ABSTRACT
Collective listening within the family circle could easily be disrupted by divergent programme preferences and broadcasting might become ‘one of the petty tyrannies of family life’ if parents and their children could not agree. The work of the Women’s Institutes and Townwoman’s Guilds in using broadcasting for the philanthropic and educational purposes showed their recognition of its importance, felt all the more strongly by women because it provided a limited substitute for their more restricted domestic lives and experience. Whilst noting the debilitating effect of broadcasting upon children’s homework, Rowntree also observed the widespread tendency to use radio broadcasts as a background to many other activities. The real educational effect of broadcasting was almost completely informal and this factor attracted the attention of the social surveyors. Broadcast talks were sometimes very effective in broadening the outlook of the casual listener.
