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The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a former American radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945.
Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the NBC (NBC), the independent Blue Network was born of a divestiture in 1942, arising from antitrust litigation. In 1945, the Blue Network formally became the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).
The core stations of the "Radio Group" were RCA's stations WJZ and WRC, along with the Westinghouse station WBZ, then in Springfield, Massachusetts, and WGY, the General Electric station in Schenectady, New York.
RCA's principal rival before 1926 was the radio broadcasting department of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. In 1921, AT&T began using this department as a test-bed for equipment being designed and manufactured by its Western Electric subsidiary.
The RCA stations operated at a significant disadvantage to their rival chain. AT&T used its high-quality transmission lines, and declined to lease them out to competing entities, forcing RCA to use the telegraph lines of Western Union, which were not as well calibrated to voice transmission as the AT&T lines.
Nevertheless, the WJZ network sought to compete toe-to-toe with the AT&T network, which was built around a different New York station, WEAF. For example, both stations sent announcer teams to cover the 1924 Democratic National Convention, which was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City.For a colourful description of the radio coverage of this convention by WEAF and WJZ, as well as a reference to the Western Union lines, see Promotional material produced in 1943 claimed certain "firsts" in broadcasting by WJZ, such as the first educational music program in April 1922, the first World Series broadcasts in 1922, and the first complete opera broadcast, The Flying Dutchman, from the Manhattan Opera House."The Blue Network Today", p. 2; it is noteworthy that RCA, then still owner of the Blue Network, gives the credit to itself, and not to Westinghouse, the actual owner at that time.
The first step by AT&T was to create the Broadcasting Company of America on May 15, 1926, to hold its broadcasting assets, which included WEAF and WCAP in Washington. As reported in the press, this move was due to the growth in the radio broadcasting activities of AT&T and the special issues related thereto, The Iowa City Press-Citizen, May 15, 1926, 3:2, at Newspaper Archive though it would appear that subsequent activities in disposing of the assets of BCA may have also played a role in the decision. AT&T did in fact subsequently sell WEAF to RCA for $1 million in July 1926, New York Times, July 22, 1926, 1:2 a price that newspaper reports indicated was a substantial premium over what other stations were commanding in the marketplace, Oakland Tribune, September 13, 1926, 12:6 and represented a recognition of the status of WEAF in broadcasting, as well as its access to AT&T's lines. Indeed, the negotiations for the sale may have taken place very shortly after the creation of BCA, as Folder 129 in the NBC History Files at the Library of Congress contains a contract of sale for WEAF dated July 1, 1926.See , hereinafter referred to by folder number. The Oakland Tribune stated that 4/5ths of the purchase price of WEAF could be attributed to goodwill and the line access. Oakland Tribune, September 13, 1926, 12:6 Newspaper Archive On July 28, 1926, the Washington Post reported in a front-page story that RCA had acquired WCAP. The Oakland Tribune reported the same day Oakland Tribune, July 28, 1926, 12:6 that WCAP had departed the field, and WRC would be operating on the frequency they had shared, which was 640 AM.
As part of the reorganization of the broadcasting assets in the wake of the acquisitions, on September 13, 1926, the formation of the National Broadcasting Company was announced via newspaper advertisements, and on November 15, 1926, NBC's first broadcast was made. This first broadcast on November 15, 1926, marked NBC's de facto formation of the NBC Red Network from the WEAF network assets, using WEAF as the "key station"; this network in eventual popular image tended to broadcast the most popular entertainment programming. RCA merged its former radio operations into NBC, and on January 1, 1927, WJZ became the "key station" of the Blue Network when its network switch operations began. The network, again in eventual popular image, tended to place its focus more on news and public affairs programming, as well as the "sustaining", or non-sponsored shows.
The Decatur Review (Illinois) for Sunday, December 12, 1926, reported the following in an article describing a broadcast to be sponsored by the Victor Talking Machine Company and aired the following New Year's Day, January 1, 1927, which is a description of this first Blue Network broadcast—note that it makes it clear that January 1, 1927, marked the debut of the Blue Network:
Allegedly, the color designations came from the way the networks were represented on maps, with red lines (or pushpins) denoting the WEAF network circuits, and blue the WJZ circuits.,
A slightly later example of cooperation came on the evening of Sunday, December 1, 1929, when the famed "Laird of the Music Halls", Sir Harry Lauder, appeared on a coast-to-coast hookup that originated from KFI in Los Angeles (later an NBC Red station, but at this time part of NBC's West Coast "Orange Network"), but was distributed by WJZ, which, as noted, was the key station of the Blue Network; advertisements suggest that certain NBC Red stations, as well as stations in the Orange Network, supplemented the network. A description of this broadcast is contained in a 1930 pamphlet put out by the Enna Jettick Shoe Company;"Favorite Songs, Published by Enna Jettick Shoes" (New York, 1930 (?)), in the collection of E.O. Costello Enna Jettick sponsored the first of Lauder's performances that night on its "Enna Jettick Melodies" show, which was followed later by another performance during the time ordinarily used by The Collier Hour. Lima (Ohio) Sunday News, December 1, 1929, 2:7–8, available at Newspaper Archive.
At least as late as January 1939, in spite of the fact that by this time NBC was seeking to differentiate the images of its NBC Red and NBC Blue networks (see below), it would still arrange for special, joint broadcasts, such as a special two-hour presentation of "The Magic Key of RCA" musical program (normally an NBC Blue program, sponsored by RCA's Victor records division) entitled "Salute to 1939." Time, January 2, 1939 Programs Previewed; another slightly earlier example would be the March 5, 1938, joint Red–Blue broadcast of the season's last concert of the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini.
More commonly, the Blue Network would operate as a quasi-"farm team" for the Red Network, in terms of entertainment programs. Bob Hope (in 1935 and again in 1937), Jack Benny (in 1932), Fibber McGee and Molly (in 1935), and Information, Please! (in 1938) are all examples of shows that debuted on the Blue Network before eventually transitioning over to larger audiences on the Red Network.For the Hope, Benny and Information Please programs, consult , which show when these shows originated on NBC Blue; information confirming this, and adding Fibber McGee, came from Same Time, Same Station by Ron Lackmann (Facts on File, 1996).
On occasion, shows would make brief stops at NBC Blue before moving elsewhere, such as the Lux Radio Theatre (1934–35) and Will Rogers' program (1933), both of which would move to CBS. '', which had a brief run on NBC Blue in 1934–35 before moving for a long run on CBS.]]
At some level, the Blue Network was known in the late 1920s and early 1930s for its children's programming. There are at least two volumes extant, from an Akron-based publishing house,"Blue Network Stories For Children: A Collection of Stories Which Are Favorites With Children Over the Radio" (Saalfield Publishing Company, Akron, 1929) which are collections of stories which purport to have been part of Blue Network programs. A copy of one, in the collection of E.O. Costello, shows a cover with two children listening to a late 1920s-style radio, from which shimmering images of fairy-tale characters are emerging. Other than the title (and the radio on the cover), the precise nature of the ties to the Blue Network is not known; the book does not even make direct reference to the National Broadcasting Company. It can also be said that this is an indication that the Blue Network had a well-established identity of its own by 1929.There are also at least two other, similar books, also published by Saalfield, which reference the Red Network. Why volumes by the same publisher were produced with titles referring to both the Red and Blue Networks, and what the connection with NBC was, is not clear. Saalfield for most of the 20th century was a major publisher of children's books, and published other radio tie-ins; by way of colorful example, a set of paper dolls dating from 1943 and tied to the NBC program The Hour of Charm, with its all-girl orchestra, is known to exist.
A significant issue with the NBC Blue Network may have been its size. It started, in January 1927, with 7 stations, had grown to 17 by the end of 1929, but still had only 33 stations by 1937."The Blue Network Today", page 3. This would have made it significantly smaller than its rivals. In 1938, Mutual had 107 affiliates, and CBS had 114; the Blue Network, by contrast, was not able to blanket the United States when NBC Red sold out its time, with the result that during 1937–1938, the Blue Network's revenues were generally falling, while NBC Red's increased. Time, September 19, 1938 Money for Minutes McLeod has noted that as of 1938, NBC had 23 stations in its core "Basic Red" group, and 24 in its "Basic Blue" group, with 107 stations that could be Red or Blue depending on the needs of a sponsor;. Generally speaking, in this era NBC would offer a package built around a "basic" group of stations, with regional blocks added on depending on a sponsor's needs. An early example of this would be the above-referenced Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel program, which was not broadcast nationwide because Esso only sold its gasoline in certain markets, unlike Texaco, which sold gasoline nationwide and thus used a nationwide system to broadcast Ed Wynn. the relative ratings (and thus revenues) for NBC Red programs versus NBC Blue counterparts suggests that sponsors chose to use Red more often than Blue.
Along with the NBC Symphony Orchestra broadcasts, the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts were part of the "crown jewels" of NBC Blue. A sober, dignified pamphlet issued by the network in 1937"Broadcasting the Metropolitan", NBC Blue Network, circa 1937; in the collection of E.O. Costello stated that the broadcasts were under RCA sponsorship, and "through the medium of nationwide NBC Network broadcasting, Grand Opera has been given to the entire nation. No longer is it reserved for the privileged few – now even the most isolated listeners throughout the United States are able to enjoy the world's finest music at their own firesides. The National Broadcasting Company (...) is proud to be the means of bringing the Metropolitan Opera to American radio listeners." The pamphlet notes that 78 stations broadcast these opera performances in 1937, and that reception for the program was "nationwide", something moderately unusual for an NBC Blue broadcast.
Radio historian Elizabeth McLeod has suggested, aside from a brief period where NBC Red and NBC Blue had different chime-sequences in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the two networks were *not* differentiated for many years, which would certainly be consistent with the roster of shows described above. She points out, with some justice, that NBC Red also broadcast a number of high-brow programs such as The Voice of Firestone, The Atwater Kent Hour, and the Cities Service Concerts. Furthermore, she points out that until the 1936–1937 period, the "back office" support for the networks was the same,Compare, however, "The Blue Network Today", which cites later dates, 1939–1940, for the creation of separate departments for the Blue Network; "The Blue Network Today", page 4. and often stations would shift from one network to another, depending on sponsor needs.On this point, see also , discussing the need for chimes to tell a station serving both networks which feed to use It was only when the Federal Communications Commission began investigating network practices, McLeod believes, that efforts were made by RCA to differentiate the two networks, and to fully position NBC Blue as a high-brow/public affairs network. (In the same light, it has been suggested that the congressional pressure was the real reason the NBC Symphony Orchestra was created.)See McLeod's discussion at on all these points; with reference specifically to congressional pressure, see Lebrecht, Norman (2001). The Maestro Myth. Citadel Press, page 73, cited in NBC Symphony Orchestra.
The NBC History Files at the Library of Congress lend support to the notion that NBC was gradually groping for a way to differentiate the Red Network from the Blue Network. For example, they contain a confidential memorandum, dated May 13, 1936, which sets forth a network policy against mixing the Red and Blue network stations.NBC History Files, Folder 293 (Compare and contrast this with the way the Harry Lauder broadcast of 1929 was handled, above.) There also exists an October 1938 sales force memorandum, which contains talking points on how to differentiate the Blue Network from the Red Network and CBS.NBC History Files, Folder 128 Even as far back as December 1932, NBC had set forth a policy banning specific references not only to CBS, but even to the Red Network.NBC History Files, Folder 30
Of note is the fact that NBC began to step up efforts to expand the network; while it had 33 stations in 1937, this total had nearly tripled by January 1941, when the network had 92 stations coast to coast.
These efforts to expand the network are evidenced by an NBC publication in late 1936, Great and Growing Greater, which described efforts to increase both the size and quality of Blue Network stations. Great and Growing Greater, National Broadcasting Company, Inc., 1936. It is perhaps worth noting that this document is a hardbound volume with a tip-in sheet with a cellophane overlay showing the changes made to the network; obviously, a product of significant expense. Among the improvements cited and proposed were increasing the broadcast power of WJZ and KDKA to 50,000 watts each, adding new stations to the group such as WEAN, WICC and WEBR, adding a Pacific Coast network (with KGO, KECA, KFSD, KEX, KJR and KGA) and expanding the daytime power of such stations as KOIL, KWK and KSO. This ad campaign, in a booklet tipped into the book, also showed a lengthy list of sponsors that had purchased Blue Network time. As the book states: "All of these additions and improvements are daily increasing the effectiveness of the NBC Blue Network. All contribute considerably to the listener's pleasure and to the advertiser's sales results."
In the months leading up to the January 1942 spinoff of the Blue Network, NBC undertook vigorous steps to create separate brand images for the Red and Blue Networks. To a certain extent, this had been going on since at least the summer of 1939, when Time magazine indicated that NBC was undertaking an extensive build-up of NBC Blue. Time magazine, August 21, 1939 Platters for the Pacific; it is worth noting that the article specifically describes NBC Blue as being the "weak sister." Information, Please! is listed as the star program for NBC Blue at this time. In both the fall of 1937, and the fall of 1941, NBC would specifically identify a program as being broadcast on the "Red Network of the National Broadcasting Company", and at least in the fall of 1941, would have a similar tag for the Blue Network.See, for example, the September 5, 1937, broadcast of The Chase and Sanborn Hour and the October 11, 1937, broadcast of Fibber McGee and Molly, and the September 30, October 14 and December 23, 1941, broadcasts of Fibber McGee and Molly, versus the December 7, 1941, broadcast of the Inner Sanctum Mysteries. An example of this buildup comes in "Alice in Sponsor-Land", a publication put out by RCA some time in mid-1941The book is not dated, though there are references to data as of March 1941; the facts are slightly complicated by the fact that the book refers to the Burns and Allen program being sponsored by Hormel, which was not the case after March 1941. to market that network's shows."Alice in Sponsor-Land" National Broadcasting Company (New York, 1941). The illustrations are by Barney Tobey, a contributor for over five decades to The New Yorker. This book focuses squarely on the Red Network, describing its entertainment programming, without any reference to the Blue Network.There are a few references to news programming, mostly Hans von Kaltenborn, who in one illustration is shown dancing with Alice! It is worth noting that both Information, Please! and Cavalcade of America are listed as Red Network shows; the latter had been a Blue Network show the previous year. Above the lineup of stationsWhich, by point of interest, includes two stations in the then-Commonwealth of the Philippines, two stations in Canada, and one station in Havana, Cuba. in the back of the volume is the tag-line: "This is the Red Network of the National Broadcasting Company." In addition, throughout the book are slogans such as "Any time is Good Time on NBC Red!" This book, in part, demonstrates exactly how NBC differentiated the Red Network from the Blue Network in the fall of 1941, when, as noted, the Blue Network was still a part of NBC.
The official website for Helen Hayes shows a number of programs that she did for NBC Blue during this time, including a Eugene O'Neill play cycle in August 1937, two different dramatic series of her own in 1935–1936 (one sponsored by General Foods), and an appearance on a Blue series in 1940, one which brought famous people who would explain why a particular book has been their favorite.
The "preview" section of the November 28, 1938, edition of Time gives some idea of the kind of programming that the Blue Network carried. On Friday, November 25 at 4 p.m., it carried a speech by then-Secretary of State Cordell Hull. Later that night, it carried the welterweight championship fight from Madison Square Garden, followed by Wagnerian opera from Chicago's Lyric Opera. Saturday, November 26 shows that the Blue carried both the Army–Navy football game and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The Town Meeting of the Air on Thursday night carried a debate among economists as to whether an economic plan for world peace was possible.
For one season in the early 1940s, a high-profile sponsored program on the Blue was The Cavalcade of America, a show dramatizing historical events which was sponsored by DuPont. The show, which debuted in 1935 on CBS and moved to the Blue in January 1940,Lackmann, op. cit., states that this program was broadcast on the Red Network, but at least for its fifth season, according to 1940 newspaper radio listings, the show was a Blue Network program was created at a time when the firm was under attack for being, in effect, a "merchant of death", and this show, which focused on American historical figures, was one way DuPont tried to burnish its image. Certainly, the show had high production values, as can be witnessed by its use of Raymond Massey for a show in February 1940 on Abraham Lincoln, as described in the February 26, 1940, issue of Time. It was also known for the use of university professors to vet the historical accuracy of the stories, as well as scripts by future Pulitzer Prize-winner Arthur Miller. (This show would eventually stay with NBC Red and NBC, starting in 1941, and the network would continue to broadcast the show even into the age of television).
An interesting perspective can be seen on one of the most dramatic days in the history of network radio. On the morning of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, while the first attack wave was over Oahu, NBC Blue was broadcasting The Inspector General, as part of its Great Plays program, while NBC Red was broadcasting a program with popular bandleader Sammy Kaye. At 4 p.m., ET, the Blue's broadcasts of the National Vespers was interrupted by various news reports. Later in the evening, at 6:30 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., Drew Pearson's and Eleanor Roosevelt's regular broadcasts are heard, followed at 7 p.m. by a news roundup show that competed with Jack Benny, and later on Bible Week opposite the Chase and Sanborn Hour with Edgar Bergen. (The Blue did have the popular Inner Sanctum mystery anthology series later that night at 8:30, followed in turn by its number one show with Walter Winchell.) Lastly, of interest to those who may recall the satiric references in Warner Bros. cartoons of the era, at 10 p.m., the Blue carried The Goodwill Hour with John J. Anthony, dispensing advice to those who sought it, and who presumably were not tuned into Phil Spitalny's orchestra on the Red network.
"As far back as 1932, a group of executives of the National Broadcasting Company conceived the idea that The Blue Network could progress faster and serve its stations, its advertisers and the listening public much better if, instead of being a part of NBC it were to become an independent network.""The Blue Network Today", page 4.
In May 1940, after a three-year investigation, the Federal Communications Commission (which had had oversight over radio broadcasting since 1934) issued a scathing report (the "Report on Chain Broadcasting") attacking the affiliation policies of NBC and CBS, as well as the talent booking agency practices. The report proposed limiting each network to one affiliated station per city, which would have had a direct impact on NBC's dual-network ownership.See the 1941 edition of the Britannica Book of the Year, under the entry for "Radio, Industrial Aspects of", pages 566–7 In May 1941, the FCC went a step further and issued formal rules to break up what it perceived to be monopolies in radio; one of these rules specifically barred a network from operating more than one hookup, which would have been aimed directly at NBC's ownership of its two networks, in a manner even more explicit than the June 1940 report.See the 1942 edition of the Britannica Book of the Year, under the entry for "Radio", page 556, as well as the May 12, 1941, edition of Time Chains Unchained?
This account by Time describes at least one of the accusations leveled against NBC by Mutual, from an affidavit by Mutual's general manager. In the fall of 1941, Mutual debuted a comedy-variety series sponsored by Ballantine Ale, called Three Ring Time, starring Milton Berle and Charles Laughton.While a critical success, writer Ivan Shreve, Jr. notes that it received poor ratings and was dogged by feuding between Berle and Laughton; The show was set to debut on a 77-station network, but 14 of these stations were under contract to NBC, which had the power to exercise options on the most desirable time, in cities where there was limited competition. NBC eventually exercised options for six of these stations, with the result that Three Ring Time was being carried simultaneously on NBC Blue and Mutual.
While the antitrust suits were pending, NBC and CBS had appealed to the courts regarding the ability of the FCC to regulate the operations of radio networks.They also, inter alia, sold their talent bureaus, thus eliminating that FCC grievance; New York Times, May 29, 1941, 14:1. While these appeals were in progress, NBC started the process of formally separating the operations of the Red Network and the Blue Network, a process which had begun in 1939 with the formation of a separate sales department for the Blue Network and which continued into 1940 and 1941 with the formation of other departments for the Blue Network. NBC began to specifically identify the networks, contrary to its general practice, and began to divide personnel and facilities; eventually, it formed a separate corporate entity for the Blue Network on January 8, 1942, "Blue Network Company, Inc."At one point, the name "United Broadcasting System" seems to have been contemplated, but this was not used. New York Times, December 25, 1941, 39:7. C.E. Butterfield's radio news column, syndicated by Wide World, stated that the former NBC Blue would be called "BNC". The Capital, (Annapolis MD), January 10, 1942, p5. From this date on, while NBC still maintained ownership of the Blue Network, it was for most purposes an entirely separate network. NBC Red at this point became known as simply NBC.See the 1943 Britannica Book of the Year, under the entry "Radio", page 579; note, however, that "The Blue Network Today," at p. 4, considers the start date to be January 1, 1942, not January 9.
In June 1942, The United States Supreme Court upheld the jurisdiction of the FCC over the issuance of rules relating to chain broadcasting. While the FCC litigation continued in the wake of this ruling, the public and private antitrust litigation was held in abeyance.See the 1943 Britannica Book of the Year, under the entry "Radio", page 579.
On May 10, 1943, the Supreme Court ( National Broadcasting Co. v. United States, 319 U.S. 190) upheld the right of the FCC to regulate practically everything that was radio, by sustaining the jurisdiction of the FCC to regulate the contractual relations of the major networks with affiliated stations.Folder 862 in the NBC History Files at the Library of Congress contains a report, dated May 19, 1943, of the reaction of NBC President Niles Trammell to this decision; this report has not been reviewed for the preparation of this Wikipedia entry. Efforts in late 1943 before the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee to obtain legislation to, in effect, reverse the decision went nowhere.
On July 30, 1943, just over two months after the court's ruling, RCA announced the sale of the network to American Broadcasting System, Inc., a firm controlled by Edward J. Noble, a former undersecretary of commerce who was better known as the chairman of Life Savers Corp. The price was announced as $8 million. San Mateo Times, August 13, 1943, 2:1 Newspaper Archive. This was followed by a petition to the FCC to approve the sale, which was filed on August 13. San Mateo Times, August 13, 1943, op. cit.
At the hearings held on September 10, 1943, FCC Chairman James L. Fly roundly denounced the policy of the Blue Network in refusing to sell airtime, but granting air time for free, to proponents of controversial broadcasts. He colorfully described the policy as chasing would-be purchasers from the front of the shop, but "directing them to the back door for a handout." Mark Woods, the head of the Blue Network, defended the policy, stating that it was in compliance with the NAB code. New York Times, September 11, 1943, 11:1 When Edward J. Noble testified at the hearings held on September 20, 1943, he was questioned closely by Chairman Fly as to the policies regarding the refusal to sell air time to labor organizations, cooperatives and other special interest groups. New York Times, October 4, 1943, 24:3 Noble was directed by Chairman Fly at this hearing to submit a statement as to what the policy would be of the Blue Network in terms of "the expansion of the mechanisms of free speech." On October 3, 1943, Noble released a letter to the FCC in which it was stated that the Blue Network would meet "with an open mind" all requests for broadcasting time, "considering each on the merits", and excluding none on the basis of ideas or personality. Certainly, not all were pleased by Chairman Fly's stance. Columnist David Lawrence, in his October 7, 1943, column, thought that the FCC had overstepped its authority in attempting to force the Blue Network to change its policies regarding the sale of airtime. Charleston (WV) Daily Mail, October 7, 1943, 4:2 Newspaper Archive
Noble's written response seems to have been sufficient. The sale was approved by the FCC on October 12, 1943. Austin American, October 13, 1943, 3:5 Newspaper Archive Noble was forced to divest himself of New York station WMCA, which he had owned since 1940, but his American Broadcasting System, Inc., the entity formed to be the parent of the Blue Network, acquired WJZ, additional stations in Chicago and San Francisco, as well as land-line leases, certain studio facilities and leased studio facilities, and the affiliation system.See, inter alia, the 1944 Britannica Book of the Year, op. cit.
Of obvious import were steps taken to preserve the best programming the network had, and make improvements; these were happening in the period immediately prior to, and following, the sale of the network. While the Blue Network did lose a few programs to NBC, such as Quiz Kids and Duffy's Tavern (more shows that debuted or had a previous run on the Blue; see Lackmann, op. cit.) and the NBC Symphony Orchestra (Lackmann, op. cit.), it did retain one highly rated show, the Jergens Journal with Walter Winchell, which managed to compete successfully with NBC's powerhouse Sunday night lineup (it was the 11th-ranked program for all of 1943–1944, and Blue's only program in the top 20).See The Blue Network also retained the rights to broadcast the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts; Milton Cross was the host for NBC, Blue, ABC, CBS, and the opera's own broadcasts from 1931 through 1975. This was in spite of the fact that NBC did not want to assign the rights to either the Town Meeting of the Air or the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts to the Blue Network.Internal memorandum dated February 16, 1942, from I.E. Showerman to Frank E. Mullen, NBC History Files, Folder 128
In an interview with Time published on January 11, 1943, Woods noted that the Blue Network was seeking to differentiate itself from NBC and CBS by the aggressive use of transcriptions, contrary to the practice of the larger networks. This would have its full fruition when Bing Crosby started transcribing his prime-time shows in 1946.
In certain respects, the Blue made attempts to grab the spotlight with unusual broadcasts. On December 25, 1942, the Coca-Cola Company sponsored an all-day broadcast on the network, a "Victory Parade's Christmas Party of Spotlight Bands". The hiring, in 1943, of noted bandleader Paul Rodgers as Director of Music was an attempt by the network, in its own words, to strengthen the entire musical schedule, as well as obtain a prominent figure."The Blue Network Today", page 20. The "Metropolitan Auditions of the Air", discussed above, had moved to the Blue Network by 1943 as well, joining the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts and the Boston Symphony Orchestra."The Blue Network Today", pages 20, 22.
News continued to be a priority for the network; indeed, Raymond Swing would win a Peabody Award for the network in 1944 for his news commentary. A 1943 promotional pamphlet listed Swing, Walter Winchell, Martin Agronsky, Drew Pearson, Lowell Thomas and Dorothy Thompson, among others, as part of "the most impressive roster of news analysts and commentators on the air today.""The Blue Network Today", page 22. Newsman George Hicks was on a landing craft heading to the Normandy invasion beaches on D-Day when it was strafed by enemy planes, the sound of the combat being broadcast.See Britannica Book of the Year, entry "Radio", page 585 The network did have some difficulty with its news commentators during the war, however. The February 22, 1943, edition of Time notes that Woods had to clamp down on both Walter Winchell and Drew Pearson for over-aggressive name calling in their broadcasts, much to their dismay.Time Magazine, February 22, 1943 Bluenoses?
One ambitious broadcast, copies of which are generally available to collectors of old-time radio broadcasts, was a special two-hour program broadcast on Christmas Day, 1944. Entitled "Christmas on the Blue", the show was emceed by Gracie Fields, and featured, among other stars, Joe E. Brown, The Andrews Sisters, Ed Wynn, Paul Whiteman and others. The show also featured broadcasts of overseas servicemen sending greetings and well wishes to their loved ones at home, something unusual for the era.
One of the pairings on this special program involved Wendell Niles, a long-time announcer on many radio shows, including Bob Hope's. The Blue Network gave him and partner Don Prindle a comedy series, Niles and Prindle, which is referenced in the special as being scheduled for a debut the following month. It was said to involve two friends "who argued about everything", and had a brief run in 1945. Handbook of Old-Time Radio, Jon D. Swartz and Robert C. Reinehr (Scarecrow Press, Metuchen (NJ), 1993), page 478. It was certainly unusual for the Blue Network to attempt to convert a long-time announcer into a featured comedy star, and in this sense, "Niles and Prindle", if not unique (given that Graham McNamee was the "Perfect Foil" to Ed Wynn), it must be said to be at least quite singular.
Of interest to animation fans was a show called Nitwit Court, which sought to do to John J. Anthony's The Goodwill Hour what It Pays to Be Ignorant did to Information, Please!. Host Ransom Sherman would pose problems to a jury consisting of Arthur Q. Bryan, as "Willow", a man with a lisp, Mel Blanc, as "Hornblower", a fumbling motorboat owner, and Sara Berner as "Bubbles Lowbridge", a not terribly bright woman (all three of whom are most commonly associated with Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series).See Swartz and Reinehr, page 44, and Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960 by Vincent Terrace (A.S. Barnes & Co., New York, 1981), pages 200–01.
The souvenir program for the Maurice B. Sachs Amateur Hour broadcast of Sunday, September 30, 1945, refers to the broadcast as coming from "Blue Network Studio A.""Maurice B. Sachs Amateur Hour Souvenir Program" dated September 30, 1945, in the collection of E.O. Costello Even into 1947, in some markets, ABC would promote its shows with the tag-line "It's a Blue Network Program!" Evening Tribune (Albert Lea, Minnesota) February 13, 1947, 7:7–8. The program in question was the old Blue Network standby, "Town Meeting of the Air." One example has been found where a newspaper referred to a program as being broadcast over "ABC's Blue Network" as late as 1949. Berkshire County (MA) Eagle, February 16, 1949, 2:5–6
A pamphlet published by the American Rolling Mill Co. in connection with a radio talk on "The Miracle of Steel" given on the Blue Network on April 9, 1939, has a listing of the Blue Network stations participating in this broadcast."Miracle of Steel: A Radio Talk by the Armco Ironmaster", The American Rolling Mill Co. (Middletown, Ohio, April 9, 1939), n.p. They are as follows:
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