The Voice of Newfoundland: A Social History of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland, 1939–1949 (review)

Little has been written about the development and impact of radio and television in the Atlantic Region. Survey texts and other works on the history of the region merely hint at the transformative impact that these new communication and entertainment media had on social and cultural life. Thus, Jeff Webb's The Voice of Newfoundland: A Social History of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland, 1939–1949 fills a large gap in the regional literature. However, Webb does much more than simply fill a void. The Voice of Newfoundland is a highly readable monograph that both provides a compelling account of the local interplay between radio and local politics and culture at a key moment in the history of Newfoundland, and challenges assumptions in the international literature on the early development of radio.

On the local level the Voice of Newfoundland (vnof), the broadcasting arm of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland was a key element in the cultural and political changes that eventually resulted in Confederation with Canada. In 1939, the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland was created by the Commission of Government to bolster economic and moral reform efforts. However, as the pressing needs and prosperity of wartime pushed the reform agenda into the background, the vnof began to take on the very different political role of acting as the informal forum for political debate. With the continuing absence of democratic government in the postwar years, the vnof provided the primary outlet for the debate between the restoration of independence for Newfoundland and Canadian Confederation. The fact that Joey Smallwood was already a popular radio personality who understood the power and potential of the medium was significant in the campaign for Confederation. Webb is particularly adept in explaining how Smallwood walked the fine line of using radio to promote Confederation as a means of falling in step the rest of North America, which was perceived by opponents as a loss of autonomy, while at the same time promoting and helping to create a sense of distinct identity in Newfoundland.

One enduring theme in the international literature on radio is that state-owned broadcasters are, by definition, imbued with a sense of public service, while self-interest is the overriding motive in private broadcasting. In examining the content of the Voice of Newfoundland, Webb points out that this is too simple a dichotomy. He convincingly argues that the continuities between the private (1932–9) and public (1939–49) eras of radio broadcasting were greater than the discontinuities. That is, in both of its incarnations the vnof acted as a propaganda tool for the state, and exhibited commercialism and a commitment to public service. Moreover, the content of programming changed surprisingly little after the transition from public to private broadcasting. These are insights that deserve attention in other places.

It is impossible to provide a full appreciation of Webb's monograph in the space of a short review. Among other qualities, The Voice of Newfoundland is a work of subtlety and imagination that provides a compelling view of the dialectic between broadcaster and audience in the creation of culture. It deserves an international audience and should be standard reading for PhD fields in Canadian history.