Primary Sources

TV Programs Online

Library of Congress Motion Picture Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division holds vast numbers of films. Most are not available online, but copies can sometimes be purchased. Many of these films are available through American Memory and the Prelinger Archives of "ephemeral" (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) films in the Internet Archive (select Search Moving Images). If the film you want is not evident on the LC website, enquire directly as the collection is not fully cataloged.

Museum of Broadcast Communications offers the Encyclopedia of Television which includes articles on television programs, personalities and other topics witrh references.

Prelinger Archives includes films, radio audio clips, news clips, educational films, advertisements, industry films, etc.

AdViews: A Digital Archive of Vintage Television Commercials (1950s-1980s). Note that Sub-Collections breaks the collection down by individual company.

Documentary Collections

Public Broadcasting PolicyBase (1945-2012): Key documents about the history, purpose, policy and structure of public broadcasting in the US.

Periodicals

AmericanRadioHistory.com: The Online Radio & TV Library offers an enormous collection of radio/TV magazines.

ProQuest - Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive

Ratings, Statistics

AmericanRadioHistory.com: The Online Radio & TV Library offers ratings (Arbitron and other statistics).

Secondary Sources, Background and Context

Secondary Sources

Library Guide: Film Periodicals

Chronologies, Dictionaries, Directories, Encyclopedias, Handbooks

AmericanRadioHistory.com: The Online Radio & TV Library offers station logs and schedules and other material.

The encyclopedia of American television: broadcast programming post World War II to 2000, by Ron Lackmann. NY: Facts on File, 2003, 528 p.
Gutman Education | Ref. | PN1992.18 .L33 2003
Widener | WID-LC | PN1992.18 .L33 2003

Encyclopedia of television, ed. by Horace Newcomb. 2nd ed. NY: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2004. 4 v.
Gutman Education | Ref. | PN1994.18 .M874 2004
Lamont | REFERENCE | PN1992.18 .E53 2004
Widener | RR 2981.27

Encyclopedia of television shows, 1925 through 2007, by Vincent Terrace. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009. 4 v.
Widener | WID-LC | PN1992.3.U5 T463 2009

Encyclopedia of television subjects, themes and settings, by Vincent Terrace. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2007, 427 p.
Widener | WID-LC | PN1992.18 .T38 2007

International television almanac. New York : Quigley Pub. Co., 1956-1986. 31 v.
Theatre Collection | HTC-LC | PN1992.15 .I61x (Houghton Library)
Widener | Econ 3670.14.5

Biographical Sources

Museum of Broadcast Communications includes the Radio Hall of Fame offering short biographies of numerous radio figures.

The biographical encyclopedia of American radio, ed. by Christopher H. Sterling. Concise and rev. ed. NY: Routledge, 2011, 453 p.
Widener | WID-LC | PN1991.4 B56 2011

Bibliographies of Books and Articles

Television program master index: access to critical and historical information on 1,927 shows in 925 books, dissertations, and journal articles. 2nd ed. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 2003.
Widener Harvard Depository PN1992.9 .D56 2003