Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

Radio Adds to Story of Religion WITH LARGE PART OF WORLD AFFECTED BV WAR. AMERICAN RELIGIOUS BROADCASTS BECOME A CHIEF MEANS OF UPHOLDING FREEDOM OF WORSHIP IN MANV COUNTRIES By Dr. Max Jordan Director of Keligiuiis ISroadcasts, Satioiial Broadcasting Company TO GUGLIELMO MARCONI the Father of Radio, religion meant a great deal. It is well known —and Orrin E. Dunlap, Jr., has told us quite a bit about it in his Marconi biography, which remains the best and most complete ever written—that the Senator took a strong personal interest in the af- fairs of his church. He was as deeply religious a man as other great scientists, such as Pasteur, Volta, Ampere, and Galvani. As a matter of fact, it was due to his initiative that the \'atican built its own radio station under ^Marconi's personal supervision. It is not generally known, how- ever, that it was while visiting the celebrated sanctuary of Oropa, not far from Milan, in 1894, that the great inventor had the first intui- tion of the possibility of communi- cating between distant points with- out means of conducting wires. Marconi was then just 20 years old and had been engaged in phys- ical experiments under the guid- ance of Professor Vincenzo La Rosa of Biella, near Oropa. One late afternoon, while walking through the fields around the sanctuary, he suddenly felt that he was the man destined to discover the means of transmitting messages through space. He said nothing about it at the moment, but in the evening, in walking from the sanctuary towards the city, he said to a friend who was with him, the poet Giu- seppe de Abate: "Up there when I was at the Chapel del Paradiso. a sudden won- derful idea struck me while I looked across the distant plain. You will see what I mean later on." Now, at the "Porta Regia of the sanctuary, a tablet has been inaug- urated bearing this inscription: "From the cloisters of the mountain of Oropa. Guglielmo IVIarconi drew the inspiration of his great discovery—May wireless telegraphy under the auspices of Mary pacify men in Christ." Today, we know that Marconi's discovery has indeed greatly con- tributed toward a better under- standing and good will among men. The history of the "Pulpit of the Air" has not yet been written, but when it is it will add a striking chapter to the story of all religion. Instrument of Religion Since its foundation. XBC has been guided by a simple policy in matters of religion. Realizing that the sale of time for religious pro- grams might result in according a disproportionate representation to those individuals or groups who happened to command the largest purse, the company has never "com- mercialized" religion. Also, being aware of the fact that no broad- caster can attempt to serve individ- ually all of the many religious groups, or wisely single out by its own choice any individuals to rep- resent the various faiths, NBC has always depended upon responsible organizations representing the three dominant religious groups in America, namely the Protestant, the Catholic and the Jewish, to sug- gest speakers and prepare pro- grams. And finally, the company has striven to build its religious programs so that they would inter- pret religion at its highest, avoid- ing controversy and conveying the message of faith to all the listeners in such elevating terms that all would realize their responsibility to the organized church and to society. Adhering to these principles, NBC has been able to contribute its share toward making religion an ever-growing force in American life. The e.xperience in all these years has proved that radio is one of the most highly effective instru- ments of religious teaching. Mil- lions of jieople listen every Sunday, and in addition there are countless successful weekday programs based on religious gatherings, festivals and music. The result of all these endeavors was well summed up some time ago by Dr. Harry Emer- son Fosdick when he said that radio has furnished religion an oppor- tunity such as has never existed before. That these religious broadcasts presented by NBC in cooperation with the nation's outstanding Prot- estant, Catholic and Jewish organ- izations leave lasting impressions among listeners of all faiths is shown by the many letters received. They testify that the audience is drawing spiritual inspiration and confidence from the sermons and prayers as well as the church music offered on the air. and gaining strength from these programs to meet the heavy sacrifices of a war against the forces of oppression and intolerance. Outstanding among the regular religious programs broadcast by XBC are The Catholic Hour, pro- duced in cooperation with the Na- [14 RADIO AGE]