Date of Award

Fall 1993

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Mayerle, Judine

Second Advisor

Grams, John

Third Advisor

Slattery, Karen

Abstract

The problem to be addressed is, "Why was the network radio program Breakfast Club with its one host, Don McNeill, able to stay on the air for thirty-five years?" Given the relatively short run of most network radio programming from the 1930s and 1940s, i.e., five years or less, why was the Breakfast Club able to run contrary to the norm and survive for so long? The problem/question investigates not only the qualities peculiar to Don McNeill and the Breakfast Club that made the program so successful, but also such issues as the changing economic requirements of network broadcasting during the lifetime of the program, the expectations of the audience, and the evolving national radio industry.

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