1940: Radio Broadcasting

Just as during 1939 the stress of world affairs made radio an absolutely vital factor in practically all American homes, so in 1940 for this reason alone radio became actually paramount. The vast majority of American homes possess one or more radios. Surveys show that listening to the radio has now become the leading form of entertainment in the United States, outranking even attendance at motion picture theaters. The word entertainment must, of course, be allowed to stretch as a canopy over all the elements which 1940 radio stations offered to the listener. The greatest change in program content was to be found in relation to the presentation of news.

News Broadcasts.

News claimed between two and three times as much time on the air during 1940 as it did in 1939, and 1939 was roughly equal only to 1935 in the volume of news carried since accurate statistics on network operation were compiled. This great increase in the offering of news can only be attributed to the resilience of radio and its automatic flexibility whereby it feels a need existent in the public and promptly endeavors to supply that need. Whereas in 1938 and in the earlier part of 1939 world affairs had not so moved as to make impossible the pickup of reports from a great number of European countries, world affairs during 1940 have made such broadcasts limited to a smaller number of points of origination in general, and are apt to be given by regular representatives of the broadcasters stationed in certain cities, rather than by the improvising of an array of representatives of the great American newspapers and news-covering organizations such as willingly afforded their services when coverage of European affairs could scarcely otherwise have been adequately handled. News in America, therefore, in 1940, over the radio has come by way of regular European roundups and talks from one or two European cities; but predominantly it has been given by the reading in America of the Press Associations' bulletins and the commentaries of such veterans as H. V. Kaltenborn, Lowell Thomas and Raymond Gram Swing.

Broadcasts of Drama.

The unbroken eight-year rise in the number of hours devoted to drama continued through 1940, and once again a new high was reached whereby over one fifth of the total network hours of broadcasting was filled by this type of entertainment. There was no sign of waning popularity such as had been murmured about for a few years on the part of the five-times-a-week daytime serials. These stories in dialogue continued to hold their audience and the well-established veterans more or less kept their relative standing, while one or two newcomers such as Elaine Sterne Carrington's When a Girl Marries showed a steady rise over their competitors.

In the field of the radio play proper, undoubtedly the most interesting development was the sponsorship of Arch Oboler's plays. This was the first time that a sponsor had boldly taken a man generally conceded to be in the forefront of those attempting to write mature plays with some real intellectual content, and staked his belief that such plays, if offered under his sponsorship, would prove to have an audience that would justify the sponsorship. It is perhaps a little early to state definitely that plays of this nature can profitably be sponsored but Mr. Oboler's series did survive its first thirteen weeks and at the end of 1940 was securely away on its second thirteen weeks' cycle.

The popularity of the hour adaptation of a stage play remained unabated and there was an increase in the number of dramatic programs with a standard framework, such as "Manhattan at Midnight" and "Grand Central Station." The Columbia Workshop and NBC's Radio Guild and Listener's Playhouse all moved ahead with new work of writers already discovered and with the first broadcasts of plays by unknown writers.

There was no slackening in enthusiasm for the comedy programs which with their name comedians remained secure in public favor. The most interesting innovation in this field of presentation was the teaming up of John Barrymore with Rudy Vallee, a combination which has proved impressively entertaining.

Miscellaneous Programs.

The Quiz Programs and programs with audience participation which, like the daytime serials, have been slated for disappearance for a year or so, stood off disaster and remained high in popularity. "Information Please" changed sponsors but apparently lost no listeners, and there were many newcomers to which the public seemed to take. Many of these programs offer prizes, some of considerable size, and they are watched very carefully by broadcasters to be quite sure that they possess entertainment value and are not simply devices to keep the public at home and listening to the radio purely in the hope of financial gain.

In the field of public service, advances continued to be made. The veterans such as "Chicago Round Table," "National Farm and Home Hour," "The American School of the Air," and "America's Town Meeting of the Air" all remained available to the listening public. The Cavalcade of America continued under sponsorship to adhere to high standards of historical accuracy and dramatic integrity. Increased efforts were put out by the broadcasters to see that more and more public service programs were written by really competent professional men and women. More showmanship was injected into them and the trend in this direction started a few years ago is becoming stronger every month.

Children's programs were about the same in number and obtained the approval of educators and parents with singularly little dissent.

Musical Offerings.

The increase in listening hours devoted to news was made at the expense of music. The National Broadcasting Company devoted 4 per cent less time to music in 1940 than it did in 1939. Nevertheless, the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini and guest conductors, and the New York Philharmonic Symphony under John Barbarolli and others, offered as many concerts as before and there was a lavish supply of Chamber Music broadcasts and of course a vast number of broadcasts in the field of popular music.

Political Campaign.

Both local stations and networks covered the elections through innumerable speeches as well as by descriptions of the events at the nominating conventions. The NBC converted its huge studio 8-H into an election returns hall for the night of the actual presidential election, and thousands of guests came and saw the changing totals of votes written up as they came in over the wires.

International Programs.

There was a great increase in International Short Wave broadcasting. The bonds of the United States with its Central and South American neighbors were made even stronger. A host of programs in Spanish and Portuguese were directed to these countries and in many cases they were picked up and rebroadcast by South and Central American stations. The year 1940 also saw the authorization by the FCC of sponsored short wave programs, and several such programs are sent out on the short wave transmitters every week. The impressive amount of mail received from Europe by those operating International Short Wave transmitters testifies most eloquently to the value such programs, whether in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German or Italian, possess for those less fortunate than ourselves. The almost complete absence of transatlantic traffic except by Clipper has, needless to say, cut down upon the mail from Europe, but the NBC International Division is still receiving an amazing number of letters from appreciative listeners even in countries of Europe occupied by German troops.