On November 13th, the Institute for European Studies (IES) at UC Berkeley and the German Historical Institute (GHI) hosted the Gerald D. and Norma Feldman Annual Lecture at the Magnes Museum Foundation. This annual event, established to commemorate the life and work of former IES Director Gerald Feldman, attracted approximately 50 attendees, including Mrs. Norma Feldman. The lecture featured Professor Paul Lerner, Chair of History at the University of Southern California and author of two award-winning books. Lerner presented research from his forthcoming book, Exiles on Main Street: Central European Émigrés, American Capitalism, and Cold War Consumer Culture, 1940-1970. His presentation focused on how Central European refugees who escaped the Holocaust reinvented themselves in the United States (U.S.), particularly through their contributions to media studies and evolution of mass communication.
A key segment of the lecture examined the 1938 “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast and its profound impact on public perceptions of media. Lerner linked the widespread panic caused by the fictional Martian invasion to prevailing societal fears about international conflict. He cited the pioneering research of Herta Herzog (1910-2010), which revealed that many middle-class women were particularly susceptible to believing the broadcast was due to existing fears about a potential war with Germany.
Lerner traced the radio’s transformation from its military origins during World War I to its widespread adoption in the 1930s as a cornerstone of domestic life. He highlighted how radio reshaped the concept of “home”, becoming what he described as “an anchor of the living room.” The lecture contrasted German and American approaches to radio; American radio relied on corporate sponsorship, while German radio was state-controlled. The Weimar Republic deliberately resisted “Americanization,” evident in its use of the term funk rather than “radio.”
The presentation emphasized the significant contributions of Austrian-Jewish refugees to modern media studies and market research. Among these, Paul Lazarsfeld (1901-1976) stood out for his groundbreaking work in mass communication and political sociology. Lerner detailed how Lazarsfeld’s Economic-Psychological Institute in Vienna pioneered research into consumer behavior and media influence, laying the foundation for his later work in the U.S. with early support from the Rockefeller Foundation.
Particularly noteworthy was Lerner’s discussion of Herta Herzog, whose research inspired a character in the TV series Mad Men. Herzog’s studies on women's radio listening habits revealed how many women found escape and connection through daytime programming. Far from trivializing these listeners, Herzog’s research illuminated the intellectual frustrations of well-educated women confined to domestic life. Her analysis of reactions to the War of the Worlds broadcast further demonstrated how pre-existing anxieties about war and technologies shaped susceptibility to media influence.
Lerner concluded by emphasizing the transformative contributions of Central European refugees to media studies and mass communication research in the U.S.. Drawing on their experiences immigrants often viewed as “aliens” and their firsthand encounters with fascist propaganda, these scholars developed a unique sensitivity to the potential dangers and opportunities of mass media. Figures like Lazarsfeld and Herzon played pivotal roles in advancing these fields, with Lazarsfeld pioneering research into consumer behavior and political psychology and Herzog shedding light on the complex relationships between media consumptions and societal anxieties. The Q&A session further underscores these themes, exploring how refugee scholars’ understanding of authoritarian media tactics informed their development of tools like the F-scale to measure fascist tendencies. By linking historical developments to contemporary challenges, such as misinformation and media’s influence on democratic governance, Lerner illustrated the enduring relevance of their work. The lecture ultimately showcased how refugee experiences and scholarship reshaped our understanding of mass communication, leaving a profound legacy in both academic and practical domains.