contributions. [More…]
Life Choices II, “In the Public Interest,” May 15, 1973. Nicholas Johnson is “interviewed” by Ned King, “In the Public Interest,” Fund for Peace, May 15, 1973 (3:54). This is the second of two files in which “In the Public Interest” ran an excerpt from Nicholas Johnson’s speech, “Life Before Death in the Corporate State,” University of California, Berkeley, November 5, 1970. [More…]
Life Choices I, “In the Public Interest,” May 8, 1973. Nicholas Johnson is “interviewed” by Ned King, “In the Public Interest,” Fund for Peace, May 8, 1973 (3:58). This is the first of two files in which “In the Public Interest” ran an excerpt from Nicholas Johnson’s speech, “Life Before Death in the Corporate State,” University of California, Berkeley, November 5, 1970. [More…]
FCC, Speech Association Convention, March 9, 1973. Nicholas Johnson, Address, Annual Convention, Speech Association of the Eastern States, New York, March 9, 1973. Introduction by Howard Schwartz (42:27, followed by 17:23 Q&A). [More…]
Studs Terkel Interview, April 30, 1970. Nicholas Johnson was a repeat guest on Studs Terkel’s radio program, WFMT-FM, Chicago. This interview was broadcast April 3, 1970, following the publication of Johnson’s book, How to Talk Back to Your Television Set. [More…]
Multiple Ownership of Media, KCET Los Angeles, Nov. 11, 1968. Nicholas Johnson, with Ben Bagdikian, Clayton Brace, and unidentified host, “The Multiple Ownership of Broadcast Facilities,” KCET-TV28, Los Angeles (Public Media Group of Southern California), November 11, 1968 (57:49). In June 1968 then-FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson had authored “The Media Barons and the Public Interest” in The Atlantic. Ben Bagdikian, author of numerous editions of Media Monopoly (ending with The New Media Monopoly (Beacon Press, 2004)) was then with the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica. Clayton H. Brace was Vice President of Time-Life Broadcast, and General Manager of KOGO-TV-AM-FM in San Diego. [More…]
Kate and Nicholas Johnson, WSUI, Sep. 1965. Larry Barrett, host, Interview of Kate Johnson and Nicholas Johnson, WSUI-AM, University of Iowa, September 1965 (Barrett mentions both are back in Iowa City because of the death of their father, Wendell Johnson, which occurred August 29, 1965). Barrett alternates between interviewing each of the guests, focusing on Kate’s work in television and radio, here and abroad, and Nicholas’ first presidential appointment as Maritime Administrator (March 1964-June 1966), and the program, policy and industry issues it involves. [More…]
A New Look at American Shipping, 30 Sep 1964. Nicholas Johnson, as U.S. Maritime Administrator, speaking to maritime industry executives at the Propeller Club, New York City, during a three day event which began on 30 Sep 1964. [More…]
Nicholas Johnson, as U.S. Maritime Administrator, “The First Six Months: A Report to All MARAD Employees,” August 13, 1964. A presentation by Nicholas Johnson. [More…]
Video
The best way to explore the videos available is to visit the YouTube channel listing of videos and search or sort as you desire. Some of the videos on YouTube are audio recordings with a still image provided for those who want to stream audio rather than download large MP3 files. [More…]