Broadcasting (Oct - Dec 1950)

N the pages that follow appears a running story of radio during two exciting decades. The story begins with the founding of Broadcasting. That first issue of Oct. 15, 1931, is as archaic as the carbon mike of its era. Its masthead was askew, its type of another generation. The paper was of newsprint vintage. A half-dozen youthful hands produced that issue with trepidation and expectancy. How would it go? Would it flop, as had 95% of new publication ventures in those dark depression years? Our thesis was that radio, embracing the spheres of entertainment, education and commerce as well as news, was entitled to its own magazine. Radio was a new kind of journalism, destined to have a more intimate, penetrating and influential voice than any other. We aspired to become the written voice of the spoken medium. Our concern was the success and wellbeing of radio. Our interest was the sound development of the art, because in that sound development the success of Broadcasting would seem assured. The lead editorial of that yellowed first issue concluded: To the American system of free, competitive and self-sustaining radio enterprise, this new publication * * * is dedicated. We are entering our 20th year. Those lines remain our philosophy, our creed and our pledge. It is a nostalgic adventure to thumb through back issues. A headline, a picture, an editorial, awaken memories. Crisis after crisis thunders across those pages. Humor, whimsy and pathos, too. A tear for a departed pal. High dudgeon over a do-gooder crusade. Radio City is born. It was truly a young man's game. Verve, fire, politics. ASCAP, allocations, station quotas. TV had a headline in the very first issue. Men from Mars, the Mae West incident, the newspaper war, BMI. Network regulations, the Blue Book, voluntary censorship codes, Petrillo, Those days of Pearl Harbor, when radio filled itself with glory — and then inscribed its own Roll of Honor. Radio, a romping, almost reckless giant, vaulted from $60 million gross in 1931 to more than $600 million. It moved because it knew no barriers. It gave generously of its time and substance to all worthwhile causes. It won the hearts and the minds of America. It became part and parcel of the living standard. But threaded through this kaleidoscopic development was an ominous overtone — radio's free charter was threatened every inch of the way. Without it, there could be no truly free America — a concept generally accepted today. The story of American radio is the story of democracy in action. And the story of Broadcasting parallels that of radio. Our staff has grown from 6 to 60; our bureaus from one to five, and our paid circulation from zero to nearly 16,000. We have heralded the advent of every new development of the mass radio media — from AM through international broadcasting, to FM and that ambidextrous young Colossus — Television. Five years ago Telecasting was added to our masthead. Broadcasting has tried to be an alert, accurate, comprehensive reporter. It has never stinted on news. Editorially, it has called its shots as it has seen them, seeking always to keep uppermost the precept of service to all of broadcasting and to the public. The emergence of Broadcasting • Telecasting would not have been possible without the counsel, encouragement and selfless help of many wise men of the broadcasting arts, in and out of public life, over the years. It would have faltered and perhaps failed without the inspiration and sweat and toil of early staff coworkers (many of them still with us), and of those boys and girls who have given so generously of their time and talents, with never a look at the clock, during two action-packed decades. In the pages that follow you can also read the messages of many of those who wish us well as we round out our 20 years (space limitations precluded publication of all). The generous praise is more than we deserve. To be congratulated are those of you who have created, nurtured and developed these magnificent arts, and thereby made the news that we have chronicled. Today we are in a national emergency. Whether this is half-war, or in-between wars is a free guess. This world, which radio helped shrink to within instant earshot of anywhere, is alerted for a constant state of emergency. The duty that devolves upon radio and television is to keep the American people — and a largely dependent democratic half-world — fully and accurately informed and alerted; to keep the arsenals of democracy humming; to maintain morale. In short: Radio and Television by the American Plan. We of Broadcasting • Telecasting, whose duty it is to keep our readers informed and alerted, are mindful of our own responsibilities. We shall never wittingly violate your trust. On this anniversary, we humbly and gratefully rededicate ourselves to unswerving support of our free American broadcasting; institutions. Editor & Publisher BROADCASTING • Telecasting October 16, 1950 • Page 61