Donna Halper
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Donna L. Halper is a Boston-based historian and radio consultant. She is author of the first booklength study devoted to the history of women in American broadcasting, Invisible Stars: A Social History of Women in American Broadcasting. (Katz, 33) She is currently working on her fourth book, a history of talk shows, and recently had a chapter published in a new book by Michael C. Keith called "Radio Cultures: The Sound Medium in American Life." [1]
Born in Dorchester MA in February 1947, she got her BA, MA and M.Ed degrees from Northeastern University, where in 1968 she became the first woman announcer at her college station (WNEU, later WRBB). Halper went on to a career that included 12 years on the air, in Cleveland, New York City, Washington, and Boston. She also was a well-respected music director, who gave a number of new bands their start. While working at WMMS-FM in Cleveland, Halper discovered the rock band Rush; she was also pivotal in getting them signed to a record contract, and they dedicated their first two albums to her. (Wagner, J8)
In 1980, Halper became a radio consultant, one of the few women to do so. She has consulted for radio stations all over the United States, eastern Canada and Puerto Rico, hiring and training staff, doing market research, choosing the right format, etc. She works with both college and commercial stations, in markets of all sizes.
In the late 1980s, Halper also began teaching college courses about broadcasting, media criticism and media history. She continues to teach part-time at Emerson College, in the journalism department and the Institute of Liberal Arts. She has also taught at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, where in 2002, she decided to pursue a PhD in Communication. Additionally, she has taught media-related courses at the University of Massachusetts/Boston.[2]
Halper has won or been nominated for several awards for her teaching.
A well-respected media and social historian, Halper has written a number of essays for encyclopedias and magazines. She does frequent speaking engagements about the history of broadcasting, bringing with her a collection of rare memorabilia. (Simon, E7) She has also been a guest expert on NPR, PBS, the History Channel, and on local television stations like Boston's Channel 5 and NECN, commenting on media history. (See for example[3])
Her expertise is in women and minorities in media history, as well as individual entrepreneurs whose contributions to broadcasting have been overlooked. Among the forgotten broadcast pioneers whose careers she has researched are John Shepard 3rd, Eunice Randall, and Big Brother Bob Emery. (Mulvoy, 2) She is currently working on a historical essay on John Shepard's career. Some of her other essays can be found on the Boston Radio Archives,[4] where she is a contributing editor.
In her spare time, she collects rare magazines and artifacts about media history, as well as stamps and old postcards. Halper has been a Big Sister and a mentor, and for the past 24 years has been the advocate for an adult with autism. She also helps to support a child in the Philippines through Children International.[5]
[edit] References
Larry Katz. "'Invisible' No More: Emerson teacher's book examines forgotten female radio pioneers." Boston Herald (Boston MA) 4 September 2001, p. 33.
Thomas Mulvoy Jr. "FYI" Boston Globe, 23 February 2003, City Weekly p. 2
Clea Simon. "Thanks for Listening." Boston Globe, 22 February 2007, p. E7.
Vit Wagner. "What A Rush!" Toronto Star (Toronto Canada), 11 May 2002, p. J8.
