Established in the name of Robert M. Pockrass, a member of the University's journalism faculty from 1948 to 1977, the lecture honors Pockrass' memory and his many contributions to the College and University. A popular collegue among faculty members and a popular instructor among students, Pockrass taught radio news writing, among other courses.

For 2008, the free public lecture was presented by Lynn Spigel—a leading media and cultural studies scholar—and titled "Inside the Smart House: Media, Architecture, and Family Life."

Spigel is the Frances E. Willard Professor of Screen Cultures at Northwestern University. She is the author of “TV By Design: Modern Art and the Rise of Network TV” (University of Chicago Press, 2008), “Welcome to the Dreamhouse: Popular Media and Postwar Suburbs” (Duke University Press, 2001) and “Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America” (University of Chicago Press, 1992).

In addition, she has served as editor and coeditor of numerous anthologies and readers, including “The Feminist TV Reader: Second Edition” (McGraw Hill, 2007) and “Television After TV: Essays on a Medium in Transition” (Duke University Press, 2004).

Since 1994, Spigel has been series editor of the Console-ing Passions book series at Duke University Press. She is currently researching and writing about smart homes and the future of everyday life and family/work relationships in mediated environments.

In 2007, Joseph Turow of the University of Pennsylvania presented a lecture titled "Advertisers, Audiences and the End of Television." Previous visitors for the lecture include: Michael Schudson of the University of California-San Diego; William Safire of The New York Times and Richard Cole of the University of North Carolina.

In 2008, Lynn Spigel presented the Pockrass Memorial Lecture.

2007
Advertisers, Audiences
and the end of Television
Presented by Joseph Turow
(Quicktime Video)