Tim Brooks | |
---|---|
Born | April 18, 1942 |
Occupation | Business executive, historian, writer |
Language | English |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Dartmouth College 1964, Syracuse University 1969 |
Genre | History |
Subject | Television, radio, recording industry |
Notable works | The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows |
Website | |
www |
Tim Brooks (born April 18, 1942) is an American television and radio historian, author and retired television executive. [1] He is credited with having helped launch the Sci Fi Channel in 1992 as well as other USA Network projects and channels. [2] [3]
He also served as a research executive for NBC, the N.W. Ayer advertising agency, and Lifetime Television, and as board chairman of industry organizations the Advertising Research Foundation and the Media Rating Council, among others. [4]
He is the author or co-author of nine books about the history of media in the U.S., including television, radio, and the recording industry. He has also been active in urging reform of copyright laws regarding historical recordings, testifying at U.S. Copyright Office hearings in 2011 [5] [6] and chairing the Historical Recording Coalition for Access and Preservation. [7] He was twice elected president of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (serving 1982-84 and 2012–14) and has been chair of its Copyright and Fair Use Committee since 2003. [8]
Comments made by Brooks regarding the Sci Fi Channel's name being changed in 2009 to Syfy [3] led network president Dave Howe to publicly distance himself and his network from Brooks' comments. [9]
The Complete Directory by Brooks and Marsh won a 1980 U.S. National Book Award in the one-year category General Reference (paperback). [17] [a]
Brooks was a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 2007 to 2013. [18]
Syfy is an American basic cable television channel, owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division and business segment of Comcast's NBCUniversal. Launched on September 24, 1992, the channel broadcasts programming relating to the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres. As of November 2023, Syfy is available to approximately 69,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2011 peak of 99,000,000 households.
Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder, and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene.
Richard K. "Dick" Spottswood is an American musicologist and author from Maryland, United States who has catalogued and been responsible for the reissue of many thousands of recordings of vernacular music in the United States.
Bonnie Hammer is an American network and studio executive. As of 2020, her title is vice-chairman, NBCUniversal.
Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic and author. He wrote for The Village Voice from 1973; his "Weather Bird" column ended in 2003. In 1986, Gary Giddins and John Lewis created the American Jazz Orchestra which presented concerts using a jazz repertory with musicians such as Tony Bennett.
Stephen Wade is an American folk musician, writer, and researcher.
The Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and study of sound recordings. Established in 1966, members include record collectors, discographers, and audio engineers, together with librarians, curators, archivists, and researchers.
Leonard Richard "Len" Kunstadt was an American scholar of jazz and blues music, and a record label manager.
Jeff Freundlich is an American songwriter, producer and music industry executive. His music is heard in network, cable and syndicated TV shows, in major and independent films, and advertising campaigns.
A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other AV sources and can play back the recording after rewinding. The use of a VCR to record a television program to play back at a more convenient time is commonly referred to as time shifting. VCRs can also play back prerecorded tapes, which were widely available for purchase and rental starting in the 80s and 90s, most popularly in the VHS videocassette format. Blank tapes were sold to make recordings.
Allison McGourty is a British film producer and screenwriter.
The Kendall Ross Bean - Chopin Polonaise in A Flat was one of the first classical music videos to be broadcast in the United States and Canada on 24 July 1986.
Bernard MacMahon is an Irish-British filmmaker. His American Epic films are widely considered as the definitive portrait of a musical era, and one of the best music documentaries ever made.
American Epic is a documentary media franchise based upon the first recordings of roots music in the United States during the 1920s and their cultural, social and technological impact on North America and the world. The franchise comprises a three-part award-winning documentary film series directed by Bernard MacMahon, a feature-length musical documentary film, a book, ten album releases and an educational program. American Epic is widely considered as the definitive portrait of the musical era, and one of the best music documentaries ever made.
Marston Records is an independent American record label. The label specializes in the remastering and reissuing of very early and rare recordings. It was founded in 1997 by Ward Marston and Scott Kessler.
American Epic: The First Time America Heard Itself is a collaborative memoir written by film director Bernard MacMahon, producer Allison McGourty, and music historian Elijah Wald. The book chronicles the 10-year odyssey researching and making the American Epic documentary series and The American Epic Sessions. It features interviews with subjects of the films and contains large amounts of supplementary information not featured in the documentary films or the music releases. The book and an audiobook was released on May 2, 2017.
Henry Ward Marston IV is an American audio transfer engineer and producer, known for the conservation and reissue of historical recordings.
Colin Escott is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S. rock and roll and country music. His works include a biography of Hank Williams, histories of Sun Records and The Grand Ole Opry, liner notes for more than 500 albums and compilations, and major contributions to stage and television productions. Honors include multiple Grammy Awards and a Tony Award nomination.