Jay G Blumler (18 February 1924 – 30 January 2021 (aged 96))[1] was an American-British theorist of communication and media. He was
Professor of Public Communication at the
University of Leeds.
Blumler joined the
United States Army in 1944 and served as a
Russian interpreter in
Berlin during the
Second World War.[3] As Chair of the American Veterans Committee in Berlin he was invited to have tea with
Eleanor Roosevelt when she visited the city. She had heard of some of the charity work that his committee had done and asked to meet them.[3]
Blumler retired from his chair at Leeds in 1989 with the title
Emeritus Professor. He continued to publish prolifically as well as teaching for one semester each year at the
University of Maryland.[3][4]
Death
Blumler died in
Leeds on 30 January 2021, aged 96. He was survived by his children Matthew, Luke, Jackie and Mark. His wife, Gina, died in 2004.[5]
Selected publications
Television in Politics: Its Uses and Influences (1968) with
Denis McQuail
The Uses of Mass Communications: Current Perspectives on Gratifications Research (1974) editor with
Elihu Katz
The Challenge of Election Broadcasting. Report of an Enquiry by the Centre for Television Research, University of Leeds (1978) with
Michael Gurevitch and
Julian Ives
La télévision fait-elle l'élection?: Une analyse comparative, France, Grande-Bretagne, Belgique (1978) with
Alison Ewbank and
Claude Geerts
Communicating to Voters: Television in the First European Parliamentary Elections (1983) editor with
Anthony D. Fox
Research on the Range and Quality of Broadcasting Services. A Report for the Committee on Financing the BBC.(HMSO 1986) with
Thomas Nossiter,
Malcolm Brynin
Wired Cities: Shaping the Future of Communications (1987) editor with William H. Dutton and
Kenneth L. Kramer
Broadcasting Finance in Transition: A Comparative Handbook (1991) editor with T. J. Nossiter
The Formation of Campaign Agendas: A Comparative Analysis of Party and Media Roles in Recent American and British Elections (1991) with Michael Gurevitch,
Holli A. Semetko,
David H. Weaver
^antiochcollege (22 February 2021).
"Dr. Jay G. Blumler '47". Antioch College.
Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
Ellis Cashmore and Chris Rojek, Dictionary of Cultural Theorists, 1999, pp. 75–76