In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi first discoverd how to transmit recorded sound over the airwaves. Since that time radio broadcasting has become one of the most popular forms of entertainment throughout the world. However, almost from the time the first radio station, KDKA Pittsburgh, began broadcasting, the news has occupied an important place in the programming (Davis, 34). News reporting on the radio truly evolved during the 1930's and 1940's. Although newspapers were still the primary source for the news of the day, the radio began to play an increasing role in the coverage of local and national events during the 1930's and '40's.
In the early days of radio programming, the only news generally available was received from national broadcasts. This was true in the time that the Greenbelt community was first developed, the late 1930's and early 1940's. The most popular network of time was NBC, which stretched to Kansas City and was received in Washington, D.C.. Part of the alure of NBC's news broadcasts was the personalities which broadcast them. Some of the most famous newsmen of the time were men like Graham McNamee and Edward R. Murrow. These newsmen were popular then in the same sense that TV newsmen like Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw are now. Each lent his own unique voice and reporting style to the news reports. It was McNamee's staccato, halting speaking style which was instantly recognizable to nearly all the listeners on the east coast (Davis, 63). NBC had a legion of other field reporters who covered major newsworthy events. A typical NBC broadcast of an event such as a presidential inauguration would feature Edward R. Murrow "in the booth," with reporters John Daniel and Phillips Carlin covering the action from various locations throughout the city. Ultimately, some of these newsmen became world famous, such as CBS's Walter Winchell.
In general, there was little live coverage of events, unless they were of major significance. There was also none of the taped, on location segments which we often hear today. For one, many stations simply couldn't afford to send reporters out into the field. In addition, the listening public was still fairly naive, and with a few studio tricks, the stations could make the audience believe that they they were actually "there." Events that typically would be covered live included presidential inagurations and speeches, major sporting events, and events of historical significance, such as Charles Lindbergh's landing in the Washington Naval Yard (which occured a few years before the creation of Greenbelt). Another newsworthy event covered by many stations at the time was President Franklin Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. In her discussion of these chats, Lisa Estrada states that the purpose was to "gain public support for legislation and discuss government actions." These Fireside Chats especially appealed to those listeners who tuned in regularly to the news, because they felt they were getting the news straight from the source. The listners also may felt that in a way, by listening, they were becoming part of the news. The networks raised what money they could through on air advertising. Asher Kobin discusses how the stations geared their advertising towards the target audience for each program in order for the ads to be most effective. According to his paper, the products advertised most during news broadcasts were oil or gasoline, airlines and razors. This was likely meant to appeal to a broad range of listeners, because the news programs spanned most adult demographics.
In addition, there was also the emergence of the first weekly news shows, which are so prevalent on television today. The most popular of all the weekly news programs was called "The Marching of Time." The program actually recreated stories from Time Magazine for the listening audience. In effect, the listeners were able to get their time articles without laying down a dime for the actual magazine. This form of news reporting is still evident in radio today, although to a different extent, with content being original to radio rather than info already printed in a magazine.
The Greenbelt area was serviced by all stations which were received in Washington, D.C.. This was the best of possible locations, because D.C. was the hub of activity at the time. Way back in 1933, CBS set up its own news bureau in the city, in order to get the latest news out a quick as possible. With the advent of the war, the residents of Greenbelt were probably some of the first to hear many of the updates coming out of Washington, thanks to its proximity. The residents of Greenbelt missed out on little in the way of radio programming, because all of the major and many minor networks had at least some base set up in Washington. With World War II beginning, they had no choice not to. Along with these stations, the Washington area is home to one of the most famous independent, all-news radio stations in the U.S.: WTOP. The station was able to provide more in depth local coverage than the major networks could.
In genral, the people of Greenbelt received more news on the radio than the average household in America. They had access to all of the famous stations, reporters and shows of the day, and were some of the most well informed radio listeners in the country. It was during the development of Greebelt that radio news first came into major significance.