National Association of Broadcasters

==Commercial radio==
The NAB worked to establish a [[Commercial broadcasting|commercial radio]] system in the United States. The system was set up in August 1928 with the establishment of General Order 40—a radio [[Frequency allocation|reallocation]] scheme by the [[Federal Radio Commission]] which awarded the choicest frequencies and broadcast times to the then-emerging commercial radio industry. In the wake of General Order 40, a loose coalition of educators, [[nonprofit]] broadcasters, [[labor union]]s, and [[Religious denomination|religious group]]s coalesced to oppose the NAB and their allies through the 1920s and 1930s, and to develop a public, nonprofit, license-funded radio system without commercials (similar to what happened with the BBC). The coalition claimed that the commercial industry would only promote profitable programming, thereby reducing the quality and future potential of radio broadcasting.

Not having the political connections, resources, or publicity of the NAB and the commercial radio industry, the non-profit coalition eventually lost the fight with the passage of the [[Communications Act of 1934]].<ref>"The Battle for the U.S. Airwaves, 1928-1935", in ''The Political Economy of Media: Enduring Issues, Emerging Dilemmas'' by Robert W. McChesney (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2008).</ref>

The [[National Independent Broadcasters]] were formed in 1939 as part of the NAB, to represent stations that were not associated with any network, but the group split off in 1941.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vWBGAAAAIBAJ&pg=3294,2619757&dq=national-independent-broadcasters&hl=en |title=N.I.B. Votes to Form Own Organization |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[Schenectady Gazette]] |date=September 24, 1941 |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1941/09/24/99247417.pdf |title=Independents Act to Break N.A.B. Tie |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 24, 1941}}</ref>