The Wings Over America Radio Program

Background

Programs in the public interest were a prominent feature of Radio programming throughout its Golden Age. The major networks of the era not only adhered to the FCC's various Communications Act mandates to set aside a significant portion of their broadcasting schedules, but provided that time free of any broadcast costs. During the run up to World War II all of the major networks went even further by volunteering no cost or minimal cost production resources to public service or information programming in partnership with the numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations of the era.

American citizens born after the 1970s and raised during an increasingly commercialized, corporatized, unregulated, and 'free market' telecommunications environment. The Reagan Administration's FCC elminated PSAs altogether, essentially bringing an era of widespread PSAs and informational programs in the public interest to an end--over the major networks and cable systems. It has since fallen to National Public Radio, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS to bring such public interest programming to Radio, Cable and Television. Unfortunately, continued pressure on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has dramatically reduced the frequent safety reminders, health alerts, and patriotically neutral Radio and Television bumpers that the 'Greatest Generation' grew up with.

PSAs in Wartime

The run up to World War II in the U.S. was a very contentious period in American history. From about 1937 forward, the raging 'Great Debate' across America was comprised of isolationists versus what was referred to as 'one-worlders' of the era. That debate raged equally contentiously throughout the British Empire of the era.

On the American Homefront the debate over whether to get involved in another world war spurred a great deal of military, civilian and industrial preparation for the possibility of war. While naval preparations were routinely reviewed, it was the aviation industry and evolving aeronautical technologies that garnered the greatest interest and debate prior to Pearl Harbor.

Series Derivatives:

Notes on Provenances:

The most helpful provenances were the log of the RadioGOLDINdex and newspaper listings.

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[Date, title, and episode column annotations in red refer to either details we have yet to fully provenance or other unverifiable information as of this writing. Red highlights in the text of the 'Notes' columns refer to information upon which we relied in citing dates, date or time changes, or titles.]