Between Public and Private, Britain and Canada: Newfoundland Radio 1934-1949.

Abstract

© 2019 IAMHIST & Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This article examines Newfoundland radio during the period when Newfoundland was governed by a British-appointed Commission of Government (1934–1949), devoting particular attention to the political sensitivities and implications involved when one nation essentially assumed control of radio broadcasting in one of its dominions. The BBC had played the role of midwife in bringing the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland into being during the 1930s, and provided regular advice to the Commission of Government, at a time when the countries of the empire were encouraged to follow the Corporation’s public service organisation as a model. The relationship between the BBC and the BCN did come to sour, however, due to a feeling in St. John’s that the larger Corporation was neglecting its tiny counterpart. As will be demonstrated using archival sources, there was some justification for this. Due to the particular constitutional status of Newfoundland, as in effect a Dependency of the United Kingdom, the BBC did not treat it on a par with the self-governing Dominions, which meant that possibilities for exchange were limited or non-existent. As well as examining these political issues, the article will develop a portrait of the unique aspects of Newfoundland’s early radio culture. Newfoundland is a particularly appropriate case study for radio beyond boundaries as, due to its geographical location, listeners have traditionally been exposed to US and Canadian radio stations as well as domestic broadcasters and short-wave frequencies. Furthermore, conventional boundaries between public and private models of broadcasting do not apply in Newfoundland, where commercial radio programming has often performed a valuable public service function.