Crashed the Gate Doing Ninety-Eight

Crashed the Gate Doing Ninety-Eight: The Citizens Band Radio and American Culture is the untold story of the very first electronic social network in America: The CB Radio. Citizen’s Band Radio grew from to a small number of hobby users to a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s. The adoption by millions of Americans forced the FCC to give up nearly all regulation. CB life created it’s own “slanguage, ”music and values. What started with mostly truckers grew during Arab Oil Crisis and eventually went widespread. Users adapted CB’s to their own economic and social uses. This adaptation changed the character of the radio use eventually making the radios truly the Citizen’s Band. And then they disappeared… Includes 44 illustrations, interviews with Bill Fries AKA C.W. McCall, Hairl Hensley of WSM/Grand Old Opry and Bob Cole of KIKK. Over 200 sources were used in the writing.