Professor Cynthia Meyers Wins American Journalism’s Award for Best Article
9/6/2019
Mount faculty are known for innovating curriculum and for their profound dedication to student success. Experts in their fields, our professors are also acclaimed scholars who are frequently recognized nationally for their exceptional work outside the classroom.
Most recently, Professor of Communication Cynthia B. Meyers won the 2019 “Article of the Year” award by American Journalism, the peer-reviewed quarterly journal of the American Journalism Historians Association. Dr. Meyers’ award-winning article, “The March of Time Radio Docudrama: Time Magazine, BBDO, and Radio Sponsors, 1931-39” appeared in the Fall 2018 edition of American Journalism.
“I am very grateful to American Journalism for publishing this article and, as a historian of advertising and broadcasting,” Dr. Meyers said. “I am extremely pleased that it has been recognized by my colleagues in journalism history for contributing original scholarship to the field. I hope it will stimulate more scholarship into the interlocking histories of journalism, advertising, and broadcasting.”
In her article, Dr. Meyers recounts “The March of Time,” a 1930s live radio docudrama. The show—ostensibly created to promote Time magazine and produced by advertising agency Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn—featured actors impersonating newsmakers in scripted scenes based on actual events, accompanied by live orchestration and sound effects. Dr. Meyers noted that while the program is often dismissed as an embarrassing detour from journalism, it was innovative and influential by showcasing the impact of sponsor control on the development of broadcast news during the 1930s.
Dr. Meyers will be officially recognized for her scholarship at the 38th Annual AJHA Convention, which will be held October 3-5 in Dallas, Texas.
A prolific scholar, Dr. Meyers has created numerous works focusing on the history of advertising, radio, and television and the culture of advertising, among others. One of her most notable publications is her book A Word from Our Sponsor: Admen, Advertising, and the Golden Age of Radio, for which she garnered recognition from the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation, The New York Public Library, as well as Reuters, Wired, and Bowling Green Daily News.
Since her “March of Time” article, she has published “Author Meets Critics: The Real Mad Men” in Advertising & Society Quarterly in 2018 and “Family Influencers: The ACE Family,” featured In Media Res: A Media Commons Project in 2019.
Dr. Meyers has also given multiple presentations including “Television Commercials, Past and Present” at a University of Texas at Austin conference and “Celebrity Association and the Soft Sell: Marketing Gelatin on 1930s Radio” at University at Albany-State University of New York, among others.
In 2015, she was chosen to serve among a select group of peers in education and media, as a judge for the 57th Annual Peabody Awards, which recognizes excellence in broadcasting nationwide.
American Journalism Historians Association
Founded in 1981, the American Journalism Historians Association seeks to advance education and research in mass communication history. Members work to raise historical standards and ensure that all scholars and students recognize the vast importance of media history and apply this knowledge to the advancement of society.
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment and leadership in the 21st century.