Radio, History of

Radio's Golden Age

Although experimentation with radio technology dates back to the 19th century, the medium was not used as a means of broadcasting content to a mass audience until the early 1920s. Over the next two decades, the radio audience grew rapidly, reaching a majority of U.S. homes by the mid-1930s. During this period, a number of innovations were introduced, including the creation of national radio networks and the adoption of advertising as the industry's main source of revenue. By the mid-1930s, radio was the most popular mass medium, simultaneously entertaining millions of households throughout the United States.

During radio's golden age, a period stretching roughly from the early 1930s to the mid-1940s, listeners had access to a wide range of programming content. A radio station's daily broadcast often featured a variety of 15-minute programs, including vaudeville-inspired comedy and variety shows, dramas and plays, daytime and evening serials, quiz and trivia shows, news and educational programs, and musical performances.

Through this period, many radio stations and networks offered programs targeted specifically at children. These shows, aired during the hours after school and on weekends, were popular with children. Reacting to children's desire to hear stories rather than music, the radio networks often created serial programs, ending each episode with a cliffhanger designed to bring the listener back to the next episode. Many popular programs, for example, Little Orphan Annie, Captain Midnight, and Superman, were based on comic books, a medium already popular with children. Other program formats popular with children at the time include comedies, mysteries, and plays.

Along with shows created especially for them, children enjoyed listening to programs created for adult audiences. Adult programs like Myrt and Marge, Eno Crime Clues, and Rudy Vallee were as popular with children as programs designed specifically for the age group. In the end, it appears as though the time of day a program was aired was more important for children's listening habits than the audience the producers intended to target.

During the golden age of radio, programs were created with funds from a national radio network or from a corporate sponsor. Shows containing no advertisements were considered sustaining programs and were created by radio networks to fill the radio day, while sponsored programs were funded with advertising dollars. Corporations hoping to advertise their products to children and their parents often sponsored [Page 686]children's programs during this time period. Programs advertised a wide range of products including food items and household goods. For instance, Tarzan promoted a chocolate milk beverage and Fu Manchu advertised a hand lotion.

...