Women Broadcasters of World War II

Abstract

By the time World War I1 began, women regularly participated in radio broadcasting, either as entertainers or in the behind the scenes creation of radio programming. Few women owned stations or participated in network management. Newscasts featured dulcet toned, deep, male voices. In short, the serious business of radio was for men: Women were "okay" as long as they stuck to their own domain- cooking shows, homemaker tips, those sorts of things. Through an exhaustive literature review coupled with critical analysis of primary source documentation, this paper examines women who had a profound impact on broadcasting during World War I1 and beyond. Collectively, they created a programming concept that would turn out to be one of the most well liked types of programs during the war.