Donna Halper

Donna L. Halper (born February 1947 in Dorchester, Massachusetts) is a Boston-based historian and radio consultant. She is author of the first booklength study devoted to the history of women in American broadcasting, Invisible Stars: A Social History of Women in American Broadcasting. In late 2008, she completed her fourth book, Icons of Talk: The Media Mouths that Changed America, a history of talk shows. That year, she also had a chapter published in Radio Cultures: The Sound Medium in American Life, a book by Michael C. Keith. In 2010, she had an essay about the impact of McCarthyism on broadcasting published in Perspectives in American Social History: Cold War and McCarthy Era. In 2011, she completed a book for Arcadia Publishing, Boston Radio 1920-2010.

Halper attended Northeastern University, where she received B.A., M.A., and M.Ed. degrees. In 1968 she became the first female announcer at Northeastern's campus radio station, WNEU (now WRBB). Halper went on to a career that included 12 years on the air, in Cleveland, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Boston.

She also was a music director and gave new bands their start. While working at WMMS in Cleveland, Halper discovered the rock band Rush. Halper helped get them signed to a record contract; as a result, the band dedicated their first two albums to her. Halper is also seen in the 2010 documentary about Rush, Beyond the Lighted Stage. On June 25, 2010, she was a speaker when Rush received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

In 1980, Halper became a radio consultant. She has consulted for college and commercial radio stations in the United States, eastern Canada and Puerto Rico on aspects of operating a radio station.

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