Jon Johanning ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>Even commercial radio in the U.S.  used to have more CM (e.g., Toscanini
>and the RCA Orchestra/NY Phil.) when I was young, in the late 40s and early
>50s; this was before the advent of today's public radio.  I think that the
>Met broadcasts are the only remnant of that era (don't ask me to explain
>why they are hanging on).

According to Horowitz's book in the 1930s there *was* a move by the US
government to reserve part of the airwaves for "cultural" prgramming.

The networks got into a panic and persuaded the government that they were
quite capable of taking care of that area of the nation's life.

That this was no more than lip service is, I think, more than adequately
illustrated by NBC's behaviour after Toscanini retired:  disband the NBC
SO and forget about classical music on the air.

Deryk Barker
[log in to unmask]