DOCUMENT RESUME ED 473 793 CS 511 778 TITLE Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (85th, Miami, Florida, August 5-8, 2002). History Division. PUB DATE 2002-08-00 NOTE 375p.; For other sections of these proceedings, see CS 511 769-787. PUB TYPE Collected Works Proceedings (021) Reports Research (143) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MFO1 /PC16 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Childrens Television; Females; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Japanese; *Journalism Education; *Journalism History; Libel and Slander; Media Coverage; *Newspapers; Obscenity; Periodicals; Public Relations; Radio; Social Status; World War II IDENTIFIERS Alabama; Black Press; Brennan (William J); Douglass (Frederick); Great Britain; Japanese Relocation Camps; *Journalists; New York Times; Radical Press; Supreme Court ABSTRACT The History Division of the proceedings contains the following 13 papers: "Repositioning Radio: NBC & the 'Kitchen Radio Campaign' of 1953" (Glenda C. Williams); "The 'Poor Man's Guardian': Radicalism as a Precursor to Marxism" (Eugenie P. Almeida); "Magazine Coverage of Katharine Meyer Graham, 1963-1975" (Mary Rinkoski); "Building Resentment: How the Alabama Press Prepared the Ground for 'New York Times v. Sullivan'" (Doug Cumming); "Conjunction Junction, What Was Your Function? The Use of 'Schoolhouse Rock' to Quiet Critics of Children's Television" (David S. Silverman); "Suppression of An Enemy Language During World War II: Prohibition of the Japanese Language Speech and Expression in Japanese American Assembly Camps" (Takeya Mizuno); "The Adventures of Cuff, Massa Grub, and Dinah Snowball: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Frederick Douglass' Hometown Newspapers, 1847" (Frank E. Fee, Jr.); "William Brennan's Century: How a Justice Changed His Mind About Obscenity" (John M. Harris); "The Black Press and Coverage of the Negro Leagues Before and After Integration: When to Stop the Cheering?" (Brian Carroll); "Literature to Form a More Perfect Union: An Examination of the Anti-Saloon League of America's Early Messages and Methods Through a Framework of Public Relations History" (Margot Opdycke Lamme); "Two Steps Forward and One Step Back: Coverage of Women Journalists in 'Editor & Publisher', 1978 through 1988" (Cindy Elmore); "Class Awareness in the Formation of British Journalists, 1886 to the Present" (Anthony Delano); and "'The New York Times' Perpetuates a Madman Stereotype of Charles Guiteau: A Qualitative Content Analysis" (Don Sneed and Elizabeth Sneed). (RS) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (85th, Miami, FL, August 5-8, 2001): History Division. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. BEST COPY AVAILABLE CO r". v kr) - Ci) U RepositioningRadio: NBC & the"Kitchen RadioCampaign" of 1953 Presented to the History Division,AEJMC August 7, 2002 Miami, FL Glenda C. Williams,Ph.D. Assistant Professor The Universityof Alabama c/o 3273 BrashfordRoad Birmingham, AL 35216 205-979-7901 hm. 205-348-6350 wk. glenda.williams@ua.edu 3 Repositioning Radio: Campaign" of 1953 NBC & the"Kitchen Radio Introduction radio had of great uncertainty.As an industry, For radio, the early1950's were a time (as noted however, the growinginterest in television reigned supremefor over 20 years; increasing concern toradio stations &networks. in eroding radioaudiences) brought executives sought for a wayto repositionNBC and As televisionadvanced, NBC radio One such effort wasthe "Kitchen RadioCampaign" build a strongerdaytime audience. build the daily"Housewife"audience by of 1953, a Christmaspromotion designed to archives Using memos andscripts from the NBC purchasing a radio setfor the kitchen. this paper examinesNBC's Kitchen Radio at the Universityof WisconsinMadison, radio's place in theAmerican culture. Campaign and its attemptto reposition Background radio was future of radio. Somehistorians stated that In 1953, no onecould decide the that radio less kind: ". ..everyone knew "sensing disaster"(Barnouw, 1975); some were radio for who had a smatteringof talent deserted was a dyingmedium. Nearly everyone Hall, 1977). Barnouwcredits comedian Fred the new medium oftelevision" (Hall & "were ready to abandonradio like the bones at a Allen with statingthat radio sponsors more optimistic:"It has been thegeneral barbecue" (1975, p.145). Still, others were (in a new market), oncethe novelty of TV experience that afterapproximately two years to the elderlymedium (radio)" (Gross,1954, has worn off, moreand more families return Repositioning Radio programming as television "Exactly what willhappen to radio p. 284,parentheses mine). but the signs point toits continuedimportance" continues to expandis still unknown, entailed remained tobe seen. (Phillips, 1954).What that importance radio had to respond tothe threat of TV.MacFarland One thing wascertain, however: and revenues listeners becomingviewers, radio ratings reports that"With more and more most 1952, average ratingsof network radio's ten both dropped.Between 1948 and exactly in half' (p. 17,1972). Milton Berle,Walter popular programs werecut almost Gleason were amongthe radio personalities Winchell, Edward R.Murrow, and Jackie (Barnouw, 1975).Additionally, new that had successfullydefected to television topped the ratings:when Lucy gave birthin performers like LucilleBall ("I Love Lucy") reported that 68% of alltelevision sets tunedin for the January of 1952,Trendex ratings telecast (Barnouw,1975). radio turned to research.Initially, the answers were For answers onhow to proceed, signed on at continued to climb,whenever television dismal. Althoughradio set sales that "Where radio oncehad been a leisure- night, the radio ratingsdropped. It was clear now occupyingthat role. Radio had time 'reward' after aday's work, television was 'companion' to some otheractivity" come to beviewed less as a treatthan as a kind of (MacFarland, 1972, p.27). pattern of listeningemerged. Slowly, through variousresearch projects, a new listening had increased,and daytime listening Results showed thatearly morning radio interested in the 11:00 to3:00 programs, but wereoften was up.Housewives were more 1972). Additionally, a occupied with dutiesin the kitchenduring this time (MacFarland, household radio sets werestill in the living study in July of 1953found that 33% of 5 Repositioning Radio second sets werefound in the kitchen(MacFarland, room-- but23% of a household's 1972). For NBC, amarketing idea wasborn. The CulturalClimate for theCampaign excellent. Severalfactors had fallen The timing for the newmarketing campaign was These included thereemergence ofthe into place to create afavorable climate. of plastic. "portable," a focus onradios as gifts, andthe re-introduction commercially since theearly 1920s, although "Portable" radios haveactually existed By the 1930s, bulky, and oftenheavy (Schiffer, 1991). the earliest prototypeswere large, bicycles, and as add-onsin cars (Schiffer, radio sets wereavailable in camera cases, on portable sets, however, wasthe cost of batteries: 1991). The biggestproblem with these around $2.50, a hefty sumin the 1930s some lasted aslittle as three tofive hours yet cost manufacturers had soldalmost four millionportable (Schiffer, 1991).Still, by the 1940s, consider the 1991). While thisnumber was enough to sets in theUnited States (Schiffer, sets were favoredby most and "the portable a "commercialsuccess," home console this wonderful product asa necessity"(Schiffer, majority of familiesstill did not regard World War II broughtproduction of all civilian 1991, p. 127). Then,in April of 1942, screeching halt for theduration of the war radios (both home setsand portables) to a (Schiffer, 1991). interest in portables.Americans were not only The end of the warbrought a renewed interested in going moreplaces---and interested in having more"things," they were also perfectly (Schiffer, 1991).Additionally, the portable radiosfit this new lifestyle became more popularbecause they couldbe portables boasting"three-way" capability 3 6 Repositioning Radio of choice for 1991). Portables soonbecame the gift electric or batteryoperated (Schiffer, inexpensive and since the newportables were newly weds andfor thecollege-bound set 1991). "necessity" for a newhousehold (Schiffer, often considered a of plastic. portables, however, wasthe reemergence Probably thebiggest boost for in 1932 (Schiffer, "Bakelite" cases wereoriginally introduced Portable radioswith plastic of however, and consumerspreferred other types 1991).. Bakelite wasbrittle and heavy, emerged in the brands of plastic,Lumarith and Lustron, casings (likeleather). Newer problems of their own: late 1930s/ early1940s, but had had a tendency to than bakelite,these plastics Though lighterand less brittle rectifier tube or evensunlight). when exposed toheat (from a the shrink, especially became warpedand cracked, and magnificent streamlinedcases Many of the sullied (Schiffer,1991,
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