RADIO IN 1934.   Term Paper ID:24723 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines state of broadcasting, economics, regulation, programming, public interest, free speech.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines state of broadcasting, economics, regulation, programming, public interest, free speech. Paper Introduction: By 1934, radio was well entrenched as a source of news and entertainment for the American public. In the 1920s, radio has been seen primarily as a budding vehicle for music, humor, and news, and music was the strongest programming form (McMahon 19). Radio was the first truly mass medium of communication, reaching millions of people instantly and altering social attitudes, family relationships, and people's relationships to their environment. Complaints about broadcasting and many of the solutions offered sound very much like controversies still raging today, though the focus has shifted from radio to television. American radio as a commercial medium came into being in 1920 with the first broadcast of KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The first scheduled, non-experimental, public program broadcast on radio was an evening program of the results Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. American radio as a commercial medium came into being in 192 withthe first broadcast of KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "As Congress Decreed." New York Times 24 June 24 1934: VIII-19.Dunlap, Orrin E. The National Advisory Council on Radio in Education met in Chicago inOctober, 1934 and offered support for freedom of speech on the radio. Works Cited"Censorship Plan Denied by Farley." New York Times 15 Oct. The Commissioninvited educators, religious leaders, and broadcasters to supplyinformation and evidence to be evaluated by the Commission. As a result of this broadcast,technicians and executives of Westinghouse Electric Company were convincedthat radio was commercially and scientifically feasible, and within 18months radio was a national fad. 1934: 2 1-2 2."Freedom of Speech Upheld." New York Times 14 Oct. The Actbecame effective on July 1, 1934. Radio in 1934 was becoming a major means of communication and thuswas also a major target of criticism by those who believed it was notdeveloping rapidly enough or in the direction many wanted to see it take.The same arguments have long been heard about television, and today similardiscussions are taking place over content on the Internet. Harding and James M. The new FCC would have seven members. The third is the sustaining program, and the broadcastingcompany bears the entire cost of this program. Empire of the Air. This is often the result of a deliberate policy on the part of the advertiser, who finds that people of low intelligence respond most readily to his commercial appeal, and therefore baits his trap with material intentionally designed to reach only those who are not quite bright ("For Better" 2 1). Mitchell Dawson wrote in The American Mercury that the way licenseswere given out by the government created an implicit censorship procedure: Complete freedom of the air, in any sense parallel to freedom of speech or freedom of the press, is at present impossible because of the physical limitations upon the number of wave lengths or broadcasting channels which can be used simultaneously without interference (Dawson 258). Unorthodox political or economic views were not likely tofind a place on the radio, either. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.McMahon, Morgan E. Now our people are kept fully informed concerning national questions and they take a much livelier interest in public affairs ("Censorship" 9). MerrillDenison asked why radio was not better, and more pointedly asked, "Who isto blame for the mediocre quality of most radio entertainment--thebroadcaster, the advertiser, or the public?" (Denison 576). Farley even denied the charge that theRoosevelt administration was seeking to establish censorship over the pressand radio: It is my firm conviction that one of the leading benefits provided by radio is the nation-wide communication and discussion of public questions made possible by this great instrumentality. The first is the programwhich is paid for by the advertiser and which gives broadcasting companiesthe greatest proportion of their revenues. In October,Postmaster General James A. At the same time, Congress passed aregulation: "No person within the jurisdiction of the United States shallutter any obscene, indecent or profane language by means of radiocommunication" (Dawson 257). When the Federal Communications Commission came into being to replacethe Federal Radio Commission, the newly formed body undertook aninvestigation of radio programming, as directed by Congress in legislationrequiring a report to be submitted by February 1, 1935. The firstscheduled, non-experimental, public program broadcast on radio was anevening program of the results from the presidential election betweenWarren G. The creation of the FCC was described as the creation of a newcentralized authority that was expected to speed and improve thedevelopment of radio, telephone, and telegraph communications. An editorial in the New Republic also cites a growing dissatisfactionin the country with the quality of radio programming: Not only is a large proportion of all time on the air devoted to blatant advertising, but even the so-called entertainment aspects of the programs are frequently such that no civilized person can listen to them without acute nausea. The purpose of theagency was to serve "the public interest, convenience, and necessity"(Lewis 3 1) by licensing stations, settling disputes, and assuring that thebroadcasters served the public interest in return for their use of theairwaves. Others are run-of-the-mill programs intended to help the stationstay on the air by fulfilling the requirements of the then-extant FederalRadio Commission (soon to be replaced by the FCC). The chairman of the NationalCommittee on Education by Radio stated that no one wanted a completelygovernment-owned system but that what was needed was a system that gavemore promotion and protection to educational public welfare stations. Radio was now a major partof both the economy and American popular culture, and it would remain so inbasically the same niche until the advent of television more than twodecades later. 1934: 257-268.Denison, Merrill. "Censorship on the Air." American Mercury Mar. Thecurrent system was called by one publisher "unsound and unfair" (Dunlap,"Congress Wants It" X-11). 1934: X-11."For Better Broadcasting." New Republic 3 Oct. At the same time as this debate was ongoing, a related issue beingraised was the role of the government in deciding what could and could notbe broadcast, and charges of censorship were leveled by some critics.Congress had earlier given the Federal Radio Commission control over radiotransmission but did not give it the power of censorship. Cox. The FRC had banned or shown displeasure with certain types ofprograms, such as fortune-telling programs, lotteries, questionable medicalprograms, and so on (Dawson 259-26 ). 1934: 9.Dawson, Mitchell. The educators and religious leaders were asking that a definitepercentage of radio broadcasting facilities in the United States be givento non-profit stations, while commercial broadcasters defended the existingallocation of wave lengths, claiming that they already devoted enough timeto education and religion. Denison sets out the general structure of programming on radio atthat time and finds three types of programs. According to an article in the New YorkTimes, the new legislation effectively changed almost everything in theearlier 1927 law. The educators and religious leaders, however,were highly critical of the broadcasters. The year 1934 was a key one in the development of radio andbroadcasting of all sorts, given that it was in that year that Congresscreated the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). A Flick of the Switch 193 -195 . In the 192 s, radio has been seenprimarily as a budding vehicle for music, humor, and news, and music wasthe strongest programming form (McMahon 19). Programs supporting pacifism werechallenged by groups like the American Legion, and usually stationscapitulated. 1934: 576-586.Dunlap, Orrin E. The law gave thegovernment full control over all wire and radio communications in case ofwar or "public peril," giving the president authority to take over allradio and wire offices and stations if needed (Dunlap, "As CongressDecreed" VIII-19). Palos Verdes, CA: Vintage Radio, 1975.----------------------- 8 Radio was a harbinger of a panoply of technological changesto come (MacDonald 13). One proposal to control this system was made by Professor JeromeDavis of Yale, who suggested a system of taxation intended to discourageextensive advertising. Aspects of this argument are evident in news reports form 1934.Critics then were as eager to reform radio as some are today to reformtelevision, and for much the same reason--they saw the medium as toodedicated to entertainment and commercial interests and not enough tooffering news and information to help create an informed citizen. Some of these programs are programs considered of exceptional publicinterest. "Congress Wants It." New York Times 14 Oct. Congress alsorefused to allow the FRC to institute any regulations that would interferewith the right of free speech. Complaints about broadcasting and many of thesolutions offered sound very much like controversies still raging today,though the focus has shifted from radio to television. Between the end of World War I and theearly 193 s, any favorable mention of the USSR was deleted fromprogramming, and this continued even after the United States recognized theUSSR in the early 193 s. 1934: X-11.Lewis, Tom. The advertiser would be taxed according to how muchadvertising the company purchased, and the money so raised might be used tofund educational broadcasting ("For Better" 2 2). Dawson cites a broadcast by Professor William Z.Ripley of Harvard which was pulled because the professor was going tocriticize abuses in the process of issuing public utility securities and todemand government supervision (Dawson 262-264). The financial potential in opening a radio station caused manybusinesses, institutions, and wealthy individuals to acquire federallicenses and establish their own broadcasting facilities: Two years after the KDKA inaugural broadcast, there were 1.5 million sets in the country; there were more than 55 stations; and there was at least one station in every state (MacDonald 4). "Why Isn't Radio Better?" Harper's Apr. More than 55 percent ofall broadcasting time was then taken up with sustaining programs. By 1934, radio was well entrenched as a source of news andentertainment for the American public. Themajority in the group favored private rather than government control ofradio but also wanted radio to be a more open forum to encourage freeexpression on controversial subjects ("Freedom" X-11). Even as timeschange, the essential arguments over government policy in a free societycontinue. Half ofthese were put on the air in the hope of attracting commercial sponsorship,while others were intended "to widen the popular appeal of radio, topromote good will, and to assist in building a body of evidence with whichto refute the criticism" (Denison 582) that radio was not fulfilling itspublic responsibilities. Those first radios were crystal setsbuilt by individuals all over the country, and by 1921 stores were sellingfactory-made radios. The Communications Act of 1934 was brought about in part by themany critics pressing for reform because they saw radio as having a poweras a medium for education and information and believed that this was beingignored (Lewis 24 ). Radio was the first trulymass medium of communication, reaching millions of people instantly andaltering social attitudes, family relationships, and people's relationshipsto their environment. By 1925, millions of radio receivers were in American homes, and theconsumers spent $43 million on radio products. The second is the program thatoriginates from such bodies as the National Advisory Council in Education,which pays the cost of production while receiving broadcast facilities forno charge. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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