1939: Radio Broadcasting

The most casual observer of the American scene could not fail to realize the impressive part played by radio during the year 1939.

News Broadcasts.

The year 1938 offered the opportunity for radio to show its power in bringing the news of the world to the public while it was being made; 1939 showed an acceleration in this respect. Perhaps it is best illustrated by the flat statement that on Sunday, Sept. 3, in addition to the regular news bulletins and flashes, a succession of pronouncements of the utmost importance was brought to American listeners. They opened with a declaration of war by Prime Minister Chamberlain, and continued from Berlin, with Max Jordan reading Germany's rejection of the British terms. These were followed by King George VI, reading a message to the Empire, by the declaration of war by Premier Daladier, a special message on American neutrality sent by President Roosevelt to be read over the radio, and the statement made by Premier Mackenzie King regarding the stand Canada was taking beside the mother country. Finally, this astounding day included the announcement by Fred Bate of the sinking of the S.S. Athenia.

Of an exceptionally interesting nature were the eyewitness accounts of the departure of the Graf Spee from the harbor of Montevideo, and her scuttling — broadcasts which reaffirmed the interest of American listeners in hearing up-to-the-minute news.

Broadcasters relied in general upon factual reporting of events, supplemented to some degree by interpretive comment, but they avoided editorializing as not being in the best public interest. The popularity of the veteran Lowell Thomas and other news commentators remained unabated.

Simultaneous with the responsiveness of the broadcasters to the public need for news brought from abroad, there was developed, in answer to another need, a widely increased service of broadcasting from the United States, directed towards foreign countries. The National Broadcasting Company alone broadcast several hours of programs daily in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

Dramatic Programs.

A steady eight-year rise in the number of hours devoted to drama reached a new high, and amounted, for the National Broadcasting Company, to nineteen per cent of the total hours of broadcasting during the year 1939. The same small stream of complaints regarding the five-times-a-week, fifteen-minute daytime dramatic programs continued, but every reliable indication pointed to the belief that programs of this nature were still gaining in popularity. The standard of the writing for such programs if it did not advance certainly did not fall back, unless the disappearance of one of the pioneer programs of this nature that contained considerable intellectual and sociological background is to be considered indicative of the unwillingness of listeners to daytime serials to respond to any demand other than the emotional that might be put upon them.

In the genuine field of drama, the novelty of Orson Welles wore off but he continued in general to offer outstanding interpretations of well-known plays and other literary properties adapted for the occasion.

The Columbia Workshop included in its schedule a number of impressive productions. Nevertheless the fact that many adaptations of short stories were broadcast during the year is indicative of the experience of all broadcasters who endeavor to experiment and pioneer and shows that a sufficient number of first-class experimental plays, with intellectual content specifically designed for radio and adaptable to a fifty-two-week schedule simply are not being written.

Generally conceded is the fact that the most scintillating figure in the dramatic field for the year 1939 was Arch Oboler, whose unbroken series of broadcasts or original plays on Saturday evenings has not only attracted wide attention from the public, but has so interested major figures of the screen and stage that they expressed enthusiasm for performing, and did perform, in plays especially written by Oboler with them in mind.

The enthusiasm of listeners for one-hour adaptations of stage plays showed no signs of slackening and the briefer form of dramatic offerings, frequently found on variety programs and those others of allied nature such as 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' continued to enjoy popularity.

Miscellaneous Programs.

Some slight trend (probably purely temporary) caused the shortening of certain variety programs from one hour to a half hour, and it should be noticed in this connection that the veteran Rudy Vallee program left the air for the first time since its inception nine years ago. It has been announced, however, that it is starting again under a new sponsor early in 1940.

The skilled comedians, including of course Jack Benny and Fred Allen, continued to hold a vast audience as did Major Bowes, Kate Smith, Bob Hope and that unique little person, Charlie McCarthy.

As distinct from such programs with personalities, another great body of programs remained high in public esteem — the quiz programs. While a few of the veterans disappeared, 'Information, Please' with its high standard continued to attract many listeners. It should perhaps be noticed, however, that 'The Battle of the Sexes' immediately following, 'Information, Please' on another network, by all analyses had an even larger volume of listeners, being keyed to a larger basic public.

The one outstanding innovation of the year should be mentioned here. It is best illustrated by reference to the 'Pot O' Gold' program in which, while every effort was made to include good entertainment values, the real grip upon the listener was the hope that he or she might win a substantial sum of money by answering the telephone if a call came from the program. The advisability of a program appealing to a large degree through the giving of cash prizes has been a matter of wide discussion. Many people feel that they are sound in every way, many maintain that they tend to destroy themselves by emphasizing the monetary reward at the expense of the entertainment value. Be that as it may, many programs were on the air in 1939 which offered highly attractive prizes.

Public Service Programs.

Real advances were made in the preparation and presentation of public service programs. Certain of those well established, such as 'America's Town Meeting of the Air,' 'American School of the Air,' 'Chicago Round-Table' and 'The National Farm and Home Hour,' had earlier found a highly satisfactory method of presentation. In the purely dramatic field great efforts were made to obtain thoroughly skilled writers and as a result both the programs originating through various government departments and those such as 'Art for Your Sake' produced by the broadcasters achieved and maintained an enviable standard of technical proficiency resulting in a wide listening audience and a more effective impact upon the listener.

A most interesting development has been the announced plans of those responsible for 'The Cavalcade of America,' a commercially sponsored program, to insure in future broadcasts the utmost fidelity by the engagement of Dr. Frank Monahan of Yale, Marquis James, the Pulitzer Prize biographer, and Carl Carmer. Such an endeavor on the part of a major sponsor to bridge the taken-for-granted gap between the public service program and the commercial program should result in another forward advance in the general standard and quality of writing and intellectual content of programs.

Music.

In the field of classical music little change was noticed. Arturo Toscanini gave another season of broadcasts with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The performances of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera Company were broadcast again and again and found faithful and appreciative listeners.

Popular music brought to the front an outstanding conductor in the person of Glenn Miller and a widely popular novelty in shape of the Calypso Singers from the British West Indies.