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The Baseball-Radio War, 1931-1935

The Baseball-Radio War, 1931-1935 james r. walker The emergence of radio in the 1920s as a significant new medium of mass communication was greeted by most Major League Baseball (MLB) owners with suspicion and apprehension. Owners feared the new medium would reduce attendance and compromise their symbiotic relationship with the newspaper industry. East Coast and American League teams were especially antiradio, while some clubs in the Midwest, especially the Chicago Cubs, were proradio. Initially, teams received limited, if any, rights fees to allow the broadcasting of their games, so there was little economic incentive to let radio in the ballpark gate. However, a few forward-thinking owners saw radio as a positive promotional device that could sell baseball to new customers, including women working in the home. It might also charm children, spawning the next generation of fans. Since the games were played during the day, women and children were the major groups in the radio audience. As the 1930s dawned, the Great Depression forced owners to consider new options for replacing revenues lost from declining attendance. At the same time, some sponsors, General Mills in particular, aggressively promoted the sponsorship of baseball on the radio to sell breakfast cereal (e.g., Wheaties) to http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture University of Nebraska Press

The Baseball-Radio War, 1931-1935

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Publisher
University of Nebraska Press
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Copyright © University of Nebraska Press
ISSN
1534-1844
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Abstract

james r. walker The emergence of radio in the 1920s as a significant new medium of mass communication was greeted by most Major League Baseball (MLB) owners with suspicion and apprehension. Owners feared the new medium would reduce attendance and compromise their symbiotic relationship with the newspaper industry. East Coast and American League teams were especially antiradio, while some clubs in the Midwest, especially the Chicago Cubs, were proradio. Initially, teams received limited, if any, rights fees to allow the broadcasting of their games, so there was little economic incentive to let radio in the ballpark gate. However, a few forward-thinking owners saw radio as a positive promotional device that could sell baseball to new customers, including women working in the home. It might also charm children, spawning the next generation of fans. Since the games were played during the day, women and children were the major groups in the radio audience. As the 1930s dawned, the Great Depression forced owners to consider new options for replacing revenues lost from declining attendance. At the same time, some sponsors, General Mills in particular, aggressively promoted the sponsorship of baseball on the radio to sell breakfast cereal (e.g., Wheaties) to

Journal

NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture – University of Nebraska Press

Published: Jul 21, 2011

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