Around 1907 a man named De Forest created what would become
known as the radio. During its initial introduction into American
society, the radio was used as a means of communication for many of the
following purposes: public safety, land transportation, military and space
communications, and weather reporting.(1)
Toward the 1920s the radio started functioning as a means of
entertainment. There were a variety of entertainment programs available
on the radio (by entertainment I mean anything that would keep a listener
occupied and interested). Some shows were directed toward men and were
usually broadcast early in the morning in the form of a news broadcast or
later in the evening when they returned home from work. According to
Dee Campo women's
programs were in full swing during the morning and afternoon, airing
broadcasts of cooking and housekeeping shows, along with soap operas. A
majority of the air time directed toward women had a lot to do with the
"role" they were expected to fulfill during the thirties and forties.
Another interesting point brought up in Dee's homework is how drastic the
differences were between women and men's viewing preferences. Although an
extreme difference was noticed it was due to the fact that the survey was
drawn from a daytime listening audience (hence the large percentages in
favor of women's viewing preferences). One other main difference between
women and men was the number of men listening to sports broadcasts. Women
hardly ever listened to these programs, they would rather hear the news or
a quiz type show. Most often the news and quiz/audience participation
shows were shows that the family as a whole would listen to.
Another aspect of radio broadcasting that deserves to be
mentioned is the use of censorship and political influence on the types of
broadcasted radio programs. In Semma Kapoor's
homework she discusses the influence that the political system played in
the radio world. For example in the early years of the radio the National
Association of Broadcasters banned the purchase of air time to prevent
programs dealing with controversial topics. Later this was reversed, but
this shows only a small role that politics played. Another point of
interest is the role that presidential candidates placed on the radio.
They relied heavily on the radio to campaign. By campaigning over the
air waves the candidates were only targeting certain audiences (those who
could afford a radio) which brings up a lot of other topics that I will
not even begin to discuss instead I will lighten up the mood by discussing
the role of children's programming on the radio.
Later on in the nineteen forties (particularly around 1946) many
other children's shows debuted. Why did this occur? According to an
article in Newsweek, the polio epidemic required all children to stay
inside and not visit any public places. To compensate for these
restrictions certain radio stations including WCCO, KSTP, WLOL, and WTCN
(all in Minnesota) created many new programs for children. Most of these
shows focused on arts, crafts, stories and plays, and travel and
adventure.(4) One particular show that grabbed
kids attention was Juvenile Jury. Unlike the earlier
Quiz Kids this program had normal everyday children asking
questions that pertained to their everyday lives; for example, "When is a
girl old enough to start wearing lipstick?" Children thoroughly enjoyed
this show because it answered questions that they wanted to know and may
have felt uncomfortable asking their parents.(5)
One final point to address is the role that children played
before and after the Depression. Prior to the late 1800's children were
seen as creatures to be shaped by their parents. Any mischievious
behavior reflected negatively on the parent. Around the turn of the
century and into the 1930's the role that children played changed.
Parents wanted their children to function independently and be able to
channel their own energy.(6) This is exactly
what the children's radio programs allowed them to do. It allowed these
young children and adolescents to find their own interests, hobbies,
etc... Some of these programs prepared children for future adult
situations; for example, solving moral dilemmas. Overall the radio had
enormous impact on everyone in society, particularly
children.