A little more than a score of years ago, radio communication was an idea; today it is a two-billion-dollar industry, giving employment to hundreds of thousands of persons.

Radio-telephonic communication was not new in 1920. It was, however, primarily a research problem and a plaything for the radio amateur. At best its range was limited. It was unsuited for telephone service because it lacked secrecy. And so because of these two detrimental factors it was considered unfit for commercial use. Radio in those days was just a toy in the hands of puttering engineers. Yet today the radio is considered by commercial advertisers to be the most powerful factor at their disposal. The very weaknesses of radio have been used to great advantage. The fact that the radio lacked secrecy has made it most desirable for advertising. The limited range of the radio has been overcome by tremendous networks of stations which reach around the world. The development of broadcasting by short wave has made possible foreign transmission and reception which astounds those who hear it. So from an idea, radio has developed into a most powerful force, not only in this country, but throughout the world. At this writing there are in the United States alone over 65,000,000 radio sets distributed in 35,000,000 homes throughout the 48 States. The radio is capable of reaching 94 per cent of the population of this entire country, and it is quite impossible to determine how many people a world-wide broadcast would actually reach. In the United States alone there are 913 radio transmitting stations (that is, not counting the short-wave stations), and the Federal Communications Commission has at the present time applications for seventeen more. So it’s easy to see what a vast scope the radio has. It is capable of reaching untold audiences and is the most rapid means of communication known to man. There is no better proof of this statement than the use to which radio is put in the present world conflicts.

Traditionally, the standards of radio broadcasting have been high. Now I realize that this statement can easily be challenged. However, let me qualify it somewhat by saying, first of all, that I am not referring to the type of music which has been prevalent. The radio has in that case been a victim of shrewd and clever advertisers, the traditional "Soap Chip Susie" being the target. Americans have been quick to realize what the radio could do for our "get-rich-quick" policy. It may be true that if the Government had exercised more control over broadcasting, we might not now have the type of program which sells soap on an eleven-year-old level. However bad the type of music may be, the presentation has, as a rule, been kept on a high plane. There is considerable pride in the heart of radio, and even its playing of "Flat Foot Floogie" contains most of the right notes.

Advertisers have also been quick to realize that in the use of radio they find a more direct appeal than in any other source. The radio is constantly within easy reach. Mrs. Housewife very likely keeps her radio on during most of her working day. It’s so easy to turn a button and then forget about it. Secondly, radios are comparatively inexpensive, and it doesn’t cost much to equip a home with several sets. In fact, many a family piano has disappeared because of a beautiful radio console. The effects of this condition are too far-reaching to discuss at this point. Thirdly, radio has become a very important entertainment device for the home, substituting family-made types of recreation. And so the radio is full of mystery stories, spicy comedians, jazz bands, serial stories, and all kinds of tripe in general. I think it is true that the last ten years have seen a slow but steady growth for the better. When the Westinghouse Corporation sponsors John Charles Thomas and large corporations are buying time for the great symphony orchestras of this country, the way is pointed toward better entertainment. I believe it is also safe to say that more and more the radio is being used as an educational medium. Schools of the Air are coming over the ether waves much more numerously today than they did a decade ago. However, this inescapable fact must be reckoned with—as long as the radio is primarily a means of advertising and selling, we must in the Church adopt similar means of advertising and selling. We must be as clever in presenting our goods as the advertisers are in selling soap. Of course, we must remember that the advertiser has no thought of educating his listeners. If I wish to sell soap in Missouri, I would do well to buy a fine fifteen-minute program of "hill-billy" mazurkas. A radio director is not so much concerned with the kind of program heard over his station as with the amount of financial gain he can reap from it.

In considering radio’s appeal, we must realize, too, that radio’s best weapon is music. Music of one kind or another is radio’s best appeal. A survey of radio programs shows that three fourths of all radio programs are predominantly musical in character. It follows, then, that if the Church is to use the radio in spreading the Gospel, we have every reason in the world to use our Lutheran music to good advantage.

Finally, we must always keep in mind that the radio as a medium is virtually in its infancy. We are just beginning to realize to what tremendous proportions radio could grow. When this present world conflict is over, we should witness a development in radio which will be more rapid than at any other time in history. Even the experts in the field are not sure of how far this means of communication can actually be developed. The next ten years will be years of startling developments and rapid changes. We must be cognizant of this fact if we are to use the radio successfully.

Now we wish to discuss briefly how this medium of radio has been used and is being used in furthering the musical heritage of our Church. When we speak of early attempts, we must confess that there have been very few instances where our Church has even attempted to bring to the world our glorious music. We have been slow in realizing the possibilities of radio broadcasting, and in some of the chances we have had, we have conspicuously "muffed" the ball. It is not my intention to isolate individual cases, but I am sure we can profit through the experiences of the past. First, I wish to point out that in some instances we have delegated the task of organizing and presenting radio broadcasts to persons who are not acquainted with radio technique, much less with church music. Those people who have had vision in producing good radio broadcasts have in some cases been discouraged. In other instances the clergy has interfered to the detriment of the whole venture. The sermon alone was considered, and such musical trimmings were put on as time would permit. We find, too, that there have been times when the choice of music was left to an uninterested, musically warped clergyman. No thought was given to good program balance. One might well believe that the sermon is the only part of a program which contains the Word of God. And so it can safely be said that some ventures into radio have been very poorly guided. If the Lutheran Church plans the extensive use of the radio in spreading the Gospel, we must first seek expert help and guidance from every available source. We must realize that a radio program given under the auspices of the church will have to stand against the standards set by the industry. We must enlist the help of those people who can compete with the most clever devices used by commercial advertisers. Only then can we successfully compete in the maze of radio programs which flood the air today.

Other attempts at radio broadcasting have been shortlived because we have failed to realize that broadcasting takes an expenditure of money in order to be made worth while. We have tried to beg time from a local radio station, and, if it was granted, we have proceeded to fill it with third-rate music and any preacher who is willing to prepare a sermon. Then we have looked around for all the free help we could possibly get in preparing the broadcast and expected such a venture to measure up with well-planned and. perfectly executed programs. Some people are not ready to agree that money spent on radio programs is money spent for a fine missionary endeavor.

Probably the two most significant ventures of our Church into radio have been the Lutheran Hour and Radio Station KFUO. We can certainly point with justifiable pride to the accomplishments of the Lutheran Laymen's League in "Bringing Christ to the Nations." However, we cannot say that this broadcast has been instrumental in bringing our musical heritage to the nations. Taking away the fact that "A Mighty Fortress" is known as the battle hymn of the Lutheran Church, most of the other music presented could well belong to any one of several sects. The Lutheran Hour is primarily designed as a speaking broadcast, and the musical portion of the broadcast seems to be used as a "fill." Whether the Lutheran Hour has adequately portrayed the music of the Lutheran Church is a subject for debate. It is true that here in this international broadcast is a mighty opportunity to present our musical heritage to good advantage.

Radio Station KFUO last fall celebrated its twentieth anniversary of broadcasting. Although the transmitting range of this station is limited, the fact that it is owned and controlled by the Lutheran Church can make it a powerful agent in furthering the musical heritage of the Church. Before this can be fully accomplished, the musical policies of the Church will have to be more clearly established and more rigidly adhered to. We must discard the chromatic slush in which we have been wallowing for the past years and return to the diatonic strength of our heritage. We have allowed a sectarian influence to creep into our music which has soiled the minds of musicians and listeners alike. We have presented to our congregations not the finest in church music, but we have allowed the barriers to be swept away by the times. Our congregations have been fed on the emotionalism of the gospel hymn. Our organists have tremulated whipped cream without digression. In fact, I know a Missouri Synod church today that has discarded the Lutheran Hymnal in preference to one of the many gospel atrocities. I have always been taught that our Lutheran faith is not primarily built on emotion, but our faith comes through our knowledge and intellect. The argument in support of the gospel hymn is that by this type of music we can draw in missionary material which we would not otherwise reach, and of course the radio is primarily a missionary endeavor. Are we not actually misrepresenting the Lutheran Church when we bow to the use of these hymns whose doctrinal content is actually doubtful? We are very careful to guard our doctrine against any impurities; why not exercise the same caution as regards our music? I am firmly convinced that several steps will have to be taken before we can adequately present the musical heritage of our Church over the radio. First, we must thoroughly indoctrinate the clergy in the appreciation of our musical heritage, so that they, as leaders in the congregation, will point the way to an appreciation and return to the truly great music of the Church. Secondly, we must thoroughly organize the teaching of church music in our secondary schools and teachers’ colleges, so that we can develop leaders in our various congregations. We must then make the laity and clergy alike conscious of the tremendous possibilities which lie in the field of radio. The inauguration of a Synodwide program of radio broadcasting could probably be done best by setting up a central Synodical Department of Radio, which can advise and help in planning Lutheran broadcasts in various parts of the country. In this way we can become consistent in our presentations of church music. Above all, we must keep in mind that presenting our musical heritage has to be a Synod-wide endeavor, an undertaking which is not attempted in a few scattered areas, but which is a project of the whole Church.

We must furthermore rid ourselves of foreign influences which have crept in through the years. So often we have forgotten that the music of the Church serves only as a handmaiden to the Word. Many times we have heard over the radio and in our churches, music and arrangements which tickle the ear and which take one’s thoughts away entirely from the import of the words. Rather than toy with questionable harmonies and melodic intricacies, let us return to the strong unison of the chorale. Here is music which serves the Word. Here the message is heightened and not destroyed.

Now the question arises, why develop in our Church the use of the radio when there are so many things the Church should do first? I am very sure that the development of the use of radio is one of the first tasks which the Church should accomplish. From the standpoint of spreading the Gospel, it has shown itself to be the most powerful medium the Church has ever used. We must remember that a radio can reach almost all of the people in our country. Then, too, the radio reacts on some minds like a newspaper—because people have heard it over the radio, it’s true. There can be no doubting that here is a real means of spreading the Gospel and the musical heritage with it. We are proud to bring to a dying world the one thing needful. We stand in horror at any departure from true Biblical teachings. How can we then let down the barriers with music vastly inferior and in some cases opposed to what we have just preached? One thing is of utmost importance—we must learn to be consistent.

We must then, first of all, cleanse the existing conditions and develop them as best we can. We dare not be swayed by the opinion of an uneducated laity. In some cases we will have to convince even those in charge. We have found at our station in St. Louis that the most so-called "fan mail" is received on those programs of which we are least proud. We have found, too, that many people are swayed by just that type of response. It is very difficult to convince them that floods of audience response are sometimes an indictment against a program. We must inaugurate strict rules of censorship as regards our music, just as much as we guard our doctrines. We must work to rid our music of the chaff which has crept in through the years.

The years ahead will bring startling developments. We must not be caught napping. Certainly there are possibilities for the development of a Lutheran network. No doubt most of you have heard or read of the rapid rise of frequency modulation. This type of broadcasting is vastly superior to present-day transmission in that it eliminates almost all interference due to various atmospheric conditions. The development of F. M. is now in the same stage as radio was in 1920. At the present time a frequency modulation transmitter has a range which does not exceed 75 miles. However, engineers hope to overcome this difficulty by a series of transmitters located at certain points. Could it not then be possible to have our entire country connected by a network, with key stations located at the various educational institutions of our Church? It is easy to see that the possibilities of such a network, centrally controlled, would be limitless. As we look toward the future, we must not overlook the development of television. Although some authorities agree that this means of transmission is still far from being used on any large scale, we must certainly reckon with it at some time in the future. All these developments mean that we are only in the morning of radio’s day. It is plain that we must build for the future and we must be prepared to compete successfully with all the forces which will use the medium of radio. To do this successfully, radio must be part of a synodical program of the future. It must become part of the missionary endeavor of the Church. It must be considered as important and more important than some of the projects now being considered vital. When we can organize this phase of our Church’s activity and put it under proper guidance, only then can we adequately bring to the world our musical heritage.

From The Musical Heritage of the Lutheran Church, Volume I (Valparaiso, Ind.: Valparaiso University, 1945). Reprinted by permission of Valparaiso University.

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